By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
During the end-of-the-year holiday season, charitable giving is top of mind for many. While the spirit of the holidays may drive donations, individuals can benefit, as well.
“It's something like 30 percent of charitable giving happens in December,” said Heartland Community Foundation executive director Sarah Meitner. “The biggest three days are the last three days of the year.”
That last minute drive she said can have a tremendous impact on organizations throughout the year.
“On the organization side, organizations, up to 50 percent of them, this is where they get the bulk of their revenue during the year. This is the money that they use all year long,” Meitner said.
One of the largest charitable organizations in Ellis County is the United Way of Ellis County. Executive director Erica Burgess said this year 16 area nonprofits benefited from donations to the organization.
“They're wonderful agencies,” Burgess said. “They help everybody from the community that you can think of from birth to seniors, any demographic income level, and [it's] just amazing of how many people they help and the need that's out there.”
The agency will close out its current fundraising campaign in January.
“So, there's still some time to give,” Burgess said. “There's a lot of different ways you can give you can go online, liveunited.us…and you can make a one-time gift, a monthly gift or we have our roundup option.”
She said even small donations can make a difference.
“I saw that happen with the ARK Park,” Meitner said. “We celebrated the $10, $15 and $20 donations just as much as we did the $5,000 or $10,000, because it meant it was important to that person. We touched that person enough to inspire them to give a gift, and that's the biggest win of all.”
She said donations can also be a way to bring families together.
“This is the time of year to really reflect on what your gift-giving looks like in your family,” Meitner said. “If you have kids, set a good example for them, include them in the process. … Be intentional with your gift-giving, and that means setting aside time to discuss it with your partner or your family.”
“Make decisions together. Make it fun. There are fun things you can do,” she said “And give a gift this holiday time to the nonprofit organizations that mean the most to you.”
With charitable giving, there is a benefit to the community, but they also can be used to lower tax liabilities.
“This time of year, there are some tax benefits,” Meitner said. “The Cares Act was extended. So even if you are a person who does not itemize in your taxes, you can deduct $300 from your income per person, or $600 per adult. So, you can give that much, up to $600 if you're a married person, and then deduct [it] from your taxes.”
Benefits can be even greater for those that itemize taxes.
“You can deduct cash donations, up to 100 percent of your adjusted gross income,” Meitner said. “For a C Corp for business, you can deduct cash donations, up to 25 percent of that taxable income. So, there's a real benefit, whether you itemize or not.”
Those donations can be in a variety of forms as well, from cash to cryptocyrrency, real estate and material goods.
The foundation, she said is happy to discuss those options.
The United Way also has an online tool available to assist giving decisions.
“It’s a great resource. We have a separate website for it,” Burgess said. “It's Elliscountykshelp.com. So you can go to that and we have them kind of broken down in different categories. So, if you didn't kind of know what type of resource you need, you can go to that.”
For more information visit the Heartland Community Foundation or the United Way of Ellis County websites.
Cover photo courtesy Pixabay.