For many years now, charitable non-profit organizations (NPOs) have been taking donations of household, durable, non-cash goods as well as used car donation.  This practice was adopted to increase the base of those who could be counted on for charitable gift giving to include the middle class and has been a smashing success.

However, in addition to used car donation, which may be the most commonly advertised type of giving, there are plenty of still valuable goods in most people’s homes, waiting to be put to a more charitable use.    For instance, just about anything that isn’t consumable or appears made to last for more than a few years is perfect for donation.

Consider electronic goods, for instance.  They are very similar to used car donation in that many times people don’t bother to donate them until they are well into obsolescence or broken beyond reasonable repair.  Even though most charitable NPOs regularly request only working items, that is what they end up with most times. 

As with used car donation, there are companies with an educational mission, who will teach people how to rebuild and refurbish older electronic goods (especially computers), teach them how to use open source software with the newly useful machines and then send them home with a fully loaded and functional computer.

And again, just like used car doantion, this model serves only a small segment of the used computer marketplace, with most being sold to scrapyards in China to have their gold removed.  The actual value for people in your community is quite low in this scheme, so if charitable giving in your goal, it would be a good idea to check into such programs when you’re getting ready to make your donation. 

Though many of the strict regulations that pertain to used car donation don’t apply in quite the same way to some other types of donated goods, recent changes have tightened up the rules for other non-cash donations that are likely to be deducted at a rate far higher than the condition-adjusted value.

This has the effect of decreasing the amount of money that one can claim from clothing and household goods (including furniture) in poor condition just as a used car dontaion of a running car doesn’t even warrant the “poor” rating in the Kelley Blue Book.  There are even now regulations on the amount and condition of donation taxidermy.

Property was the largest component of non-cash donation to charity in 2002, right after stocks.  Property is generally required to be professionally and independently appraised before it may be deducted as a charitable gift.

Other non-cash items that benefit charity in addition to used car donation, include art of whatever questionable taste you choose, as long as its in good or better condition.  Intellectual properties may also be donated, as may securities and inventories.

If there is any way someone can make money off something you’ve donated, odds are, they will.  It might be a good idea to talk to your tax preparer or CPA about whether your donation will be fully deductible.  If not, there’s probably a way that it could be made to work.  Find out.

If you’ll be claiming more than $500,000 in charitable deductions for a given year, you’ll automatically have to file some special paperwork.  Generally, just as with used car donation, the more you hope to claim as deduction for a given item or for a great many items, the more documentation you’ll need to produce to back up your claims and the more likely the IRS is to ask you about it.

And just as the changes that impacted used car donation in 2005, it is unclear what effect this change will have.  Will people continue to donate items without tax benefit or will it leave that many fewer resources for the poor and disadvantaged?  It is unclear if charities themselves have been negatively affected, much less the communities they serve.

The world of fund raising can be both challenging and rewarding. There is nothing better than seeing first hand the efforts of your work after all the hard labor. Fund raising will open you up to many more areas of job satisfaction that you would probably not find in your every day career.

Types of Fund Raising Jobs

Face-to-face fundraisers are those who walk the streets raising awareness of the campaign that they are involved in. This fund raising job requires you to be thick skinned as you can encounter many rude and obnoxious people on the street. In this job you will be looking to raise awareness as well as try to get people to come on board and make regular donations to your cause. It can also be a very challenging career as there are days when you may feel like giving in after being brushed off so many times. There are also days when you will encounter just the right people and it will remind you of why you are there!

Telesales is another difficult aspect of fund raising; however it is also one that is important to raising awareness and funds for your organization. This fund raising job, along the lines of the face-to-face fundraisers, requires you to be very thick skinned, as once again you will encounter very rude people who are not interested in making a difference. You will be surprised by the people that you get on the other end of the phone, however not always in a bad way. There are genuine people out there who do care and who are willing to listen to what you have to say. They will make this fund raising job worth your while.

If you feel that these are not the types of jobs that you are capable of there are also other aspects of the fund raising world that you can become a part of. There are always administrative roles that are important in the fund raising world. These are just as important as the fund raisers roles themselves as accurate logging and checking of your donations is important for the effective running of the charity. If organization is your forte then perhaps you can try the planning side of the fund raising arena. There are always events and fund raising drives that require planning, implementation and overseeing.

