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The National Alliance to End Homelessness

Over 670,000 spend the night every day without a home in the United States. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), more than 12 million Americans spend more than 50 percent of their annual income for housing.

The HUD indicates paying more than 30 percent of the monthly income for housing is not acceptable. It has become impossible for a family to pay a reasonable rent with one person of the family working. Lack of affordable housing is a growing problem in the U.S. The recent economic downturn made it more difficult for everyone due to loss of income, jobs and various other reasons.

The National Alliance to End Homelessness is a non-profit, non-partisan organization committed to prevent and end homelessness in the U.S. It analyzes policy and prepares programs to address the homelessness in the country. It has a plan to end homelessness in ten years and work with the Congress and the Administration closely. The organization works in collaboration with public, private and non-profit organizations. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. The National Citizens Committee for Food and Shelter which was founded in 1983 became the current organization in 1987. The Charity Watch rate the agency as an “A+”.

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Obey state and local jurisdictional requirements when serving food to homeless

When the weather gets better, so does the urge to hold a picnic for the homeless and hungry. Many of the States and local jurisdictions in the U.S. have rules regarding food and serving food outdoors to unrelated individuals.

Most of the rules require that in order serve food, it has to be prepared in a commercial kitchen that holds a permit from the local jurisdiction or the state health agency. Also, they may require an additional permit to serve food at a public place or to feed the homeless. Check your local jurisdiction and the state for requirements and obey the law. Failure to comply with the state and/or the local jurisdiction’s requirements may carry a penalty as well as a ban on holding any events that serve food for the homeless and the needy.

Some argue that a charitable organization feeding homeless on a public park is a social issue rather than a health issue. They argue that local jurisdictions are trying to prevent homeless gather on highly visible public areas such as parks and downtown main transport corridors.

Jurisdictions argue that it is not about the homeless gatherings but their health and welfare.

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How to take a deduction of your charitable donations on your tax return

It’s tax preparation time. You may want to get those charitable donation records in order to claim your tax deduction. If you itemize deductions, you can claim your gift to the qualified charitable organization using Schedule A that is attached to your Form 1040. Here are some important things to consider:

If you donated cash get copies of your cancelled checks, credit card or bank statements. If you have donated stocks to charity, you need to submit all your records to the tax preparer. If you have donated more than $250, you may need a receipt from the charity including your non-profit religious organization. Make sure it is a 501 (c) (3) designated charitable organization under the IRS Code.

If you donated non-cash items such as vehicles, household items, office furniture, cloths and other like items to a charity, make sure they are in good condition and obtain a receipt from the charity. If you are doing your taxes using one of the popular tax preparation software, use available tables to figure out the value of the items donated.

If you donated your time to a charity, you can deduct the mileage you drove for the charity.

Have fun while raising funds for charities

Since 1988, Red Nose Day has become somewhat of a British institution. Comic Relief raise funds through the Red Nose Day conducted every other year to help people those who are having a tough life in the United Kingdom and Africa. The UK’s number one television fundraiser is coming to the United States on a star-studded three hour televised inaugural event on May 21, 2015 on NBC.

Hollywood’s biggest stars including Julia Roberts, Jodie Foster, Will Ferrell, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston and many others are appearing to raise funds to change those unfortunate lives. Others who are expected to participate include Coldplay, Julianne Moore, Neil Patrick Harris, John Legend, cast members of the “Game of Thrones” and many more. Nick Cannon will be the host of the show on NBC.

The benefit event expected to help 12 charity organizations helping to lift children and young adults from poverty in the United States and elsewhere in the world including Africa, Asia and Latin America. Selected charities include Boys & Girls Club of America, charity: water, Children’s Health Fund, Feeding America, The Vaccine Alliance, Gavi, The Global Fund, LIFT, National Council of La Raza, the National Urban League, Oxfam America, Save the Children and United Way.

Article written by Hygrass.com.

Benefits of giving to a charity

Tax deduction benefit of charitable giving is well-known. For some, it should be the last goal. But there are few other lessor known benefits of charitable giving. Here are some of my favorites.

