Tag: giving

Random Acts of Kindness Define Who We Really Are

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Watching the news, watching the divisiveness caused by the elections and watching interactions in our daily lives, we realize we are living in very scary times—[a]nd everything we see and experience is amplified in the eyes of our children.

Children learn by watching adults. According to Love to Know, babies and toddlers learn by observing adults, even when we aren’t intentionally trying to teach them anything. Just watch as the toddler picks up any object and pretends to talk on it just like their parents are talking on their phone. You can teach your child to mimic loving behavior by being affectionate and making sure you accept their affection when they are ready. At the same time, if the adult cusses or throws things, watch how the child is quick to imitate. Preschool years are when children make a big jump in language, imitating the way their adults talk and the words they use, meaning these kids pick up on our tone of voice and the use of grammar. This is also the time they learn what to eat, so if parents routinely eat a variety of healthy foods, so will the kids, and, on the other hand, if adults eat junk food and fast food, this instills that pattern of eating with the child.

Adults can create positive modeling behaviors in kids. Read[ing] often to your child and let[ting] your child see you reading […] make reading a healthy and normal part of everyday life. Use polite words and speak kindly to others in front of the kids. Let your children see you doing the chores you expect them to do. Explain the consequences when you make a mistake so the child sees the results of negative behaviors. If the parent ends up doing good deeds, watch the kids starting to do good deeds.

You’ve gotta dance like there’s nobody watching, love like you’ll never be hurt, sing like there’s nobody listening, and live like it’s heaven on earth.

William Purkey, public school teacher

[According to Happify Daily], small acts of kindness […] like leaving a meal for a homeless person or paying off a stranger’s layaway balance at Kmart start trends, with more people getting in on the act because they are such feel-good stories. The benefactors are happy to have done a good deed, and the recipients are pleased to have been given a small but meaningful helping hand. [Studies have shown that] recipients of kindness want to keep paying it forward, and a single act of kindness inspires more acts of generosity; […] this chain of altruism [is called] “upstream reciprocity.” So the next time you drop a quarter into an expired parking meter, there is a good chance the recipient of that small act of kindness will be inspired to do a kind act for someone else, and on and on.

[James Fowler, a professor at the University of California-San Diego], says that since humans often mimic behavior they see in the media, like generosity, they become inspired to be generous on their own, often starting their own chain of giving. That is why role models like sports figures, politicians, movie stars and rock stars can inspire a wave of giving. [Conversely], these same role models who give off negative vibes can have an adverse effect on our […] kindness to others.

[Former NBA star Derek Anderson], one such celebrity for the positive, […] started the Stamina Foundation, which is teaching young adults how to [perform] acts of kindness. Last month, he held his acts-of-kindness gala at the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, [perhaps] the best place on earth to hold this event, [considering] Muhammad Ali had such an influence on the youth of America.

[Y]ou don’t have to be famous to set an example of kindness. CBS News reports about Jesse Frank in Las Vegas, who lived on the streets in Houston before joining the Air Force. As an active airman, he has started […] B-Kind, [an] organization where he and his family help a homeless person each month […] with [support] from local businesses like the barbershop, eye doctor and dentist. […]

If you can’t come up with your own idea [for] an act of kindness, there are plenty of nonprofits [to which] you can donate. […] At Random Acts, your donations provide laptops to hardworking students, funding for dental supplies and […] flea medication for pet shelters, [among other causes]. Even in […] the American Red Cross, you can donate blood and money to help people you don’t know in the path of Hurricane Matthew. […]

Random acts of kindness come in all forms. Just giving someone an unsolicited compliment today will put a smile on both of your faces. Teaching a stranger how to tie his tie or bringing lunch to a neighbor coming out of the hospital brightens [the day for both of you]. Thanking a police officer or firefighter for their service, […] picking up the trash in a public park, or offering to babysit for a single mom just feels right. If we show compassion, our kids will show compassion. What we give to others in our lifetime defines who we really are.

Never forget—our kids are always watching us.

