Tax Deductions For Donations: Last-Minute Charity Suggestions For 2011

When the clock strikes midnight tonight, it marks the cut-off for receiving tax breaks on 2011 charitable giving.

Make your donation as late as midnight, and you can still deduct it on your 2011 tax return.

If you're scrambling to make a last-minute contribution, you're in good company. Network For Good reports a huge spike in giving from noon to 7 p.m. on December 31.

What's more, the online giving site reports 10 percent of its donations come in on the last two days of the year.

USA Today points out that if you charge your gift as late as today and don't make a payment until 2012, you can still deduct it on your return.

If you're looking for suggestions on donating to worthy causes and tips on making major gifts, check out these sites below.

Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator is the ultimate reference tool for giving. Check out their A-Z directory for your major gift and take note of which charities have received the coveted four-star rating that takes into consideration accountability and transparency.

Network for Good
This site allows you to research 1.2 million charities and save you donation history and charity lists. If monetary donations aren't your thing, the site makes volunteering easy by providing opportunities through VolunteerMatch.

Causes.com
If your leanings are more grassroots, Causes.com provides a platform for do-gooders to create small movements centered around a cause that's important to them. Members have created 500,000 personalized causes and raised $40 million. Check out the causes people are talking about right now, make a gift, or -- if you're over 2011 giving and thinking about next year -- pledge to donate your birthday to a specific cause.

Razoo.com
This growing donation site helps you navigate 1 million officially registered nonprofit organizations. Check out popular causes of the week, make a gift or get a glimpse of who's donating what right now.

GreatNonprofits
It could be said that GreatNonprofits is the TripAdvisor for do-gooder organizations. It's the go-to site for people to post reviews of more than 1.2 million organizations. Check out the host of nonprofits ranging from animal welfare organizations to social justice nonprofits.

WATCH Related Video:

Comments

[rob willis]

09:33 PM on 01/14/2012

Now is a great time to think about giving charity donations. I would recommend http://www.operationsmile.org . Consulting your tax person is probably a good idea too.

[loki]

09:16 PM on 12/31/2011

tax time...

[jane q public7]

07:19 PM on 12/31/2011

Begging is good. If your plight is acceptable it pays.

Charity/begging has become a government-sanctioned, socially-acceptable, full fledged business and media opportunity. Capitalism with perks. No "profit" but plenty to be made and had by those who "help people". For corporations, llc's and citizens a way to evade taxes. Americans have become accustomed to receiving something in return for their charity--a tax credit or an object/service in return. The word/act of charity redefined.

American poverty will never end as long as Americans condone cheating Americans out of their labor, abuse and discard them when they are no longer profitable to employ.

Questions: Why isn't the bulk of a charity's funds spent on education to prevent or reduce the reason for the charity's existence? Oh. Because that may mean the demise or reduction in funds of the charitable organization itself. How many charities are there for the same damn cause?

Public schools run on "charitable" contributions. Parochial schools were run with contributions because they weren't allowed to receive government funds--separation of church & state & all.

Is America's future economy to be run on donations by the "haves" out of guilt for their role in the creation of the 'have nots"? The same fate as European countries in centuries past? Our American culture has been replaced with the European and Asian culture but without free healthcare.

All hail, the high tech gods. They shall cure all. Behold it all around you.

[alaskan]

09:06 PM on 12/31/2011

Here, I'll try to sum up your post in one sentence: Charity is no substitute for justice. (Just ask anyone without health insurance.)

[jane q public7]

09:28 PM on 12/31/2011

Thanks.

[hught78]

07:06 PM on 12/31/2011

This 501(c)3 Seattle-based charity is a great choice: Children of Peace Foundation. Their holiday fundraiser ends tonight; all funds go to helping feed 33 disabled and traumatized children at a center in Bethlehem. Consider giving to this one: http://childrenofpeacefoundation.org/

[motoGpifupleez]

06:52 PM on 12/31/2011

Nothing like the warmth in the heart that comes from giving.............
as long as it's tax deductible.

[sunsetter]

06:35 PM on 12/31/2011

Why post this on HP. Dems don't much care for charity since the government isn't giving out the money - - - - - for votes.

[american-dolt]

06:53 PM on 12/31/2011

Your a small minded person.

[sunsetter]

10:57 AM on 01/01/2012

Sorry, those are the facts -
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/21/opinion/21kristof.html?_r=2

[loki]

09:17 PM on 12/31/2011

the rich give to charities for the tax deductions. If it wasnt for that, they wouldnt give a penny.

[jrb35]

09:32 PM on 12/31/2011

Really? I know very rich people who are giving most of their fortune to charity. Tens of millions in fact. If their goal was to keep more of their money by reducing their tax burden, then giving away the vast majority of their net worth is a funny way to do it. They've even said of their giving: "Riches to rags in three generations."

[twwv8]

09:56 PM on 12/31/2011

Do you even know what a charitable tax deduction is?
It just means that my $10,000. charitable gift only costs me $7,000., but the charity gets the full $10,000. win-win.

[stargazer13]

06:05 PM on 12/31/2011

to give freely is to receive freely

we all could give more :)

[Jennifer Kley]

05:49 PM on 12/31/2011

There are soooo many to suggest. Kiva, Soles for Souls, the Red Cross, college funds, homeless causes, United Way, women's shelters, children's causes, gobs of charities.
http://thecubiclerebel.wordpress.com/

[rsxsims]

04:32 PM on 12/31/2011

its wonderful to give to good causes, it is great to help others and not think of ones self. it makes the heart lighter and gives you a warm feeling of doing good. its almost like tonic for the soul..

[Sybil Disobedience]

04:03 PM on 12/31/2011

arriana could send a few pennies of her millions to all those people she exploited....
nice right off and might temper her extreme narcissism...

[sunsetter]

06:37 PM on 12/31/2011

I can't believe that comment got through the politburo.

[Sybil Disobedience]

06:42 PM on 12/31/2011

i agree....maybe the exploited interns are reaching their limit...and waking up that arianna is creating the 3rd world america she writes about