I did a double-take when I checked my calendar this morning: there are only five Fridays left in 2015. That means there are just a few weeks left to whittle down your taxable income for the year (check for year-end tips soon). It also means that the 12 Days Of Charitable Giving 2015 are coming.
As I do every year, I’m asking readers to submit, via email (charity@taxgirl.com) the name of a charity that deserves a mention this year for the 12 Days Of Charitable Giving. Ideally, it would be one that you have supported financially over the past year or that you plan to support before the year-end. In addition to the name, I’ll need the city where the charity is located, what it does and why you support the charity (a personal story would be great). Please also link to the website if the organization has one (Facebook is okay, too): the more information that you can provide, the better.
The charity must be a bona fide 501(c)(3) organization, meaning that deductions are tax-deductible to the donor. Examples include schools, libraries, and purely public charities like the Red Cross. If you’re not sure about the tax status of the organization, you can check it using the Internal Revenue Service’s Select Check Tool. Additionally, most charitable organizations will post evidence of tax-exempt status on their website.
Convince me why your favorite organization is a deserving charity. Anecdotes are great, as are links to stories in the press. I’ll review the emails and choose, at my discretion, twelve charitable organizations to feature. I’ll post one charitable organization per day for 12 days in December – with some tax tips for charitable giving mixed in (of course).
If you’re looking for inspiration, here are the charities selected in 2014:
- 12 Days Of Charitable Giving 2014: Goodwill Industries
- 12 Days Of Charitable Giving 2014: The American Society For Suicide Prevention
- 12 Days Of Charitable Giving 2014: Neighborhood Bike Works
- 12 Days Of Charitable Giving 2014: Pet Food Pantry of Eastern North Carolina
- 12 Days Of Charitable Giving 2014: City Of Asylum/Pittsburgh
- 12 Days Of Charitable Giving 2014: The Fugees Family
- 12 Days Of Charitable Giving 2014: Doorways For Women & Families
- 12 Days Of Charitable Giving 2014: Give Kids A Smile
- 12 Days Of Charitable Giving 2014: March Of Dimes
- 12 Days Of Charitable Giving 2014: CaringBridge
- 12 Days Of Charitable Giving 2014: Phantom Projects
- 12 Days Of Charitable Giving 2014: Paws NY
And in 2013:
- 12 Days Of Charitable Giving 2013: To Love A Canine
- 12 Days Of Charitable Giving 2013: Committee To Protect Journalists
- 12 Days Of Charitable Giving 2013: Sepsis Alliance
- 12 Days Of Charitable Giving 2013: Ride For Reading
- 12 Days Of Charitable Giving 2013: Electronic Frontier Foundation
- 12 Days Of Charitable Giving 2013: Esophageal Cancer Action Network
- 12 Days Of Charitable Giving 2013: Feeding America
- 12 Days Of Charitable Giving 2013: Helping Hands Center For Special Needs
- 12 Days Of Charitable Giving 2013: Sow Much Good
- 12 Days Of Charitable Giving 2013: Children Of Fallen Patriots
- 12 Days of Charitable Giving 2013: Kids Making It
- 12 Days Of Charitable Giving 2013: Flashes Of Hope
The deadline for nominations is December 1, 2015, which doesn’t give you much time. What are you waiting for? Go, do something good!
