Year-End Charitable Giving
At the end of every year, many families ponder which charities to support through financial donations. According to Charity Navigator the average organization receives 41% of their donations in the last few weeks of each year, and some organizations receive 10% of funding in the last few days alone. Typically, holiday donations benefit the most well-known charities with the greatest marketing ability, while smaller organizations receive far fewer donations, even when the smaller organizations spend a larger percentage of funds on the beneficiaries of the charity.
The Italian Greyhound Rescue Foundation operates primarily based on donations received as part of pet adoptions, but this would not cover our expenses alone each year. The remainder of our funding comes from generous donations provided to help cover our medical costs to care for the hundreds of Italian Greyhounds that pass through our foster homes throughout the United States every year.
A gift to the Italian Greyhound Rescue Foundation (IGRF) will provide your family with the satisfaction of knowing that the Italian Greyhounds in foster homes throughout the country receive the vet care they need, whether it be routine care such as shots and a dental cleaning, or more costly procedures such as fixing a broken leg. Our tax laws provide incentive to both individuals and families looking to help a charitable organization, but at the same time can also, if carefully planned, improve the donor's financial position at the same time.
The Italian Greyhound Rescue Foundation works hard to keep our expenses to a minimum, to ensure your donation will be used to the fullest extent to help each and every dog. We operate using volunteers only, so unlike many large local, state, and national charities we do not pay salaries, bonuses and benefits to employees. Therefore, over 99% of our funding is used directly on costs related to the dogs, a percentage that is almost unmatched by other charities in ensuring donations are used solely for their intended purpose. Our volunteers help Italian Greyhounds based only on their love of the breed and desire to help each dog thrive. Second, we closely monitor the vet costs spend on each and every dog, to ensure we are able to continue helping as many Italian Greyhounds as possible well in to the future. We have a review process where bills for each and every dog are reviewed by the local representative, and then secondly by a regional coordinator so that all reimbursed medical costs are legitimate. Finally, we work with local veterinarians to negotiate discounts on services to keep our expenses reasonable without sacrificing quality of care, and we do not cover unnecessary costs often slipped on to invoices to boost profitability of services provided by clinics. Our state and regional representatives have many years of dog experience on average, and know the average costs for services in a given area. These are only a few of the things we do to keep our expenses low in order to benefit the greatest number of dogs possible, and to ensure your generous donation to the Italian Greyhound Rescue Foundation will be utilized to the fullest extent.
When should you give?
Many people choose to itemize their federal deductions, and to qualify for such deductions your gift must be made on or before December 31, to be deductible in the year it was made. If you generally cannot itemize deductions, your contribution to the Italian Greyhound Rescue Foundation, as well as other organizations you support, may make it possible for you to climb above the standard deduction threshold, which would qualify you for a greater tax benefit.
What should you give?
Individual or family donations are based on your ability to give, and based on your financial position for the year. We simply ask you to think about the costs you incur when taking your pets to a veterinarian for a spay or neuter, dental cleaning or other routine care. It is not cheap to operate an animal rescue organization annually, especially when hundreds upon hundreds of animals are receiving care.
Cash Giving
It really can't be easier than making a cash donation, whether online, in-person, or by postal mail to either your local representative or our national organization. Along with your donation please include a brief story, update about an adopted IG, or reason why you choose to support the Italian Greyhound Rescue Foundation in your charitable giving. Since we are not a large organization we enjoy reading your stories and comments, and they provide continued motivation to our various representatives and volunteers.
The Italian Greyhound Rescue Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization as defined by the IRS, so your cash donation is tax deductible. Any donations received can be given a tax receipt so that your donation is documented. We really value every donation, and no matter what size of donation received we will ensure that it will be stretched as far as possible.
Other Giving
Although cash donations are the most common gifts, other gifts may also be eligible for tax credits such as securities, real-estate, insurance, or other gifts that will help provide income to the Italian Greyhound Rescue Foundation on an on-going basis. To find out more about how you may be able to make long-term gifts to benefit the dogs, please speak to your financial representative, accountant, or tax adviser on the best ways to maximize your giving.
Timing Your Donation
Take advantage of tax deductions to be realized this year by donating on or before December 31 at 11:59 pm. However, if you miss that deadline keep your tax receipt so you can claim the deduction the following year. The effective date of any donation is when it is donated online, postmarked, or simply given in-person to your local Italian Greyhound representative.
Why It Matters
The tax benefits received by an individual or family are great incentives to encourage you to help the Italian Greyhound Rescue Foundation, however we ask you to also consider what we think about while helping the dogs... their overall health, well-being, and happiness of being in a temporary foster home until an adoptive home is found. This is in comparison to being a shelter environment likely kenneled alone and waiting for companionship. Focusing on the end of the year is simply a reminder to donors of the dates that donations must be given in order to receive the secondary tax deduction benefits.
If you are just a fanatic of the Italian Greyhound breed, a supporter of animal organizations, or somebody who has previously adopted or surrendered an Iggy to the Italian Greyhound Rescue Foundation, your financial support will be greatly appreciated by our local representatives and volunteers, and more-so by any of the dogs for which you donation helps ensure they have a healthy new beginning ahead. We greatly appreciate your support, and because of you we continue to help so many Italian Greyhounds. And for that, the dogs thank you.
