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Category Archives: Fund Raising
January 28, 2013, 9:59 am
Lobbying Tactics on Postal Issue Splits Nonprofits
The executive director of an association that successfully persuaded a powerful Congressman to commit to preserving discount postage rates for nonprofits lashed out Friday against Independent Sector for formally asking the representative to maintain that position.
Independent Sector and eight of the 600 nonprofits it represents sent a letter on Tuesday to Rep. Darrell Issa requesting his support for the discount rate when he reintroduces legislation for a massive overhaul of the United States Postal Service this year. Mr. Issa committed last year to removing a provision to eliminate the discount that was included in the USPS overhaul bill that Congress ultimately never took up before the end of 2012.
That irked Anthony Conway, executive director of the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers, who was frustrated that his 300-member organization was not consulted about sending the letter. He…
January 23, 2013, 9:38 am
Nonprofits Urge Congress to Preserve Discount Postal Rates
Independent Sector and eight other groups asked a powerful Congressional committee Tuesday to preserve discount postage rates for nonprofits as it drafts legislation to change how the U.S. Postal Service works.
The Postal Reform Act of 2011 had proposed eliminating the nonprofit discount, which cost the postal service about $1.3-billion in 2011. The provision was removed last year during Congressional negotiations, but the comprehensive postal bill died. It is expected to be considered again this year by the new Congress.
Independent Sector’s letter to Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, aims to make sure new legislation picks up where last year’s measure left off and keeps the discount in place. Mr. Issa was a key player in removing the threat to the discount.
“We have no reason to believe that [Mr. Issa] has changed his position,…
October 18, 2012, 3:09 pm
Council on Foundations Plans to Step Up Advocacy
In an e-mail last night to her group’s membership, Vikki Spruill, the new leader of the Council on Foundations, announced a campaign to convey the value of philanthropy to lawmakers.
She painted a picture of philanthropy under threat from politicians who are looking for new ways to increase revenue.
“Both President Obama and Governor Romney have put forth plans that will affect giving, and Congress is eyeing all tax deductions as potential revenue raisers,” she wrote. “This would be a grave mistake and would negatively affect significant numbers of Americans.”
Since joining the Council in July, Ms. Spruill said, she has assembled a team of “seasoned political strategists, communications tacticians, and tax-policy experts with deep ties to federal policy makers.” The campaign will focus on educating lawmakers at the local, state, and federal levels, she said, showing them how…
January 19, 2012, 8:38 am
Does Charity Advocacy Pay Off?
A study released today from a foundation watchdog group says that advocacy efforts by charities can pay off, to the tune of billions of dollars to communities.
The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy study examined 110 charities in 13 states and found that work such as pushing for more aid to schools and housing for the poor resulted in $26.6-billion in benefits to communities over five years. Money for the campaigns came from foundations and other donors.
The study comes as the watchdog group is urging foundations to step up their spending on efforts to influence public policy and running a campaign called Philanthropy’s Promise, which asks grant makers to commit to devoting at least 25 percent of their grants each year to advocacy.
Altogether, the report said, the charities spent $231-million on efforts to influence policy makers and the public, meaning every $1…
November 11, 2011, 3:40 pm
Charitable Deduction Not Discussed at Deficit Talks
Republican members of the congressional deficit committee are discussing plans that would limit some tax breaks to help close the federal deficit, The New York Times reports. But a top Congressional aide says lawmakers have not been talking about placing any limits on charitable deductions.
The committee is working to trim more than $1.2-trillion from the federal deficit over 10 years.
Republicans have said previously that they are against raising taxes of any kind, including placing new limits on how much wealthy people can deduct by making charitable gifts. As pressure mounts to strike a deal, however, Republican leaders could be softening their stance on some tax increases.
A congressional aide who asked not to be named said recent discussions have included proposals that would limit tax credits and deductions. But the aide said that the charitable deduction has not been…
October 19, 2011, 10:38 am
Video: Arts Leaders Take to Capitol Hill to Talk About Tax Breaks
Arts leaders traveled to Capitol Hill this fall to speak out against possible changes to the tax code that would affect charitable giving.