So no matter what your interest, there is always a role that will suit you should you feel the need to join the fund raising world. If you are able to give time, charities are always welcoming volunteers to help out with any of their ongoing projects. A fund raising job will always be rewarding; so why not give it a try?

In 2004, Congress changed the rules regarding deductions when you donate a car to charity. The rules more or less limited the deduction that you could claim to $500 or the lesser of the car’s fair market value or the actual proceeds from the sale of the car. This has seriously impacted both the number and value of used car donations.

The accounting firm of Grant Thornton reports that between tax year 2004 and 2005, the number of car donations valued at more than $500 dropped by approximately 67%. The total value of donations fell more than 80%.

In order to claim a deduction of more than $500 for donating a motor vehicle (car, motorcycle, boat, or airplane) to charity, you must attach Copy B of the IRS Form 1098-C, which has been provided by the charity, to the Form 8283 that is included in your 1040.

Learn more about making a car donation.

Postcards are valuably known as a material that represents a business. It conveys a message that makes clients turn their heads even without the existence of a personal representative.

With the tight competition foreseen at present it is daunted whether it is effective to make use of postcards. Are they really valuable tool to have for marketing, promotions and advertising? Is Postcard printing in or out?

Read more Postcard Printing

Treats for Troops was founded in early 2003 by Denver business woman Deborah Crane, who was determined to make it safe and simple for every American to send packages and messages of support to our men and women in uniform year round.

Since the Treats for Troops Gift Shops opened in June of 2003, friends, family members, groups, organizations and individual sponsors have sent over twenty tons of treats to American soldiers through Treats for Troops.

Their unique Foster-A-Soldier™ Program makes it possible for every American to put a smile on the face of someone serving our country. The Foster-A-Soldier Program automatically matches you with a registered soldier by branch of service, home state, gender, or birthday – or you can choose to sponsor a group of soldiers. Then all you have to do is go shopping in the Treats for Troops Gift Shops, and your care package will be on its way.

Friends and family members tell us they love shopping in our Gift Shops, where they can choose from dozens of themed packages or hundreds of individual items, all selected after lots of input from soldiers and family members.

Individuals, organizations and groups who don’t personally know anyone in the military, but want to show their support can sponsor soldiers through our unique Foster-A-Soldier Program. Sponsors can choose their soldiers by branch of service, home state or gender.

Visit Treats for Troops

Online fund raising and groups in need of money are like a marriage made in heaven. There are many deserving groups with great projects and activities but no funds available for their members. These groups have traditionally worked on their own to raise funds for important activities. They are not trying to get rich, but they are trying to provide something positive for members of their community. These deserving groups could be teenagers who want to go to a drama festival or church members who provide for homeless people in their city.

These groups used to resort to bake sales after the church service or a car wash on the weekend to raise money for their cause. While these activities are often very successful, and they remain an option for those looking to raise money, fund raising online is gaining in popularity because of the obvious advantages. Online fund raising can be done through an internet website with a single person in charge. This one person can replace the twenty or thirty needed to conduct a car wash or the fifty needed to bake cookies for a sale.

Online fund raising has been used a great deal by politicians trying to raise money for their elections. In fact, online political fund raising has brought millions of dollars to some of the political candidates. Other groups that have found success with online fund raising include the Red Cross and several universities.

While the groups may be diverse, their techniques for online fund raising are similar. These groups have a great website that explains the need for additional funds, and the websites usually show the previous successes of the group. These successes encourage donors who can clearly see the dedication of the members of the group. Online fund raising will require some personnel with expertise in website design, but the fees to hire these people will probably be well worth the money. Other groups may find that their own members have the appropriate skills to help as a volunteer.

In his nearly thirty years of teaching leadership, John Maxwell has encountered this question again and again. You don’t have to be the main leader, asserts Maxwell, to make significant impact in your organization. Good leaders are not only capable of leading their followers but are also adept at leading their superiors and their peers.

Debunking myths and shedding light on the challenges, John Maxwell offers specific principles for Leading Down, Leading Up, and Leading Across. 360-Degree Leaders can lead effectively, regardless of their position in an organization. By applying Maxwell’s principles, you will expand your influence and ultimately be a more valuable team member.

