During the week of Thanksgiving, the Washington Post released a story explaining that a number of factors are impacting charitable contributions at regional charities: “a recent change in the tax code that disincentivized middle-class donations” and “the passing of older generations with more ingrained habit of giving.”  While the Post story focused on experiences at local food banks in the Washington DC area, this unfortunate trend is being experienced by other groups as well.

The referenced U.S. tax code change that took place was featured in a previous Wise Giving Wednesday blog. The change consisted of increases in 2018 for the standard deduction to $12,000 per individual or $24,000 per couple which reduced the financial incentive since fewer households would itemize charitable donations on their tax returns. The November issue of the Chronicle of Philanthropy noted that some charities that raise money from middle and upper-middle class donors were seeing reductions in giving while other donors were taking a longer time to decide how much to give and when.

As the year draws to a close, BBB Wise Giving Alliance encourages donors to remember to support charities in their own communities, especially those that might be experiencing less generosity than usual. Those who are short of cash at this time of year, can still consider donating in-kind items such as non-perishable food, coats, toys and other items collected by organizations to distribute to those in need.

Please also take the time to visit Give.org to see if the charity of your choice meets the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability. Additional sources of information include the charity’s own website as well as the state government agency that registers charities in your state (usually a division of either the office of the Attorney General or Secretary of State).

Video of the Week

As part of the building trust video series, we are pleased to provide a video featuring Ozzy Samad, President of Brother’s Brother Foundation (a BBB Accredited Charity), an organization that provides international health and education through the distribution of donated medical, educational and other resources around the world.

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:

• ASPCA
• Lung Cancer Research Foundation
• World War II Foundation

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 and CEO
BBB Wise Giving Alliance