CGP Post-election Legislative Update
With just days before what promises to be a historic election for President and control of the United States Senate, and amidst an unprecedented global health pandemic, nonprofit organizations and their advisors have seen a flurry of legislative and policy proposals that would directly affect charitable giving in America for years to come. Join CGP on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 1 p.m. ET for a special Post-Election Legislative Update where we will review these developments as well as discuss the latest election results and what nonprofits can expect during the impending “lame duck” Congressional session and the start of the 117th Congress.
All advocacy updates are FREE to CGP National Members. Non-members can register for advocacy updates for $20.
Urgent Call to Action
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, nonprofits across the U.S. have seen increased demand for services. Yet, at the same time, charitable donations dropped by 6% in the first quarter of 2020, according to a report by the Fundraising Effectiveness Project. Charitable giving has continued to drop since then, and The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports 2020 giving could be down by as much as $25 billion this year.
The drop in giving caused by job losses and economic uncertainty comes just as demands on nonprofits are skyrocketing. Without the ability to raise more private funds, some nonprofit organizations will be unable to meet the rising need for help caused by the pandemic.
Fortunately, Congress has an easy and fast way to help, but we need your help to ask Congress to build on the charitable giving incentives included in the CARES Act and enable more people to give to nonprofits on the frontlines of the coronavirus response. Bipartisan bills have been introduced in the House and Senate that would do just that, allowing people to give more and provide the nation’s nonprofits with the resources they need to meet the pandemic head-on.
Join CGP and ask your elected officials to fight for charities by co-sponsoring the Universal Giving Pandemic Response Act. Send a letter now. And remember, personalized messages are especially effective. We encourage you to edit the sample letter to Congress to add how expanding charitable giving incentives would impact giving in your community.
Another round of legislation is expected to be passed over the next few weeks. Your action now is critical to ensure this legislation is included. Please check back for additional information on the proposed legislation.
Sample Letter to Congress Contact Senators Contact Representatives
HR 7324 Introduced in House
On July 1, Rep. Mark Walker (R-NC) and Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH) introduced HR 7324. This is a companion House bill that mirrors the Universal Giving Pandemic Response Act introduced in the Senate on June 21st. Both bills expand the current above-the-line deduction established with the CARES Act for tax years 2019 and 2020 to one-third of the standard deduction.
The introduction of these bills in both the House and Senate with bipartisan support significantly increases the likelihood that the proposed legislation receives serious consideration by Congress.
Universal Giving Pandemic Response Act
June 25, 2020
On June 21, Sens. Lankford (R-OK), Coons (D-DE), Lee (R-UT), Shaheen (D-NH), Scott (R-SC), and Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced the Universal Giving Pandemic Response Act, which would expand the current above-the-line deduction made available by the CARES Act. Specifically, the bill would make available – for tax years 2019 and 2020 – an above-the-line deduction for charitable giving on federal income taxes valued at up to one-third of the standard deduction. This would significantly increase the allowable charitable deduction for taxpayers who do not itemize and potentially generate billions of new giving for the charitable sector.
On June 2nd, five United States Senators participated in a national town hall meeting called “ From Common Ground to Congressional Action: Advancing the Universal Charitable Deduction“ with members of the nonprofit sector.
Charitable Beneficiary IRA Distribution Resource Center
In a recent CGP survey 43% of organizations stated they experienced difficulty in collecting beneficiary proceeds from one or more IRA administrators. This is a matter of great concern to nonprofit organizations across the country. Many individuals and organizations are working to improve the timely distribution of beneficiary proceeds from financial institutions. Through awareness, advocacy and the collection of valuable information to assist organizations, they have created a number of resources to expedite distributions and promote change in institutional policy. The goal of the center is to organize the results of their efforts in one location to benefit the entire nonprofit sector.
Reforming the Charitable Deduction Report
November 3, 2019
The Joint Economic Committee of the United State Congress has released a new report; Reforming the Charitable Deduction. This is an important bipartisan report on charitable giving that includes analysis on trends in U.S. charitable giving, an insightful overview of the charitable deduction and most importantly possible reforms to make the charitable deduction more equitable to all taxpayers.
CGP Public Policy Platform
The CGP Board of Directors recently adopted a new Public Policy Platform that serves to guide CGP advocacy activities in support of the charitable giving community and the broader nonprofit sector.
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