Original article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-joseph/random-acts-of-kindness-d_b_12755834.html

For the Love of Animals

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While on Valentine’s Day, we show our love for other humans, February 20th is “National Love-Your-Pet Day,” where we turn to our four-legged friends to show them how much we love having them around. The Humane Society estimates there are 67 million [U.S.] households that have pets. […] The pet industry made $58 billion in sales in 2014, [which] includes retail pet stores, online sales, grooming, pet hotels, innovative pet product manufacturing and even pet funerals. Considering the cosmetic and toy industries brought in $56 billion and $22 billion, respectively, the pet business has turned into a significant piece of our economy. On February 20th, we should not only be loving our pets but thanking them for helping drive our economic recovery!

Sadly, we often hear about pets being abused all over the country. Just in 2015, the former mayor of Sorrento, La., was accused of torturing and abusing cats. There’s also the retired Phoenix police officer [who] collected over 100 animals—zebras, horses, chickens and pigs—and kept them without proper shelter, food or water. [T]here’s the individual cruelty, like the dog in San Diego whose owner used rubber bands as a muzzle and caused severe injuries to the poor dog’s face. […] This disregard of compassion for animals cuts to the core of human nature. It is not only about how we treat our beloved best animal friends, [but, in] a sense, it is about how we treat each other.

So where do […] unwanted, unloved animals go? According to the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), there are 13,600 community animal shelters nationwide. There are 7.6 million animals entering shelters each year, of which 3.9 million are dogs and 3.4 million are cats. Each year, 35% of [these] dogs are adopted, 31% are euthanized, and 26% are returned to their owners. For cats, 37% are adopted, 41% are euthanized and only 5% are returned to their owners.

There is a major strain on our community animal shelters this time of year. With the temperature below freezing in many parts of the country, it does not take long for an animal to freeze to death when left outside. Luckily for these animals, [several] communities [are taking] action. […] Cleveland just passed a new law to protect animals being left outdoors without shelter. The city ordinance requires that [those] left outside have shelter large enough to stand up, turn around and lie down in freely, and the shelter must have one entrance and exit with a door or flap to protect the animal from the elements.

Besides weather, the inhumanity of our fellow human beings continues to burden these underfunded shelters. The Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter just took in over 70 dogs that were seized in a major dogfighting operation. […] Evidence seized in this case included firearms, treadmills, breaking sticks, heavy chains, steroids and bloodstained dogfighting rings. I just cannot image the physical and psychological wounds these abused animals now have.

It falls back on all of us to have the heart to help defenseless animals that can’t speak for themselves. There are plenty of concerned organizations that need our support to fight animal abuse—great nonprofits like [the] ASPCA, Humane Society and the American Humane Association. There are also many lesser-known animal nonprofits like World Animal Protection [and the] Best Friends Animal Society. […] If you can’t support these helpless animals with money, donate your time to help care for them at the shelters. All shelters welcome people who will feed, walk and groom these ignored animals.

Those of us with pets know they provide therapeutic benefits for many of life’s invisible scars. Our pets help us socially and emotionally. The unconditional love pets give us transcends work issues, family conflicts and death. Animals don’t care about the color of your skin, whether you can read or not, or if you are missing a limb. […] Donate to animal shelters and organizations to help care for these innocent animals. Volunteer at your local shelter to help the animals cope with being alone. No one wants to be alone, and your simple act of kindness goes a long way for animals that don’t have anyone.

Original article here: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-joseph/for-the-love-of-animals_b_6459194.html

Can’t Stop the Giving

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Now that the season of giving is officially over, we are approaching the harshest time of year, when underprivileged, poor and homeless fellow Americans need our help the most. The average high [temperature] across the United States in January is 42° F and the average low is 27°, [making it[ the coldest month of the year. In February, the average high moves to 44° and the average low is 28°. […] Using New York […] as the example, the cost of heating oil jumps in the winter, with [the] January [2014] cost per gallon [at] $4.13 and February’s cost [at] $4.34. […]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a family of four is considered living in poverty if their annual income is under $23,850. The current […] U.S. […] poverty rate is 14.5%, [amounting to] 45.3 million people living in poverty. […] The poverty rate for children is 19.9%; for people ages 18 [to] 34, it is 13.6%, and for those over 65, the rate is 9.5%.

