Charitable Giving Information

Archive for August, 2009

Is it true that the Salvation Army will pay your rent if you are unable to (only once) ?

A person at work told me that if you are unable to pay your rent then the Salvation Army will help you by paying it but only once? I don’t know if this is true or not. I know the Salvation Army accepts donations and sells it at their thrift stores, they’re just like Goodwill Stores. I’ve looked at the Salvation Army website and no where does it say that they will cover a month’s rent if you are unable to. Does anyone know if this is true?

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Last week my colleagues and I each pitched in some money to play the lottery. We were asking each other what we’d do with the money if we won. I said I’d keep a fourth for myself and use the other 3/4s to start 3 charities. Although I didn’t win the lottery I kinda still want to start the 3 charities.

One is a scholarship, the other is a research fund, the other is a pediatric charity.

The problem is I need million to start each charity. I was going to put the money in a high yield savings account or buy bonds and whatever interest is received will be the money that goes to the cause. that way I can still give even after I’m long dead. Since no one is going to write such a huge check without proof how do you start a charity? I know there’s some registration you have to do to make it tax exemptable. what do I have to do?

Has anyone had problems with sealed adoption records in Iowa with Catholic Charities? My mother was adopted at a young age. She was born in 1962. My mother hasn’t taken the initiative to search herself but is constantly asking me to search. Adopted parents have given some details, but after contacting Catholic Charities, I have received absolutely no response. I don’t know where to look or whom to talk to. I don’t know what to do and didn’t know if anyone has any advise or recommendations. Thanks! FYI:  The only area in Iowa or what I was told was possibly Iowa City or Davenport.

When making a donation to a 501c3, can you designate how the funds are spent and still itemize the deduction?

I have someone who wants to pay my sons monthly swim team fees as a donation. Our swim team is a not for profit organization with 501C3 status. I had heard somewhere that if you donate to a 502C3 you can not tell them how to spend the money so I was wondering how this would effect that situation and if my donor would be able to itemize the monthly donation at the end of the tax year?

If I donate to the Salvation Army can I claim that on my taxes?

I heard that if I donate to the Salvation army, which I do on a monthly basis, I can claim it on my taxes. But do I need to actually go in the store to get a reciept or something because I usually just drop it off at the drop off centers and never actually go into the store.