November 17, 2004

National Philanthropy Day

We hope each of you will be able to attend to honor local fundraisers and philanthropists and all the giving work that is done of behalf of non-profit organizations in our community. Tickets are $25 per person. If you did not receive an invitation, please contact npdrsvp@apfwncx.org or contact John Pfaff at 274-0758, ext 313 or send your reservation to AFP-WNC Chapter, Carolina Day School, 1345 Hendersonville Road, Asheville, NC  28803-1923. Your check is your reservation. 

 You may also make an on-line reservation by credit card here at the site.  NPD. RESERVATION DEADLINE:  November 8. 

New Restrictions on NonCash Gifts in the Works

It looks as though the HR 4520 tax bill will pass into law. Primarily, this is a package of corporate tax breaks, but included in it are much tighter rules for donations of cars, intellectual property and other noncash gifts. Missing from the bill is the CARE Act that had passed both the House and Senate, in different versions, earlier this year. The CARE act included tax incentives to encourage charitable donations, including a new deduction for charitable contributions by non-itemizers, and expanded deductions for such things as book inventories, scientific property, and artistic compositions.   

While not yet law, President Bush has said he will sign the bill.

Car donation deductions have received the most attention. Under current law, donors can deduct a vehicle's fair market value based on estimates in used-car price guides, if valued at less than $5,000 or from an appraisal, if over $5,000. Under the new provisions, donors will be allowed to deduct the sale price received by the non-profit which accepted and sold the vehicle.  Proponents of the bill estimate that tighter restrictions will produce an additional $6-billion in revenue over the next decade. Critics of the bill, including a national coalition of non-profits, say it will hurt donations. 

More changes may be in the works. Tom Herman reported in the Wall Street Journal on October 12th that this bill could be “just the beginning of a series of changes affecting charities,” as at least two Senators are “considering proposals to curb what they call a wide range of abuses in the charitable arena.”

Do Not Fax Rules Delayed Until 2005

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted on October 1 to further delay the implementation of its do-not-fax regulations until July 1, 2005.

Because of the decision nonprofits now have additional time to not only prepare for the regulations, but continue to seek legislative changes to the requirements. The regulations would require organizations to get explicit permission from any individual before faxing them any type of materials. There are no exceptions for previous established relationships, so charities would have to get the permission of even long-time donors before faxing them anything.

The regulations are even more problematic in that charities must get permission for each individual fax number a person has. Thus, if an individual changes fax numbers, permission must be obtained again.

AFP and other organizations have been advocating for legislation that would create an “established business relationship” provision that would cover relationships between charities and donors and associations and members. H.R. 4600 passed the House on July 20, 2004. The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee has filed its report on S. 2603, meaning the bill is now ready to move to the Senate floor for a full vote.

Iredell County Partnership for Young Children Brings Grantsmanship Center Training to Statesville, NC

 Can you…

• Identify the specific grantmaking foundations that support programs like yours—even in tough economic times?

• Convince enough local companies to support your organization with money, goods or services?

• Connect with the decision-makers who dispense millions of dollars in state and federal grants every year?

Since 1972, The Grantsmanship Center (TGCI) has trained tens of thousands of nonprofit and government personnel. No other training organization has been teaching these skills longer, better—or with more impressive results.

TGCI’s signature Grantsmanship Training Program—the most widely attended training program in nonprofit history—is coming to Statesville, November 15-19. You and your staff are invited to attend this intensive five-day workshop, hosted by Iredell County Partnership for Young Children.  Since you’re located nearby, it’s an opportunity to take this world-famous training program without incurring significant travel costs.

What is the Grantsmanship Training Program?  Combining personalized instruction with practical exercises, the Grantsmanship Training Program takes you step-by-step through all the stages of writing a grant proposal.  You will learn how to research available grants and how to negotiate with funding sources—both public and private.  Upon completion of the workshop, graduates receive a one-year TGCI Membership, which affords follow-up proposal review and access to TGCI’s exclusive funding databases.  All TGCI Membership services are included in the program tuition of $825.

Who should attend?  Anyone in your organization who has management, fundraising, or grant-related responsibilities is encouraged to attend.  The workshop is geared to both novice and advanced grantseekers. If you choose, you may draft a proposal for your own organization during the workshop.  You will leave the workshop knowing how to prepare effective grant proposals, how to approach grantmakers, and—most important of all—how to plan programs that they will want to support.

How do I register?  Because TGCI workshops are designed to address the current needs and program activities of each participant, enrollment is limited to 30.  A limited number of half-tuition scholarships are available to agencies with annual budgets of less than $300,000.  To register for the November 15-19 workshop, or to apply for a scholarship, contact the TGCI registrar at (800) 421-9512 or you may enroll online at  www.tgci.com.

 

Positions Available Reminder

The AFP-WNC Chapter welcomes your job listings! Postings in the print and Internet versions are free to chapter members are $25.00 per submission for others. Please send your notice of 100 words or less to publisher@afpwnc.org as a Word attachment.