We can’t rely on our government to take care of the poor—or can we? The New American just reported that 65% of our children live in households [participating] in at least one or more of these government aid programs: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families; the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program […]; the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC); Medicaid; [or] the National School Lunch Program. The “War on Poverty,” which was part of the “Great Society” plan of President Johnson, […] celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2014. Our government has spent $22 trillion over these 50 years to support this war.

So does the U.S. welfare system actually hamper dignity while claiming to grant it? We continue to hear stories of recipients abusing the social safety net designed to help those who truly need our help. Do some of these programs trap people into the poverty they are trying to escape? Our government programs address complex social problems with a one-size-fits-all solution. Local nonprofit organizations and local governments have a better vantage point to identify and address the true poverty issues in their communities, [making them] more invested in the success of the families and individuals living [there].

[N]ow that the holidays are over, we are back to focusing on ourselves. Whether it is finding a gym to get back in shape or a diet to lose the holiday pounds, our attention naturally shifts away from those who need our help 365 days a year. [Fortunately], there are several nonprofit organizations that don’t give up after the holidays. […] One of my favorites is One Warm Coat. This nonprofit organization started [in 1992] with a Thanksgiving weekend coat drive, [and, since] then, they have organized thousands of groups across America that collect coats to give to those in need. […] Another favorite is Operation Warm, which started in 2002 and [relies on] organizations like [local] Rotary [clubs] and firefighters to distribute over 300,000 coats to impoverished children annually.

Each of these caring organizations began way before the recession, survived the recession and continues to serve the underprivileged as the country recovers. The Salvation Army [is] the second largest charity in the country, receiving $2.08 billion in donations annually. The largest charity is The United Way, who took in $3.87 billion [within its] network of over 1,300 units across the country. […]

With the impasse in Washington, [D.C.], which looks like it will be getting even worse in 2015, we cannot rely on our government to pick up the slack to take care of those Americans who truly need our help. Gas prices are going down, giving all of us more discretionary income to spend. The holidays are over, […] and now it is time […] to step up and begin to funnel [that] extra gas money back into our local communities to help our neighbors pull themselves out of poverty. We, as citizens, need to create a new grassroots effort—our own local “War on Poverty.” Having 45.3 million people living in poverty is not what any of our forefathers envisioned, and it is not the country we want to leave to our children.

Original article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-joseph/cant-stop-the-giving_b_6390550.html

Donating: Is It the American Way?

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In the United States, there are 1,429,801 tax-exempt organizations made up of 966,599 public charities; 96,584 private foundations; and 366,618 other types of nonprofits, including chambers of commerce, fraternal organizations and civic leagues, according to the National Center for Charitable Statistics. These [tax-exempt] organizations paid for 9.2% of all wages in [our nation last year] and accounted for 5.5% of GDP. Charitable contributions are over $320 billion, with religious organizations receiving 32% […] and educational institutions getting 13%.

Over the last five years, the World Giving Index rates the United States as the most giving country, followed by Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Canada and the United Kingdom. What is driving the No. 1 rating is the fact that helping a stranger is more commonplace in [our country], with 77% of Americans saying they helped someone they did not know. The United States ranks third globally in volunteering and 13th in donating money.

[Americans] have a long history of giving back. [T]he Pilgrims […] relied on neighbors to survive the harsh winters. The settlers raised each others’ barns, hosted quilting bees for the community and built common areas in their towns. Benjamin Franklin […] is known as the Founding Father of American Volunteerism; [in] the late 1700s, [h]e gathered volunteers to sweep the streets of Philadelphia, organized the nation’s first volunteer fire department [and] established a voluntary militia. […] His philosophy was “individuals working together, un-coerced, for the common good.” In the 1830s, two groups who felt their lack of power—women, who had no right to vote, and the clergy, whose political authority was weakened by the constitutional separation of church and state—formed benevolent societies to focus on issues [like] slavery, cruelty, drinking [and] illiteracy.

[B]illionaires [also] have given to improve [American] society. Andrew Carnegie, who made his fortune in the steel industry, helped fund 3,000 public libraries, […] 7,000 church organs and […] Carnegie Hall in New York City. […] John Rockefeller, Jr., who made his fortune in oil, donated land along the East River in Manhattan for the United Nations headquarters in his belief that the world together can get better. […] Warren Buffet and Bill Gates, probably the two best-known billionaires, created the “Giving Pledge,” which now has 127 billionaires committed to pledging at least half of their wealth to help nonprofits.