Improve the life of those who are unfortunate: Your donation whether it is in kind or money will help to improve the needy. Not just material giving, volunteering your valuable time can improve not only yourself but also the life of many others.
Satisfy your inner most desires: A university research finds that giving activates a part of the brain that mimic the feeling that one can get from using substance or stimuli. Giving activates the deepest part of the brain giving one an immense feeling of satisfaction.
Help your local community: Giving to a national organization helps many at large. But if you target an area, giving to a local charitable organization is the best and produce direct and visible results. Local organizations can respond faster than national organizations when it comes to disasters. It is a good way to ascertain well-being of your community.
Volunteering can bring happiness as well as improve your health. Studies show that it helps seniors to improve their cognitive health. It can be a great way to reduce stress too.

Article provided by Kirby Design.com

Helping Others Helps Ourselves

Innumerable charities are in a daily search for monetary and tangible donations. Often times, the first though of giving to others is a positive one. Then all too often the thought process turns to reasons not to give. Perhaps the fear of giving away money that might soon be needed at home is overwhelming, or maybe the notion that a smaller donation won’t make a big enough difference inhibits the action. No matter what excuses are imagined not to give, there are always several good reasons to help provide for others.
Other than the significant feeling of pride and accomplishment for having given to a greater cause, contributors always have the benefits of tax deduction, space clearing, and social promotion. Creating a better society, whether the one we live in, or one half way around the world, has an impact on all the people and cultures surrounding it. By giving time, money, or resources to any given charity, patrons can make a difference in the world. When others see the good that comes from any small amount of giving, they tend to want to give as well. The feeling of having contributed to the betterment of others is contagious and rewarding. As the desire to help spreads, the world continues to improve.
Tax deductions can be claimed for donating money or items of need. Tax deductions are based on the value of items donated. Cleaning out closets and attics will clear out clutter and benefit neighbors at the same time.

Article by Remodeling A Kitchen.org.

Tips on raising money

· Don’t waste time. Raising money for charity is not something that can be done overnight. So as soon as you register you charity, start asking people for donations. That way you will have a head start on attaining your objectives.

· Objectives should be high and but attainable. If you feel at any point that the objectives are being achieved easily, then raise the bar. There is nothing wrong in doing this and the more money you have for you charity the better it will be.

· Get you donor lists organized. Start off with all the email contact you can gather and then move on to normal mailing lists and phone numbers. Get everyone in your charity to pool in their contacts and work off a master list. If you are organized this way, it will be easy for you to get your message out.

· Tell your story well. The reason why your charity exists, why you are part of it, what it will achieve etc., are important features of your message. Make people feel compelled to donate to or participate in the charity.

· Have schedule for your emails. You need to send at least for emails to each person; each of them a reminder to donate and the final one taking the form of “last chance to donate”. Then you should also send out emails thanking those who did donate and also update everyone on how the money is being used.

These are just a few tips that will help you get organized and move quickly to raise money for your favorite charity. Show people that you are in command, are open and working for a worthy cause and there is no reason as to why you should not succeed.

Article submitted by Interior Design Houses.com.

Volunteer Numbers Drop

A citizenship survey carried out by the Communities and Local Government Department in UK indicates a slight drop in the numbers of volunteers and charitable donations made for the year 2008/2009.

The survey indicates that the number of people who made charitable donations dropped to 74% in 2008/2009, when compared to the 76% recorded in 2007/2008 and 78% in 2005.

Covering close to 10,000 people in Wales and England, the survey also indicated a drop in the number of people who volunteered. The year 2008/2009 saw 26% volunteering, whereas 2007/2008 recorded 27% and 29% in 2005.

Formal volunteering refers to uncompensated help provided through organizations or charity groups which benefit the environment or people. Informal volunteering on the other hand refers to providing help to those not part of your family.

Informal volunteering numbers also witnessed a drop with 35% recorded in 2008/2009, compared to 37% in 2005.
Other results of the survey include:

1. £17.70 remained the average donation towards charity
2. Volunteers seemed more likely to make charitable donations
3. Females volunteered more than males. 28% of women engaged in formal volunteering, and only 23% of men did
4. Persons with degrees seemed more open to formal volunteering
5. The average time people engaged in formal volunteering went up to 12.6 hours, compared to the 2007/2008 figure of 11 hours
6. Informal volunteering averaged at 7.7 hours – which is the same as that recorded in 2007/2008. ‘Giving advice’ seemed to be the most frequent informal volunteering activity
7. Those not volunteering blamed work commitments (58%)

Article by Sweet Happening.com.