Matching Gifts From Your Employer

Many companies offer matching gift programs, have private foundations, community relations departments or participate in fund-raising campaigns and activities. Others contribute to agencies where their employees volunteer. Can you support Compassion & Choices through your company? Contact us at donate@compassionandchoices.org or 800.247.7421.

Your Car

Buying a new car? Have one you don't use? You can support our work and receive an income tax deduction by donating a vehicle to Compassion & Choices. This is a simple transaction. If you are interested please contact us by email at donate@compassionandchoices.org or 800.247.7421.

Donate Sales From eBay

You can help raise funds for our mission by participating in eBay's "Giving Works" program. Sellers simply designate Compassion & Choices as the beneficiary of a pre-determined percentage of their proceeds. A blue and yellow ribbon icon displayed in the title of your listing signifies to buyers that a portion of the end price of the item will be donated to a non-profit organization.

When the item sells, Giving Works will forward the appropriate funds to Compassion & Choices. Charitable donations are tracked throughout the year, and this allows sellers to easily manage their tax deductions. MissionFish is the nonprofit licensed fundraising provider for eBay Giving Works. Sellers wishing to participate should go to www.missionfish.org.

The Charitable IRA Rollover:

A Giving Opportunity for 2008 and 2009

The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, signedinto law on October 3, renews a temporary provision that allows donors age 70½or older to make a direct, tax-free rollover of up to $100,000 from atraditional or Roth IRA to a qualified charitable organization such asCompassion & Choices—but only in 2008 or 2009.

A direct rollover will be much better for most donors than ataxable IRA withdrawal followed by a charitable gift. The many tax benefitsassociated with this giving opportunity are detailed below.

Of course, only donors who are sure they will not need theseassets at a later date should consider a charitable IRA rollover. Donors of anyage can still make a deferred gift of an IRA or other retirement account bynaming Compassion & Choices as a beneficiary of the account at their death.

If you have questions or would like to see sample languagedirecting a charitable distribution from an IRA, or if you scheduled a rolloverand want to notify us about its intended purpose, please contact Jane at1-800-247-7421 or jsanders@compassionandchoices.org.

Note that a charitable IRA rollover can count toward thedonor’s required minimum IRA distribution for the year of the gift.

Tax Benefits

• No “reduction of deduction” for high income taxpayers: Donors who have an income of $159,950 ($79,975 for married filing separately) in 2008 and who would normally be subject to a reduction of their itemized charitable deductions may give through the charitable IRA rollover and effectively receive a deduction for the full amount of the gift. (The 2009 income level for required reduction has not yet been announced.)
• Taxpayers who normally take only the standard deduction (that is, taxpayers who don’t itemize and therefore don't get to take charitable deductions) will get the equivalent of a charitable deduction for their rollover gift in addition to their standard deduction.Taxpayers who do itemize but who are close to the adjusted gross income ceiling on charitable gifts (i.e., the 30% and 50% rules) can make a charitable IRA rollover, which will act like a full charitable deduction for their gift, and avoid the ceiling.
• Donors who have carryover deductions from earlier charitable donations won’t lose the ability to take the carryover deduction in the year of the rollover as a result of the IRA rollover gift. Normally deductions for current gifts are applied before any carryover deductions and may use up the allowable deduction amount.
• Because the charitable IRA rollover amount is never recognized as income to the taxpayer, the taxpayer may avoid tax deduction reductions based on income levels  (i.e., 7.5% floor on medical deductions, 2% floor on miscellaneous itemized deductions, etc.).
• A charitable IRA rollover, as opposed to a withdrawal by the taxpayer that would be includable in income, may reduce the amount of social security payments that are subject to tax.
• If the donor’s state does not normally allow tax deductions for charitable gifts, a charitable IRA rollover may act like a charitable tax deduction. (Note: State laws vary and a tax advisor versed in the tax laws of the state should be consulted before the charitable IRA rollover.)