These are examples of the very visible givers. There are hundreds of others who have given to help hospitals and schools and the underprivileged that are not in the news.

Overall, Americans give, on average, 3% of their income to charity, a figure that has not budged significantly for decades. The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that there are significant differences in how much the average American gives; [i]n Utah and Mississippi, households [donate an average of] 7% of their incomes to charity, while in Massachusetts and three other New England states, giving is under 3%. Middle-class Americans give a far bigger share of their discretionary income; households earning $50,000 [to] $75,000 [annually] give an average of 7.6% of their income to charity compared to 4.2% of people making over $100,000. […]

What are the reasons people help other people? According to Gaiam.com, giving to charity improves your sense of well-being, [because you know] that you sacrificed time, finances or property to help others. Supporting a cause can help keep you informed about issues of social injustice. Giving to charity out of spiritual conviction can strengthen your spiritual life. Volunteering with a charity may result in physical and social benefits—[a]nd donations are tax-deductible.

Having donations as a tax-deductible item has been in the fabric of our taxes since the Revenue Act of 1917, which established […] an individual income-tax deduction for contributions made to tax-exempt charitable organizations. According to CNN, the charitable deduction is the ninth-largest tax expenditure in the federal budget. In 2014, the amount of revenue the government will forgo from those claiming charitable deductions is estimated to reach $52 billion. Giving, on one hand, helps those in need, while on the other hand, [it] pushes our government into greater debt.

Community service is not political, and it is not mandated by the state. It is something that comes from deep within our core values. A true definition of this can be seen with the Society of Secret Santas, who[se members] give away $100 bills of their own money to the needy to help reinforce the self-worth and image of those they help. […] They give in anonymity; [lead] by example; [share] their wealth in a humble, selfless way; [and] show compassion through random acts of kindness, tapping into the human spirit by giving the recipient hope and belief.

Anonymous givers set the stage to teach our kids about the selflessness of being kind. Whether it is cleaning out your closet to help a charitable organization or spending time to help the elderly or volunteering to help a neighbor do yard work or shovel snow, the examples we adults set today by our actions will influence how the next generation views their obligations to others. […]

From Ben Franklin to Andrew Carnegie to Warren Buffet, well-known leaders set the example for us, but you don’t have to be a billionaire leaving a legacy to make a difference. [V]olunteering still forms the core of the American character—[i]t is who we are and how we pass on freedom and caring to the next generation. Maybe that is one reason that seniors volunteer at a higher rate than our children. The experience of life that seniors [possess] is precious, and if we can teach the younger generations to care more about others, we can continue to be the most charitable nation, just like our forefathers [envisioned].

Original article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-joseph/donatingis-it-the-america_b_6222052.html

Back to School: It’s Make-It-or-Break-It Time for the Economy

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Spending this fall for students K-12 is expected to drop 12%, according to a National Retail Federation survey reported in The Wall Street Journal. The average that will be spent on each kid is $634.78, down from $688.62 in 2012. Even those going to college are expecting decreases from $836.80 this year [compared to] $907.22 last year.

[I]t looks like the payroll tax hike, the sequestration and the continued sluggish job market are finally going to rear their ugly heads during the first major sales season of the year. This is troublesome news for retailers, because the back-to-school (BTS) season is like the canary in the coal mine; BTS sales trends historically predict how the holiday fourth-quarter sales will turn out. [I]n another BTS warning about the economy, 47.7% of college students expect to live at home [in 2013], up from 42.9% in 2012.

These depressing numbers tell us that the American family has begun to focus on the needs of their children for BTS rather than the wants of their kids. If working Americans are having trouble getting their kids ready for BTS, what about the children in families stuck in poverty or not working at all? According to The Hechinger Report, poverty is getting so concentrated in America that one [in] five public schools is classified as “high poverty” […] by the U.S. Department of Education. To be classified as [a] high-poverty [school], 75% of [its] elementary, middle or high school students must qualify for […] free or reduced-price [lunches].

