12 Days Of Charitable Giving Starts Soon

There 30 days left until the end of the year. That means you have just one month to whittle down your taxable income. Sure, you could buy your friends and family matching Taxgirl T-shirts for the holidays (because who wouldn’t want that?) – or you could make a nice charitable donation. It’s the “feel good” tax deduction of the year!

I represent a number of charitable organizations and I know that it’s tough out there all around. Donations are down for many organizations and the needs are up, especially in soup kitchens and shelters. As in years past, I want to both encourage you to make your charitable gifts by the end of the tax year (this is, after all, a tax blog) and to spread the word about some pretty deserving organizations.

As I do every year, I’m asking readers to submit, via email to charity@taxgirl.com, the name of a charity that most deserves a boost 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 (personal stories would be great). A link to the web site and the best way to make a donation would be terrific: 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 churches, 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 web site.

Convince me why your favorite organization is a deserving charity. I’ll review the emails and choose twelve to feature at my discretion. I might even involve the brain trust (i.e. my office) in the pick. The winning choices will be featured, one per day, for 12 days in December on the blog – with some tips for charitable giving mixed in. It’s a great way to get some exposure for the charity of your choice. The hope is that one donation (yours) turns into more (readers) and a big win for the charitable organization.

If you’re looking for more inspiration, check out the charities that made our list last year: