Hope Equity, one of the organizations I featured in my Gifts That Make a Difference Report,  sent an email today showcasing ways they will be involved in Haiti moving forward so thought I would share.

“The toll in human life and critical infrastructure caused by the catastrophic earthquake that struck Haiti grows as relief efforts continue. What is certain at this point is that once the rescue and relief efforts have been completed, there will be many years of rebuilding essential infrastructure and developing agricultural and commercial enterprises to sustain the Haitian people.

Hope Equity provides long-term support to Heifer International, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending hunger and poverty. Heifer reports that its staff in Haiti is accounted for and safe. The Heifer office was not damaged and the staff is still working, despite losing friends and family in the disaster.

Heifer estimates that it will be three to five years before a there is stable enough environment for its recovery and rehabilitation efforts to get in full swing. There has already been a huge influx of people moving to more rural areas in Haiti and this trend is expected to continue, which means Heifer’s work there will be even more vital and critical as the country rebuilds.

That’s why endowments providing long-term support for projects in Haiti are more important than ever. When you give to an endowment those funds are invested and each year a percentage of the endowment is made available to the area you have specified. The following are links to the Haiti endowments as well as our Disaster Recovery Endowment, which is utilized to support the efforts of Heifer’s country programs after a major crisis.”

Haiti Country Endowment
Haiti: Carolyn W. Reynolds Endowment
Haiti: Carolyn M. & Clarence R. Wenger Endowment
Disaster Recovery Endowment

Check them out!

I am going tonight to a fundraiser in Denver, HOPE for Haiti, at Jazz at Jacks as a way to be more involved immediately myself.

I found this online article, Tax Deductions for Charitable Donations: What You Need to Know About the Tax Benefits of Donating to Charitable Causes by Joanne Fritz, About.com Guide,  to be very informative so I thought I would share it.  For the original version with additional links to useful information, click here.

“There are many advantages to giving to charity. Yes, it makes you feel good, but it also will provide you with a tax deduction. Now is the time to get your paperwork together so you can make sure that you receive any deductions you deserve.

Here’s what you should know about the tax benefits of giving to charity. Be sure to consult your own tax adviser about your specific tax situation.

1. How Does the Income Tax Deduction for a Charitable Donation Work?

If you itemize deductions on your tax return, you may be able to take an income tax deduction for a gift to a qualified charitable organization.

The actual cost of your donation is therefore reduced through your savings on your taxes. For instance, if you are in the 33% tax bracket, you would save $33 on a donation of $100.

2. When Can a Charitable Contribution Deduction be Taken?

Your donation to a qualified charity is deductible the same year in which it is made. The contribution is considered paid when you put the check in the mail, or when it is charged to your credit card (not when you pay the credit card company). See the exception for donations to Haiti in 2010 in #10.

3. What Charitable Organizations Are Considered Qualified?

Most charitable organizations qualify for a charitable contribution deduction, but not all. Look for the 501(c)(3) designation to be absolutely sure. Tax deductions are not allowed for donations to an individual, a foreign government, foreign charities, and certain private foundations.

4. Is There a Charitable Tax Deduction for Giving Internationally?

We are all concerned about good causes abroad, and most of us do want to give globally. But, what are the implications for your charitable tax deduction? If the charity is registered in the U.S. as a charitable organization, you can take a deduction for your donation. If the charity is not registered, there is no tax deduction. Many, many nonprofits that are registered in the U.S. provide international aid.

5. Is There a Limit on How Much I Can Donate and Still Get A Tax Deduction?

There are no limits on charitable contributions for most of us. Limits come into play only if you contribute more than 20% of your adjusted gross income to charities. If you are in this category, be sure to consult with your tax adviser to see if your deductions will be limited.

6. How Do I Handle Deductions for Non-Cash Donations to a Charity?

There are rules for non-cash donations such as property or outdated clothing, household furnishings, or office equipment.

For property owned for more than a year, the deduction is usually equal to the property’s fair market value. Appreciated property can be deducted at the full fair value of the property, meaning that you are never taxed on the appreciated amount.

Donated goods must be in “good condition or better,” according to the IRS. You must have a receipt for the goods from the charity to claim a deduction. If you donate non-cash items with a total value of more than $500, you must file Form 8283 with your return. You may need a qualified appraisal if you donate an item or a group of items with a value of more than $5,000.

7. Can I Get a Deduction for Donating My Car?

Making a car donation to a worthy charity seems like a good move, but, unfortunately, car donation is an area of charity that is rife with fraud and misleading information. Check out our suggestions for a happy outcome for you, the charity, and your car.

8. Can I Take a Deduction for My Volunteer Work?

No, you can’t deduct the value of your time spent on charitable work as a charitable donation, but you can deduct your out-of-pocket costs such as mileage.