Moyers & Co. reports that […] poverty affects 46.2 million people [in the United States], [including] 16.1 million children. […] Deep poverty, [or a household income below] $11,510 [annually] for a family of four, hits 20.4 million people, [or] one in 15 Americans. On top of all this, we have 1,065,794 homeless students enrolled in U.S. preschools and K-12 schools, and […] only 48% of poor children are ready for school by the age of five, compared to 75% of children from moderate- and high-income families.

[W]e have parents who are going to be spending less on their children for BTS, [a]nd we have poverty creating a major burden for schools to figure out how to deal with accommodating these kids’ needs. This is a bleak time for not only our economy but to the answer of how we cope with an all-inclusive society so that no child is left behind.

Some organizations are rising to the occasion with drives to provide the underprivileged with what they need to go back to school with dignity—staples like backpacks, school supplies and clothes. Fox News reported [that] in St. Louis, the National Council of Jewish Women brought a “[b]ack-to-[s]chool store” to 1,200 children in need. […] The Broomfield Enterprise in Colorado reports the organization Crayons to Calculators hopes to provide 9,000 students with new backpacks full of supplies [in 2013]. The City Wire in Arkansas reports on [a] “Stuff the Bus” campaign supported by the United Way, where bright yellow buses will be scattered throughout Fort Smith to collect school supplies for children in need [for] the ninth year. We can all help online at Operation Backpack, where they are gathering backpacks for New York City children in need. […]

We have been putting up with this recession since late 2007. It has been close to six years where the poor are getting poorer, the needy are getting needier, and now it looks like our schoolchildren will be getting less. Spending less for BTS is a major blow to our economy, and when word of this decrease becomes widespread, it will be a major blow to the American psyche. As Americans, we have to do what we can do to ensure the long-term survival of our educational system, because all these kids—rich and poor—are our future. Dig deep into your pockets and help out your local backpack drive by donating backpacks, school supplies or cash so they can buy what is needed for the underprivileged. If you are a parent or grandparent, spend a little more on your kids for BTS so we can prove the predictions wrong. If this BTS season is truly less than last year, then we are in for a long, cold fall and winter retail season, which will keep us in this recession for another year.

Original article here:https://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-joseph/back-to-school-its-make-i_b_3671731.html

To Give or Not to Give

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Every day, we read about famous Americans supporting nonprofit organizations, [whether it’s] Warren Buffett, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, [the] Lilly Endowment, the Walton Family Foundation or the Ford Foundation. [Many wealthy] and middle-class Americans [alike] give because it is the right thing to do, and they do not need recognition because philanthropy is an expression of personal and family values.

The New York Times recently reported about how many buildings in New York [City] have their donors’ names on them. There are many reasons donors want their name on a building, including getting proper recognition for being a philanthropist and inspiring others to contribute to causes you believe will make a difference. On the other side, there are many reasons to give anonymously, such as being able to give credit to those performing the services rather than those providing funding, [as well as] ensuring you won’t be overwhelmed by other [organizations] chasing you for money and [exposing] your [potentially] deep pockets if you […] get involved in [any] litigation.

Judeo-Christian [beliefs] caution us against self-promotion, which would tend to support anonymous giving. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus teaches that “when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets” [and] “do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing so that your giving may be in secret.” The Jewish sage Maimonides wrote, “It is best that the giver and receiver not know each other’s identities—in this way, the poor person’s dignity is preserved.”

I was recently moved when I saw on national TV a story about “The Kalamazoo Promise,” [a] scholarship program started in 2005 for all graduates of Kalamazoo, Mich., public schools. It is funded by anonymous donors who pay up to 100% of tuition […] to Michigan’s colleges and universities. [As a result] of [this] program […], the school district has grown by 16%, which helps the economy of the city; test scores have improved; and a greater proportion of high-school graduates are attending college. […] There are now over 20 [similar] scholarship programs around this great country. […]

What are the real reasons we give […] our time and money? Helping others who are struggling is an act of compassion that most Americans are taught as we grow up. Community service is not political, and it is not mandated by the state; [i]t is something that comes from deep within our core values. A true definition of this can be seen with the Society of Secret Santas, who give away $100 bills of their own money to the needy to help reinforce the self-worth and image of those they help, as well as [to] show unconditional love to those who feel society has stopped caring about them. We do not know who these Secret Santas are—[t]hey give in anonymity, they [lead] by example, and they [share] their wealth in a humble, selfless way. They show compassion through random acts of kindness, tapping into the human spirit by giving the recipient hope and belief.

