As we celebrate the start of a new year and make plans and resolutions, we also have an opportunity to strengthen and revise our giving decisions. To help address this objective, we offer the following advice.

Charities Need Help Year Round. There is a tendency for some to concentrate their giving during the last quarter of the year, the giving season. While charities appreciate this generosity, most organizations need assistance throughout the year. Keep this in mind as you make your donation plans.

Don’t Forget Disaster Relief Services. From hurricanes to tsunamis, 2018 experienced a number of natural disasters. Please remember that in addition to immediate assistance, some disaster service organizations are addressing long term recovery goals as well. Please remember these groups as you make your 2019 giving plans.

Tax Law Changes. Become familiar with the changes in the U.S. tax regulations that could impact charity deductions. For example, some charities are concerned that the increase in the standard deduction for individuals and families could impact the motivation for some households that would normally seek a tax deduction for their donations, but now may now opt for the larger standard deduction. Charities are looking closely at their 2018 contribution totals to see if there has been any resulting reduction in 2018 giving due to this tax change.

Time to Make the Best Decisions. Avoiding the last minute rush at end-of-year giving also provides the opportunity to take more time to ensure that the charities you choose are trustworthy and meet the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability. Visit our charity reports at Give.org.

Focused Giving. While some donors prefer to spread their donations to a variety of charities addressing different causes, others may seek more focused giving by identifying a specific issue or concern and focusing their giving on groups that address that issue. Whether or not you decide to focus your giving, planning ahead provides the opportunity for making such a choice.

For additional giving advice visit the BBB Wise Giving Alliance website at Give.org.

Video of the Week

Roxane Rucker, VP of Community Impact at KaBOOM! (a BBB Accredited Charity) shared her thoughts on donor trust, donating to charities working in a donor’s community and minority donor openness to solicitation.

Recent Reports

We are always working with charities to publish or update reports for donors. Visit Give.org or local BBBs to check out any charity before giving. Our recently evaluated charities include:

• Boot Campaign
• Human Development Foundation of North America
• NumbersUSA

Finally, remember to let us know by going to give.org/charity-inquiry  if you are interested in seeing a report on a charity not on the list and we will do our best to produce one. 

H. Art Taylor, President & CEO
BBB Wise Giving Alliance