The mission of the American Breast Cancer Foundation is to provide women and men in financial need, regardless of age or race, access to breast cancer early diagnosis, to assist patients and their families, and to support research. Early detection and treatment are the keys to surviving breast cancer. ABCF has been providing direct financial assistance to individuals for breast cancers screening and diagnostic tests since 1997.

Other Breast Cancer resouces:

The BreastCancer.Net News provides its 20,000 readers with breaking news on breast cancer treatment and research daily. Along with thousands of breast cancer patients and survivors, The BCN News is read in nearly every major cancer and health organization, all the major breast cancer organizations, and major research laboratories and universities around the world.

Breastcancer.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing the most reliable, complete, and up-to-date information about breast cancer. Their mission is to help women and their loved ones make sense of the complex medical and personal information about breast cancer, so they can make the best decisions for their lives.

VolunteerMatch is a leader in the nonprofit world dedicated to helping everyone find a great place to volunteer. The organization offers a variety of online services to support a community of nonprofit, volunteer and business leaders committed to civic engagement. Our popular service welcomes millions of visitors a year and has become the preferred internet recruiting tool for more than 50,000 nonprofit organizations.

VolunteerMatch is about relationships. We are a service that brings good people and good causes together. We believe that the health of our community can be measured by the relationships formed between volunteers and the nonprofits they serve. Our aim is to build services that overcome the barriers that keep volunteers and nonprofits from finding each other, working together, and developing strong relationships.

The Alzheimer’s Association Web site provides information on the latest Alzheimer care strategies, research findings and advocacy initiatives. They also provide updates on Alzheimer’s Association programs, partners and events.

The Alzheimer’s Association-Capital of Texas Chapter is a non-profit organization that provides family support, community education, public awareness and supports research for the prevention, cure and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders.

Alzheimer’s Australia is the peak body providing support and advocacy for the 500,000 Australians living with dementia.

Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative brain disorder that causes memory loss, behavior and personality changes, as well as changes in the ability to think clearly. The behavior and personality changes often turn into dementia. Alzheimer’s dementia affects millions of people and can be the hardest part of the disease to accept and live with.

Alzheimer’s dementia can cause a person who was once pleasant and forgiving become violent and harsh; and it can even cause a person to see things that aren’t there. They can suddenly erupt into screaming fits, complaining that someone is trying to kill them, or, even worse, they can begin to thrash about and hit those that are trying to care for them. For this reason, people suffering from Alzheimer’s dementia must be cared for by someone who is professionally trained and who possesses a great amount of patience.

Alzheimer’s dementia especially hurts the loved ones of the afflicted, because they have to witness their relative acting in ways, and sometimes saying things, that are unbearable. They literally have to witness their loved one deteriorate into an unrecognizable stranger. Alzheimer’s dementia often results in the person having to be cared for as one would care for a young child. The patient, who once had so much life experience and wisdom, now has to have everything done for them.

Caring for Your Loved One
Alzheimer’s dementia can be cared for by taking the person through regular daily routines. Get them used to watching certain TV shows, watch movies, listen to music, any activities that keep them busy but are simple enough that they don’t have to think about doing them. It’s also important to allow time for frequent rests, as sometimes, a certain activity may prove too much for the person, for whatever reason, and must be approached later when the person isn’t so anxious.

The most important thing to remember when caring for a person with Alzheimer’s dementia is that they must never be left alone. The person literally must be taken care of the way a small child would be cared for. They must not be able to wander off by themselves. They could get hurt or, worse, they could wander outside and get lost. The worst part is that they probably don’t even know they’re doing what they’re doing.

Alzheimer’s dementia is a very difficult symptom of Alzheimer’s and must be cared for by someone who is specially trained to handle the outbursts and behavioral changes that can occur with this disease. When caring for someone with Alzheimer’s dementia, it’s important to prepare for the worst and the unpredictable.

Should You Scrap Your Fund-Raising Event?
Some charities have taken the extreme step of canceling their annual fund-raising galas in light of the economic downturn.

But Robert Evans, a fund-raising expert, advises against making a last-minute decision to cancel a special event. Read more

The Sky is Falling
Gloom and doom. The sky is falling. Budgets are bad. We need to cut back. It’s time to do even more with even less.