“Promise” organizations, the Secret Santas and […] other anonymous givers set the stage to teach our kids about the selflessness of being kind. Whether it is cleaning out your closet to help a charitable organization, spending time to help the elderly, or volunteering to help a neighbor do yard work or shovel snow, the examples we […] set today […] will influence how the next generation views their obligations to others. […]

All of us want our children to be smart, funny and athletic, but much of those traits depend on the child’s genetic makeup. Being kind, though, is an entirely learned behavior that is influenced by how the kid’s parents and mentors react to different situations. Setting an example of how to be kind to others, whether you shout your generosity from the highest building or you give to others anonymously, may be the best lesson we pass on to those who will eventually take our place.

Original article here:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-joseph/to-give-or-not-to-give_b_3480094.html

The Poor, the Elderly, the Disabled Stand to Lose the Most

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More Americans used food stamps to buy their Thanksgiving dinner than any time in our history according to U.S. News & World Report. Forty-two million of us are on food stamps, and the food-stamp program (now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or “SNAP”) cost the U.S. government $72 billion last year. This means one in seven U.S. residents receive[s] SNAP benefits.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, three out of four SNAP households include a child, a person age 60 or older, or a disabled person. Households with [a] very low income of about $8,800 a year are the receivers of SNAP. The average monthly SNAP benefit per household was $287, or $4.30 per person per day. This was a 70% increase in SNAP benefits from the 26 million people who received benefits in 2007. If we need one measurement of how crushing this recession has been, this is it.

So here we are in the last month of 2012 with our government facing another crisis (commonly now referred to as “the fiscal cliff”), and wouldn’t you know that charitable giving is once again in the forefront of cuts. According to CNN, the charitable deduction is the ninth-largest tax expenditure in the federal budget. In 2014, the amount of revenue the government would forgo from those claiming charitable deductions is estimated to reach $52 billion. Currently, the wealthiest Americans can write off as charitable deductions 35% of their total contributions, and President Obama wants to move that down to 28% in the latest rounds of negotiations on Capitol Hill.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that there are significant differences in how much we give. In Utah and Mississippi, households average 7% of their income to charity, while in Massachusetts and three other New England states, giving is under 3%. Middle-class Americans give a far bigger share of their discretionary income, with households earning $50,000 to $75,000 giving an average of 7.6% of their income to charity compared to 4.2% of people making over $100,000. Religion has a big influence on giving patterns. Two of the top nine states giving the most as a percent[age] of income are Utah and Idaho, [which] have a high number of Mormon residents [who] have a tradition of tithing 10% of their income to the church. All of the other seven top states are in the Bible [B]elt.

Although not all [of a] nonprofit[‘s] income is tied to tax incentives, the fear among nonprofits is that much of it is tied to what Washington, [D.C.], will be deciding in the next few weeks. According to The Arizona Republic, […] 28% of Arizonans claimed federal tax deductions for nonprofit organizations that totaled $2.73 billion. The charitable deduction is especially popular as you climb the income scale; whereas 12% of taxpayers earning less than $50,000 claimed this deduction, 81% of those making more than $100,000 claimed the charitable deduction.

Who is going to help those in need if our government decreases the incentive many Americans have to give? In states where the population has a tendency to give anyway, those in need may be propped up, but in states where tax incentives drive giving, those in need may be in real trouble. […]

In reality, giving has got to come from the heart, not because you are saving some money in taxes. In actuality, though, movements by the government to guide how we live and spend our money are a major influence on how nonprofits get funding. All of us who trust in the good of nonprofits must let our leaders know that we believe it when the nonprofit organizations tell us that they fear this fiscal cliff will shut down donations, and this result touches us all. […]

This recession has taken its toll deeper than anyone expected. When over 42 million Americans have to rely on our government for food stamps and most nonprofits must also rely on our government to help influence donations coming their way, we cannot absorb any more hits to our charity safety net. The lame-duck session is now going on in Washington, D.C. We cannot afford lame-duck results.

Original article here:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-joseph/tax-incentives-donating-_b_2203796.html