The lobbying effort, which was organized by the Alliance for Charitable Reform, a project by the organization Philanthropy Roundtable, focused largely on a White House plan to place new limits on the tax breaks wealthy donors receive for charitable gifts.
President Obama had proposed limiting to 28 percent the write-offs that wealthy people can get for their itemized deductions as part of his September jobs bill. Today donors in the top tax bracket get write-offs of 35 percent.
Senate Democrats rejected that idea, but it’s likely the proposal could resurface. As a result, some nonprofit leaders are stepping up their efforts to speak out against the plan.
You can see what arts leaders think about tax issues in this video.
You can…
October 6, 2011, 6:14 pm
Price Tag for Charity Tax Break Loss: at Least $2.9-Billion
President Obama’s plan to limit the value of charitable deductions for wealthy people would cost nonprofits at least $2.9-billion and perhaps as much as $5.6-billion, according to a study to be unveiled Friday.
Economists examined how people would be affected by Mr. Obama’s plan to limit to 28 percent the amount affluent people could write off in all itemized deductions. People in the highest income bracket now can write off 35 percent of their deductions, including those for gifts to charity.
Charities have been strongly opposed to Mr. Obama’s effort to limit the incentive to give, especially at a time when giving has dropped because of the bad economy.
The new research will be presented Friday at a conference by the Urban Institute’s Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy and was one of several forthcoming projects paid for by a $1-million research grant from the Bill &…
October 6, 2011, 9:46 am
State Regulators Grapple With Best Ways to Police Social-Media Appeals
As nonprofits increasingly turn to social-media and mobile tools to raise money, charity regulators are trying to figure out the smartest ways to protect donors from fraud.
The annual gathering of state regulators who monitor charities, held in Silver Spring, Md., this week, was dominated by concerns that the explosion of social networks has created an online fund-raising culture that is akin to the wild west.
The challenge, regulators say, is that the law and the courts haven’t kept up with all the changes, making it difficult for regulators to figure out which groups in their states are raising money online and how best to pursue organizations that defraud charities and donors.
Jeremy Sher, president of the Grassroots Giving Group, a Boston company that is developing an online-giving site, said he shares those concerns, even though regulations would mean more work for groups …
September 19, 2011, 6:03 pm
White House and GOP Trade Charges on Charity Write-Offs
The White House says its proposal to limit the write-offs that wealthy people could claim for their charitable deductions would ultimately help nonprofits, even as opponents say the proposal would essentially amount to a “tax on soup kitchens.”
President Obama made the proposal as part of his job-creation plan, saying he would pay for the legislation by reducing the value of all itemized deductions, including housing and charitable gifts.
But the White House has faced strong criticism from nonprofits that say changes to the charitable deduction would punish charities that are providing crucial services to those in need.
Republican leaders have also criticized the plan. Last week, Rep. Eric Cantor, the Virginia Congressman who is House Majority Leader, published a blog post that characterized the jobs bill as a “tax on soup kitchens.” He said the limits on write-offs would harm…
September 15, 2011, 9:32 am
Nonprofits Fight Proposal to Curb Charity Tax Breaks
Nonprofits are gearing up to fight President Obama’s plan to pay for his jobs bill in part by limiting charitable deductions. Mr. Obama wants to limit the amount all wealthy people can write off for charitable gifts as well as housing, medical expenses, and other items.
Nonprofit leaders say that a curb on deductions will stifle giving and that charity write-offs make up only a small percentage of the money the federal treasury loses in deductions by the wealthy.
In 2009, 46.4 million taxpayers claimed the itemized deduction, with the deduction for charitable donations totaling an estimated $158-billion, according to the Internal Revenue Service. That total accounts for 13 percent of all of the itemized deductions claimed that year. By comparison, taxpayers claimed an estimated $442-billion in deductions for mortgage interest and $432 billion for state and local taxes and…
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