Sound familiar? If you work in the nonprofit or educational sector, it should. It seems like every few years we go through this cycle—and every few years, we react in the same way.

I’m fond of quoting Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity where he pointed out that if you keep doing things in the same way it is simply not rational to expect that you will get a different outcome. And yet that is exactly what we do. Read more

US charity donations hit 2007 record despite soft economy
Americans shook off economic uncertainty and gave a record 306.4 billion dollars to charitable causes in 2007, an increase of 3.9 percent for the year, a survey showed Monday.

The annual survey by Giving USA Foundation and the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University showed a rise in overall donations but hesitation by individual donors and companies affected by economic woes.

George Ruotolo, chair of the Giving Institute, said charitable contributions held up even with Americans fretting about high oil prices, the subprime real estate crisis and the ongoing war in Iraq. Read more

The ASPCA was founded in 1866 as the first humane organization in the Western Hemisphere. The Society was formed to alleviate the injustices animals faced then, and we continue to battle cruelty today. Whether it’s saving a pet who has been accidentally poisoned, fighting to pass humane laws, rescuing animals from abuse or sharing resources with shelters across the country, we work toward the day in which no animal will live in pain or fear.

The Humane Society of the United States is the nation’s largest and most effective animal protection organization—backed by 10 million Americans, or one in every 30. Established in 1954, The HSUS seeks a humane and sustainable world for all animals—a world that will also benefit people. We are America’s mainstream force against cruelty, exploitation and neglect, as well as the most trusted voice extolling the human-animal bond.

View Charity Navigator rating for the Humane Society of the United States

HumaneTeen features true stories of teen activists and clubs making a difference for animals and the environment.

The Humane Society Of The United States - Wildlife Land Trust - Saving Lives By Saving Land.

The ALS Association
The mission of the ALS Association is to lead the fight to cure and treat ALS through global, cutting-edge research, and to empower people with Lou Gehrig’s Disease and their families to live fuller lives by providing them with compassionate care and support.

As the only not-for-profit voluntary health agency dedicated solely to the fight against ALS, they direct the largest privately-funded research enterprise engaged to uncover the mystery of a disease that affects as many as 30,000 annually. With more than 5,600 people diagnosed each year – an average of 15 new cases each day – their mission is urgent.

What is ALS?
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as “Lou Gehrig’s disease,” is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually lead to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed. Yet, through it all, for the vast majority of people, their minds remain unaffected.

The ALS Association Massachusetts Chapter, founded on January 27, 1990, is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization based out of Dedham, Massachusetts. We offer more than a dozen free services for patients and their families, including a respite care program, an equipment loan program, a children’s program and support groups. We, along with our sister Chapters from across the country, also contribute significantly to research efforts both nationally and internationally, making The ALS Association the largest private source of funding for ALS research anywhere in the world.

The Evergreen Chapter, founded in January of 1999, operates under a shared mission: to empower people with Lou Gehrig’s disease and their families to live fuller lives by providing them with compassionate care and support, and to lead the fight to cure and treat ALS through global, cutting-edge research. The Evergreen Chapter focuses primarily on helping local patients and families live with ALS while the National Office focuses primarily on research and advocacy. The Chapter supports the National Office through revenue sharing and research contributions. The National Office supports the Chapters by providing up-to-date information and materials.

It all started many years ago with an urge to help the less-privileged in our society unconditionally. Over the years, the urge developed into an idea and then into Child’s Dream. Our organization has been brought to life by a circle of friends with one common goal; helping underprivileged children in the ‘Mekong Sub-Region’, which includes Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. This region is at the core of many humanitarian crises such as human trafficking, drug smuggling, child prostitution and the spread of HIV / AIDS.

We realized that charitable funds are spread unevenly among various projects, resulting in an inefficient use of funds. More established and well-connected projects often receive excess funds, leading to non-essential investments, whereas smaller, newer or low profile projects lack money and can often hardly cover their running costs. This leads to a significant lack of essential infrastructure, medical attention, education, etc. These projects often try to survive by only providing food and shelter. Child’s Dream aims to help improve this situation by supporting projects, which really need help. In order to ensure an optimal use of funds, we provide infrastructure as well as personal items to meet health and educational needs (cloths, stationery, etc.) directly to the projects concerned rather than giving money to cover running costs.