It has been said that the United States is the most charitable country in the world. People in the United States are highly likely to do what they can to donate time, money, and resources to a wide variety of charities. Donors may seek out ways to help children, those with medical problems, animals, or the environment. A lot of people also seek out ways of helping disabled veterans because they feel a commitment to give back to veterans for their service to our country.
In 2014, the total charitable giving to nonprofit organizations was $358.38 billion. A recent survey found that almost 43% of people give more around the winter holidays than the rest of the year. 44.4% of the people surveyed stated they gave ?about the same? regardless of the time of year.
While donating and helping charities is about the act of giving, smart givers support groups that have tax-exempt status under section 501(c ) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. These are registered non-profits, and as long as you get and keep a receipt for your donation, your total giving may be tax deductible.
Giving and helping charitable organizations isn?t always about directly giving money. Some charities accept donations of things you no longer want or need like cars, household appliances, books, or clothes. Some of these charities run stores where donated items are sold while others resell the items in bulk, so the money comes back to the organization.
Clothes is a great example of how you can be helping disabled veterans by donating things you aren?t using anymore. Approximately 4.7 billion pounds of clothing are donated each year in the United States. Simultaneously, 10.5 million tons of clothing end up in landfills each year, so there is still room for improvement. Research suggests that Americans only donate or recycle approximately 15% of their used clothes.
While there are a lot of clothes being donated each year, there is a lot more than can be donated, opposed to thrown away. The average person will throw away almost 70 pounds of clothes or other textiles like linens or blankets each year. Textile items make up 5% of waste going to the landfills. This can be avoided by simply donating unused items. In donating your used closed, you can be happy knowing you are helping disabled veterans or other groups in need.
When donating clothes, you need to a receipt, and if you donate a single item that you are deducting more than $500 for, you will also need a qualified appraisal, which has to be submitted with your tax return. Be sure to get your qualified appraisal prior to making your donation if you are interested in the tax deduction.
A lot of charitable organizations that accept donations of clothes or household items offer either donation pickup services or clothing drop off locations. Whether you feel pulled to helping military families, helping families in need, or helping disabled veterans, there are always organizations that you can work with.