How to Determine the Value of Donated Goods

June 5, 2011 Leave a Comment
Pile o' clothes

Image by JenWaller via Flickr

When you make a donation of a non-cash item to a charity or nonprofit organization you are able to use that donation as a tax-deductible item. The problem is most non-cash items need to have a cash value in order for you to be able to deduct it on your taxes. This leaves you with the chore of having to assess of value to the non-cash item you donated.

Here’s a look at how you can determine the value of your non-cash donations so you can deduct them on your taxes.

Condition of the Item

You will need to assess the condition of the item that you donated in order to determine the value. Although many charities may accept items that are broken, stained or torn these items cannot be used as a tax-deductible item.

Fair Market Value of the Item

If the items you are donating are in fair condition you can assess a fair market value to the item. Fair market value is the price that the item is going for in a secondhand shop. Once you have assessed the fair market value for the object you can determine its price for your taxes.

Use Receipts

Some donated items are new or can sell for the price you paid for the object. If you still have the receipts for the object you can declare the value of the item as the price on the receipt.

Learning how to determine the value of your donations can help you fill out your taxes and receive a tax credit for making a charitable donation.

Filed Under: Community Service, General Tagged With: , ,

Things You Can Donate to Charity Besides Money

May 2, 2011 Leave a Comment
Charity recycling 

Image by HowardLake via Flickr

Giving to charity can be a very rewarding experience for many. The world is made up of all kinds of people from varying socioeconomic backgrounds. Many of those who are from a higher socioeconomic bracket tend to give money to charities. They tend to do this by hosting gala events which can sometimes raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity.

But what if you do not have any extra cash to donate but are still wanting to help out somehow? Here are some ways to donate to charity besides donating money.

Clothing

Let’s face it; many people have hundreds of items sitting in their closets that they just don’t wear. Some people have items in their closets with the price tags still attached! Cleaning out your closet and donating the clothing to a charity is a great way to help out. The clothes will either be given directly to those in need or they will be placed for sale in a thrift shop.

Furniture

Many people living under the poverty line have great difficulty buying the furniture they need. It may be something small like a coffee table or side table, or something bigger like a desk or a kitchen table and chairs. Instead of taking your old furniture to the rubbish dump, see if there is a local charity that will come and collect it for you.

Time

The one thing that most charities are in need of is help from volunteers. A charity can never have too many people to help out, even if it’s in the smallest way. Ring around to charities in your area.

 

Filed Under: Community Service, General Tagged With: , ,

Discovering Your Passion with a Non-Profit Career

April 20, 2011 Leave a Comment

For many people, the idea of making a difference in the world through their career is more important to them than how successful they can be. These are the people who may enjoy working in a non-profit career field.

Non-profit means exactly what it sounds like — an organization or business does not make any profit, but rather turns all the monies earned back into the organization. Only a small amount is kept out for administrative and operating costs. These organizations include St. Jude’s Children’s Research Center, the March of Dimes, the Salvation Army, and similar organizations.

You may be one of these people who discovered your passion for such a career when you volunteered during your summer vacations and other school breaks. Or you may have interned at a non-profit organization while you were in college. No matter how you came to this knowledge, you know this is the career path you want.

You also know that, just as with any other career path, you need a good college education. You also know that since you’re not in it for the money, you’re going to need to spend as little as possible while still getting that good education. That’s where you could earn a degree online.

You can compare college tuition prices for online courses and degrees on a site like elearners.com, and choose the one that offers the curriculum you need to use in your non-profit career as well as lets you afford the classes. You may also be able to learn about volunteer opportunities that are available to you through the schools offering the online degree courses.

Filed Under: General, Volunteer Tagged With: ,

Thrifty Can Be Fashionable

April 10, 2011 Leave a Comment
Halleck fashion show at Rio Fashion Week, wint...

Image via Wikipedia

For some die hard fashionistas out there a consignment store outfit is just not an option. When was the last time you saw Lady Gaga in a Juicy Couture tracksuit? Or Princess Kate Middleton?

But for those of us who aren’t royalty or famous pop stars, you might want to seriously consider ‘dressing thrifty.’ One of the myths is that you cannot still look on trendy and spectacular unless you’re wearing a brand new, designer line. This is one myth that Helping Hands will happily squash; it’s all about how you wear it and the attitude you bring to your outfit!

A great thing about consignment stores is that you won’t find just one look! For a sporty yet smart look go for a tight fit t-shirt in this seasons color with dark jeans and flat canvas shoes or pumps. If you’re looking for smart casual then don’t wear sneakers! If you’re looking for something to wear on casual walks in the park this summer wear a baseball cap.

Helping Hands implores you to still indulge in the finer things in life; don’t abandon your favorite clothing brands like Dereon clothing. After all, consignment shops won’t have absolutely everything you need, where as Dereon has a range of clothes to mix and match as well as dress up or down.

We’re not saying it is easy, but it is certainly possible. Turn your keen eye for fashion in another direction and be thrifty and fashionable by shopping at consignment stores.

Filed Under: General

The Growing of the LPGA

March 7, 2011 Leave a Comment

The world of women’s golf doesn’t get nearly the attention that men’s golf does. Of course there is no Tiger Woods to drive the headlines and to that truth the men’s golf doesn’t get the attention when he’s not around, but the reality is that women’s golf can compete with the big boys and it’s women’s golf who’s making an impact right now.

This year the LPGA, or the world of women’s professional golf has decided that they are going to up their limit. This year at the Founders cup tournament the LPGA is going to be upping their limit to $1 million dollars.

This is a big step for a group that has always been in to giving back to the charity. This year the LPGA will be giving money to the Girls Golf. They will be giving half the money, but the other half will be divided between the winner, who will get $200,000 and the rest of the participants who finished in the top ten. It’s part of the agreement and it’s one that they hope to continue into the future.

This is a big part of the culture of professional sports. More and more each the leagues are looking to see a commitment from themselves to give back to the charities. It’s important to have perspective and know that with all the money a sport makes it’s worth nothing if they can’t give it back to better the world and the community around them. The LPGA is more than just golfing. They are a growing organization.

Filed Under: General Tagged With: , ,
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