Supporting America’s Charities Act (H.R. 5806)

Urge Congress to Permanently Extend Key Charitable Giving Incentives

Congress has only a few more days to pass legislation to extend key charitable giving incentives on a permanent basis. Senators are expected to pass a short-term tax bill that essentially renews three charitable giving incentives for only three weeks. That’s not good enough for the people and communities that nonprofits are able to serve through donations of money from IRA rollovers, and through donations of food to food banks and land for conservation purposes.

Congress needs to make permanent the three charitable tax incentives – the IRA Rollover, the enhanced deduction for donations of food inventories and donations of conservation easements – so that all nonprofits can plan for the future and secure support for their work.

Read Case for Restoring Charitable Giving Incentives >>

Read the Bill and the Section by Section bill summary >>

Leaders in the House and Senate are now considering passing a separate bill to make the charitable provisions permanent. But they need to hear from you today to understand that passing permanent extensions of these tax incentives is very important to nonprofits and the people you serve. And Congress shouldn’t quit for the year before getting this done.

CALL TO ACTION!

Time is truly of the essence, so contact your Representative and Senators today by phone, email, or social media.

By Phone: Call the Capitol switchboard (202-224-3121), ask to be connected to your Senators’ and Representative’s offices, and tell them:

"Make the three charitable tax incentives (extenders) permanent before adjourning; our communities rely on work funded by these incentives and we are counting on your help."

By Email: Find your Senators’ email addresses and your Representative’s email address and send them this message, along with any other information about how the expired giving incentives have helped your nonprofit perform work in their communities:

"Make the three charitable tax incentives (extenders) permanent before adjourning; our communities rely on work funded by these incentives and we are counting on your help."

By Twitter: Tweet one of the following to your Senators' and Representative's:

@SenBlumenthal; @ChrisMurphyCT; @RepEsty; @RepJoeCourtney; @Rosa_DeLauro; @jahimes; @RepJohnLarson
 
@_____ #Nonprofits need more than a 3-week extension. Support #HR5806 and make giving incentives permanent
@______ Our communities deserve better than a 3-week tax extension. Vote for #HR5806 to make giving incentives permanent
@______ Help #nonprofits help your community. Vote for #HR5806 to make giving incentives permanent
@______ I work for a #nonprofit and I vote. Pass #HR5806 to help our communities

The Case for Restoring Charitable Giving Incentives

Short Message

"Make the three charitable tax incentives (extenders) permanent before adjourning; our communities rely on work funded by these incentives and we are counting on your help."

Key Messages:

1. Retroactive restoration of the expired tax provisions doesn’t work for the charitable provisions: a charitable giving incentive only works after an incentive is actually in effect.

• Food that was fresh last spring cannot now be donated to feed hungry people.
• Individuals cannot donate money from their IRAs that they have already spent.
• Those who are motivated to give because of the tax incentive haven’t given this year; the House bill gives them only three weeks – from the time the President signs the extension until the end of the year – to learn of the renewed tax incentive and take action.

2. The needs in our communities are NOW.

3. The provisions are near-universally supported; they are unlikely to change in a comprehensive tax reform package, and long-range planning in our communities cannot happen until Congress provides a permanent incentive.

4. Delay in enacting any of these components serves no public or policy goal, but limits the ability of nonprofits to achieve their missions, whether through feeding people who are hungry, conserving land for future generations, or addressing myriad other needs in communities across America.

5. Temporary renewal of the extenders proves the few critics right: that only big organizations with development offices can take advantage of them. To reach smaller communities and smaller nonprofit organizations, the provisions must be made permanent.

6. The needs in our communities that charitable nonprofits, and in particular, people who are hungry today, should not have to wait for Congress to agree sometime in the future on a comprehensive tax reform package.