9. What Documentation Is Required for Deductions for Charitable Contributions?

As of 2007, the IRS requires that if you claim a deduction of a monetary donation of any amount, you must have a written confirmation from the charity. You cannot deduct casual donations that you drop into a charity’s collection box or bucket without a receipt to back up your claim.

If you receive some goods or services in exchange for your donation, the charity must specify the value of those goods or services. You can only deduct the amount of your donation that is above that value. For instance, if you donate $500 to the symphony and receive tickets worth $200 in exchange, you can only take a deduction on $300. The paperwork from the charitable organization should spell out what is deductible.

10. When Can I Claim a Deduction for My Haiti Donation Made in 2010?

If you made a donation to the Haiti relief efforts in early 2010, you can take the deduction on your 2009 tax return.

If you made a donation to Haiti relief via your mobile phone, use the phone bill as your receipt. When you text-to-give to a charitable organization, the nonprofit does not receive information about who you are…you are anonymous. Therefore, you won’t receive a receipt from that charity. The charge for the donation appears on your phone bill, and the IRS has said that it will accept that bill as a receipt for your donation.”

If you are like most business leaders, you probably are very concerned these days about the impact of a tough economy on your ability to give needed resources to your favorite causes or nonprofit organizations. You see the need mushrooming in your community every day…and you see the companies around you starting to tighten their philanthropic belt. Add to that the recent earthquake and its destruction in Haiti and the strong desire we all have to provide whatever financial support we can immediately but which may deplete our donation line item.  What to do to continue your support for local and other causes you care about when cash is tight?

Join me, Sue Hyatt, for this free teleclass in which I will walk you through five easy to follow strategies for your 2010 business giving so you can authentically support your favorite causes in heartfelt ways and grow your business, as well.

To register and get the call in number, click here.

Hope to “see” you there at 3-4 pm MT/5-6 pm ET on January 21st! If you can’t make this time “live,” no worries! The call will be recorded –so register anyway and you will be sent the email link to listen later when you have time.

Kiva is one of my favorite nonprofits as it makes microloans to developing country entrepreneurs and I fully support the notion of encouraging “Trade not Aid” whenever possible.  I checked their blog today to see what if anything they were saying about Haiti.  The following is an update from the Kiva Blog, dated 1/13/2010.

“As you may have seen in the news, a terrible earthquake struck Haiti yesterday afternoon. The earthquake, 7.0 in magnitude, struck about 10 miles outside Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. The devastation has been enormous, with many buildings destroyed and thousands of people presumed dead. This is the worst earthquake to hit Haiti in 200 years.

Kiva currently supports borrowers in Haiti through our field partner, Esperanza International. Esperanza is based in the Dominican Republic, but has an office and provides loans in Haiti. About 1/3 of the loans Esperanza posts to Kiva are for borrowers in Haiti. In addition, a large percentage of the loans posted from the Dominican Republic are of Haitian migrants who still have family in Haiti. Esperanza has told us that as of now, Esperanza staff are safe though they have several employees with family in Port-au-Prince who have not been able to contact their families and are very concerned. Esperanza’s clients are located in the North, while the earthquake struck the capital in the south. Most of their clients live close to their offices in the north. However, many of them have businesses that require them to travel to and from Port-au-Prince to buy merchandise to sell in the main markets. Their businesses may have been affected and it is possible that some of them may have been in Port-au-Prince at the time and been injured.

It is impossible for Esperanza to give us any exact figures at this time as information is only slowly trickling out of Haiti. As Kiva learns more about the effect of the earthquake on Esperanza and their Kiva borrowers we will update lenders.”

Right now in the immediate aftermath of this disaster , support for basic services including water, food, health care, and shelter is essential.  After the initial response and clean-up phases which will likely take quite some time considering the current conditions in the country, support for rebuilding will be critical.  We must stay mindful that Haiti will need assistance for years to come – even after the focus of the international community has faded away and onto whatever disaster is next.  Kiva will play a really important role in helping entrepreneurs get back on their feet and begin to again find ways to support themselves and their families through commerce.  Please keep your eyes open and when loan requests have been processed for Haitians and there is enough structure to begin making loans again, remember your support of even a few dollars can make a HUGE difference in someone’s life.

I was in Steamboat Springs, CO over the weekend with my recreation club.  A group of us went snowmobiling on Rabbit Ears Pass which was great fun until I hit a bump and managed to break my back…literally.

Yesterday I went to Whole Foods to see about buying some calcium to take – figured it was wise given I have a broken bone.  I bought Garden of Life’s Vitamin Code Grow Bone System – a raw whole food calcium formula with D3, bone building factors, and BioActive Ingredients.

