A recent poll underscores the continuing support the American public has for sustaining deductions for charitable contributions. The study, reported in the March 1, 2013 Non-Profit Times, found that 75 percent of those polled valued deductions for charitable contributions, with 61 percent indicating strong support. Furthermore, support for the continuing deductions was broad-based, spanning all geographic areas, and a wide range of socio-economic groups.
Thus, while certain members of Congress, work to curtail or eliminate deductions, those efforts do not reflect the majority of Americans' preferences. Rather, the vast majority of Americans support statutory deductions that have been in place in some form since 1917.
Charitable fundraisers should be heartened. In the aftermath of the economic downturn, and with charitable giving continuing its recovery with a 2 percent increase overall for 2012 (7.3 percent among small organizations), charitable organizations should approach their fundraising confidently with the knowledge that there continues to be a groundswell of American support for charitable organizations and the work they accomplish.
