Make a Charity Smile with AmazonSmile

Prime Day is here! And, while there may be some guilt associated with online shopping, Amazon’s program, AmazonSmile, is a great way to ensure that your purchase will have an impact long after your delivery has arrived. 

Top Five Ways To Support Classrooms

Education plays a major role in shaping children’s lives. It provides them with the tools they need to succeed in the career path of their choosing. Classrooms are a place where children can increase their knowledge, engage their curiosity, and expand their horizons. 

Unfortunately, support for many classrooms is limited. According to The Education Market Association, “teachers spend $500 of their own money on classroom supplies each year” as a means to compensate for most school system’s limited budgets. With this in mind, here are the top five ways you can support a classroom and foster a vibrant learning environment in your community and across the country.

Nonprofits & For-Profits: A Match Made in Heaven?

Whether it be knowing that their coffee beans are a product of fair trade, or that the packaging they come in is made from recycled products, consumers are increasingly expecting goods and services that fulfill their initial need and attempt to improve the communities that they are profiting from.

Partnerships between nonprofits and for-profit organizations are becoming more and more popular as consumers continue to seek out ethically conscious businesses.

How Much Should I Give to Charity?

The 2019 Giving USA Report came out recently and confirmed what many nonprofit fundraisers already suspected: giving among everyday Americans is down. Experts have shared a number of theories about why this may be, including changes to the tax law and increased volatility in the stock market. 

Whatever the reason, or reasons, the news in this report should make us pause and reflect on what this means for us and the world around us. While foundations and corporations have increased their support to the social sector, individuals, like you and I, continue to contribute the majority of charitable dollars given annually in the United States. What does it mean for the critical work of the charities we support when our giving wanes? Do we need to dig deeper into our pockets? Should we?

501(c)-What?

You may or may not have heard of the term “501(c)(3),” but it is an important term when it comes to charitable giving.  According to the IRS tax code, an organization with 501(c)(3) status is tax-exempt, which means donations to the organization can be taken as a deduction when it comes time for you to complete your annual tax return.  Pretty straightforward, right? Wrong.

There are over 25 different codes under the 501 IRS tax classification umbrella. And, each one means something different for both the organization and the person that is supporting that entity.

Here’s what you need to know before you make your next donation:

Starting a Nonprofit: More Than Just a Mission Statement

“I’m going to start a nonprofit.” 

It’s a simple statement, but there’s a significant amount of weight (and work!) behind those words. It isn’t as easy as being passionate about a cause, creating a catchy name, and designing the perfect website. We often forget that nonprofits are essentially businesses. And, a business requires funding and an innovative long-term plan to be able to sustain itself.