Got home, opened the box and on the lid noticed “For every Vitamin Code bottle sold, a donation will be made to Vitamin Angels and their Operation 20/20 to eliminate Vitamin A deficiency in the world by 2020.”  So of course, I now like the product and the company even better!!  I was disappointed however when I could not find any reference to Vitamin Angels on the Garden of Life website – I would recommend they do add a section to show their customers about their support of this worthy effort. Not mentioning it is a lost opportunity to have their customers appreciate them even more.

The Vitamin Angels website says, “Our mission is to mobilize and deploy private sector resources to advance availability, access and use of micronutrients, especially vitamin A, by newborns, infants and children in need. Vitamin Angels reduces child mortality worldwide by connecting essential nutrients, especially vitamin A, with infants and children under five. Essential nutrients enable young immune systems to fight infectious diseases, helping children attain good health and the opportunity to lead meaningful and productive lives.”

The Vitamin Angels website does have a section which lists its business partners. “Show your support by shopping with our partners. With every purchase you make, we are one step closer to achieving our mission of giving children around the world the foundation to lead a meaningful and productive life.”  Garden of Life is listed with a link back to the Garden of Life’s website which is great.  Good job Vitamin Angels!

I got a call out of the blue this week from “NK”, a now 24 year old man, who was my “Junior Partner” through Denver Partners, a local mentoring nonprofit, for 3 years starting when he was seven.  I had not heard from him in 12 years and was thrilled he made the effort to reconnect with me.  I can’t even begin to tell you the dysfunction of his life and family at that time but we spent 3-10 hours a week doing a whole range of things that I knew at the time we both benefitted from – just hanging out and cooking dinner together to taking him for his first meal in a restaurant where you tip the waitress, to fishing for carp in my apartment complex pond.  It was just after my divorce and we had a lot of fun together – filled a hole for both of us.  I have so many happy memories and tough moments interwoven from my time with him.

During our call, I was moved to tears hearing him talk with such joy and nostalgia about some of the little things we did together – many of which I had totally forgotten or really had felt had been no big deal to me at the time – and how it has influenced his path.  For one example, I used to let him play with my computer and he told me that had truly tweaked his interest and he started studying on his own and he now does graphic design and websites as a hobby business.

He shared about his life now and I was so proud of him. He was a bit afraid to tell me he was a truck driver and hadn’t gone to college and it was great to ask whether he was happy and let him know that is what matters most – not the piece of paper.

I was sad to hear his older sister ended up going down the exotic dancer, drug and alcohol route and they don’t even know where she is now or whether she is even alive.  NK was in a mental health juvenile facility for a while and I used to visit him there – so he could so easily have gone the route of his sister but he did not.  And I had some small part in helping him choose another path, I now know.

The whole conversation was such a wonderful reminder that whenever we share of ourselves, we ARE making a difference.  We never know when a small kindness that may seem miniscule to us in the moment can truly impact another person’s life in ways we may never get to know. I know I truly did make a difference with NK and I am grateful for his being in my life.  It inspires me to stay open and be as generous with my time and sharing of myself as I can be – it does not require dollars.  Sometimes the biggest gifts we can give have no dollar signs attached to them.

What can you do this year to give of yourself and make a deep, lasting difference in someone’s life?

I just donated through the American Red Cross by texting 90999 to give $10.

From: http://ellen.warnerbros.com/2010/01/haiti-earthquake-0113.php

Help Haiti Recover

On Tuesday, a major earthquake struck Haiti, causing major devastation. The Red Cross is estimating that 3 million people have been affected — that’s one third of the country. There are many ways you can help:

The Red Cross — Make a donation online, or donate $10 by texting “HAITI” to 90999. The donation will be added to your cell phone bill.

International Medical Corps — The IMC is deploying an Emergency Response team of First Responders and other resources to provide medical care.

Direct Relief International — Direct Relief has committed up to $1 million and is working with their partners in the country to provide medical care and basic needs to Haitians.

CARE — CARE is sending relief workers to Haiti to distribute food, hygiene kits and water, as well as providing emergency health services.

AmeriCares — AmeriCares has pledged $5 million worth of aid to the people of Haiti and has set up a general fund to assist.

World Food Programme — The World Food Programme is mobilizing all available resources to provide food for the thousands of people affected by the earthquake.

UNICEF USA — UNICEF USA is ready to deliver disaster relief to children and families affected by the earthquake.

The American Jewish World Service — The American Jewish World Service has set up the Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund to respond to the crisis by working with a network of affiliated organizations.

Catholic Relief Services — Catholic Relief Services has an office in Haiti that is luckily still standing. They are accepting donations of any amount.

OxFam — OxFam has 200 people on the ground, and began their efforts by trying to get clean water to victims of the earthquake.

Yele Haiti — Sponsored by Haitian-born Wyclef Jean, Yele Haiti is accepting donations on their website. You can also donate $5 by texting “YELE” to 501501. The donation will be added to your cell phone bill.