Philanthropy Day of Action - Charitable Act Engagement Toolkit

Philanthropy Day of Action Promo Graphic

On October 4^th, in conjunction with the Philanthropy + Policy Institute, United Philanthropy Forum is seeking to mobilize thousands of sector leaders and advocates in support of the Charitable Act (H.R. 3435/S. 566).

The Forum asking member-PSOs to do their part by encouraging their members to join together on October 4th for Philanthropy Day of Action and advocate in favor of the legislation, which would incentivize millions of more Americans to give and support their communities by restoring the non-itemizer charitable deduction.

To assist with the promotion of the #PhilanthropyDayofAction to your members and partners, the Forum has designed a PSO Engagement Toolkit and resource page. The toolkit and resources were also developed to guide and bolster sector advocacy efforts on October 4th in support of the Charitable Act.

Why Participate In The #PhilanthropyDayOfAction?

A recent article from Politico highlights polling from Independent Sector showing broad bipartisan support for robust tax incentives for charitable giving. Specifically:

1. 87% of voters support restoring the universal charitable deduction permanently for all taxpayers including 51% of voters who strongly support this giving incentive.
2. 8 in 10 voters (82%) support expanding the universal charitable deduction to up to $4,500 for all Americans, including at least 80% of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents.
3. Over half of voters (53%) would give more if they were able to claim the charitable deduction.

As 2022 was one of the worst years in philanthropy history with giving dropping 10.5% after inflation, the Charitable Act presents the best opportunity the sector has had in years, to make the universal charitable deduction a reality. Given such strong support for a universal charitable decution, a concerted and collective effort by PSOs and their foundation members has the ability to bring renewed awareness to the legislation and garner more support in Congress.

How can PSOs use the Engagement Toolkit?

• The purpose of the Charitable Act Engagement Toolkit is to guide PSOs as they work to mobilize their staff and foundation members on October 4th, in support of the Charitable Act. It includes resources, sample language, graphics, and more for promoting the Day of Action to foundation members.
   
• PSOs can download graphics and logos from the Philanthropy Day of Action Resource page. The resource page includes graphics for PSOs to use in mobilizing their foundation members and while posting on social media asking lawmakers to co-sponsor the Charitable Act.

How Can Sector Leaders and Advocates Engage on the Philanthropy Day of Action (October 4th)?

• The toolkit also features scripts, sample language, and graphics for PSOs and foundations  asking legislators to co-sponsor and support the Charitable Act, or thanking them for their support. On October 4th, you may advocate using these methods:
  • Calling Your Member of Congress
  • Emailing Your Member of Congress via the Forum Advocacy Action Center
  • Posting Advocacy Ask to Your Member of Congress via Social Media

The Forum urges member-PSOs to join us by mobilizing the broader sector during the Philanthropy Day of Action, on October 4^th, in support of the Charitable Act.

The Forum is aware that there could be a federal government shutdown over #PhilanthropyDayofAction scheduled for October 4th.

The Forum has joined with partners in the sector to oppose a government shutdown and encourage Congress to move forward quickly with a strong appropriations bill. As we all know, a shutdown, particularly a prolonged shutdown, could have serious implications for the populations that the sector serves, whether impacting timely payments, federal grants and contracts, or critical safety net programs. Should a shutdown occur, we still encourage the Forum’s members and other partners in the sector to participate on October 4^th in #PhilanthropyDayofAction.

It would be more important than ever for Congress to hear about the needs from your community and the negative impact of a government shutdown, along with the importance of charitable giving. Private philanthropy and public funding are both critical to enabling nonprofits to provide programs and services. Thank you in advance for advocating for the passage of the bipartisan Charitable Act (S. 566/H.R. 3435) to restore and expand the universal charitable deduction.