Now’s the season for helping others who are less fortunate than you by giving your time talents and resources to a worthy charitable cause. According to “The Nonprofit Fundraising Survey: November 2010” compiled by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Blackbaud the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University the Foundation Center GuideStar USA Inc. and the Urban Institute’s National Center for Charitable Statistics charitable donations in the U.S. are on the upswing but still have not climbed back to pre-recessionary levels.
Specifically 36% of the charities surveyed recorded an increase in donations during the first nine months of 2010 compared to just 23% that saw an increase in 2009. Additionally just 37% of the charities reported lower donation levels this year versus the 51% that experienced declines last year. Other findings: Organizations focused on international causes such as the Haitian earthquake and Pakistani flood relief efforts reported the greatest increase in donations. Domestic health organizations and religious charities reported the greatest declines in contributions.
Overall charitable organizations remain “guardedly optimistic” about 2011. In fact 47% plan to spend more while only 20% expect to make budget cuts.
If you have a family foundation you know that to avoid taxes for under-distribution you must generally distribute at least 5% of the value of investment assets (minus fees and investment taxes) each year. Ideally of course this annual amount has been calculated and distributed throughout the year. However as the year draws to a close it’s often wise to take a look at the year’s distributions to avoid shortfalls.
Missing the 5 percent distribution can result in penalties from the IRS but often the agency allows the offending foundations to make up for their miscalculations by contributing more than 5 percent in the following year. However missing your mark could also result in higher taxes on investment income.
