Since our inception, nonprofits have served as the bridge between government and community – a role that has ultimately defined America. As a reliable and trusted source of information, you are the best messenger to educate your nonprofit network and the communities within your service areas about the role that incentivized giving plays in addressing critical needs, developing community solutions, and sustaining countless services that are essential to everyday life.  

The Issue 

State of Play: Every American should have an incentive to invest in their community by engaging in charitable giving, regardless of whether they itemize their taxes. This would allow charities to serve more people and make the tax code fairer. Independent Sector is working collectively with our partners and members to engage policymakers on this critical priority.     

How You Can Help 

The tools below are designed to help you connect directly with policymakers and their staff to make the case for extending the charitable deduction to 100% of taxpayers. 

Curated content and resources include:  

• Talking points and context to support the enclosed policy solutions
• An email template and comprehensive one-page document with sample language to support outreach efforts to advocates, policymakers, and stakeholders

Talking Points & Context 

Expanding Charitable Giving  

Use these talking points to help create written and oral arguments for the expansion of the charitable deduction.
 

• The charitable sector has been on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic and it is a crucial partner in the recovery effort of communities across the country. 
• Despite this urgent increase in need, the nonprofit sector also confronted serious financial challenges of its own during the pandemic: disrupted operations, cost increases, and loss of earned revenue. The nonprofit workforce lost 1.64 million jobs at the height of the pandemic’s economic impact and has yet to fully recover these
• For over a century, our nation’s tax system has encouraged Americans to give back to their communities by providing tax deductions for contributions to charitable organizations. 
• Incentivizing taxpayers equips the charitable nonprofit community with the resources needed to provide vital services to families, workers, and individuals to ensure that our country retains a strong and independent civil society. Congress can and should do more to ensure that charitable organizations achieve their missions and support their workforce

Email & Letter Templates 

Expanding the Universal Deduction Would Incentivize Everyone – Regardless of Income to Give More to Charity 

Take Action Today 

Use the following email templates to support your outreach efforts to organizations in your network and policymakers: 

Call-to-Action Email to Advocates 

Subject Line: Tell Legislators to Support the Universal Giving Pandemic Response and Recovery Act 

Dear [First name/Colleague], 

As an advocate for the charitable community, your voice is needed in order to ensure that critical charitable giving legislation is included in the year-end tax package. The pandemic and the economic downturn severely impacted nonprofit’s’ workforce and revenue streams, and Congress must act soon to avert further damage. 

Senators Lankford (R-OK), Coons (D-DE), Lee (R-UT), Shaheen (D-NH), Scott (R-SC), and Klobuchar (D-MN), as well as Representatives Walorski (R-IN) and Pappas (D-NH) have introduced the Universal Giving Pandemic Response and Recovery Act, legislation that would significantly increase the cap on the universal charitable deduction for 2022. Independent Sector-commissioned research indicates that such a proposal could unlock over $17 billion in new giving per year if made permanent.  

But this critical lifeline for our communities will only be cast if legislators hear from the people they represent. Please take 1 minute today: urge your legislators to join the effort by cosponsoring this legislation and supporting its inclusion in the year-end tax package.  

Here is how you can help today: 

1. Tell Congress today to make the tax code fairer to help every American give to charity. Take action now! 
2. Help spread this message by using the enclosed tools and resources 

Thank You Message

Thank you for your continued work on this vital issue. We encourage you to share this link with your personal and professional networks to inspire others to take action today!

Sincerely, 

{Name, Organization} 

Letter to Congress 

Dear (Legislator), 

I am writing to urge you to cosponsor the Universal Giving Pandemic Response and Recovery Act – bipartisan charitable giving legislation introduced by Senators Lankford, Coons, Lee, Shaheen, Scott (SC), and Klobuchar, as well as Representatives Walorski and Pappas – and to support its inclusion in the year-end tax package.  

The pandemic and the economic downturn have severely impacted nonprofit’s’ workforce and revenue streams, and Congress must act soon to avert further damage. At the same time, demand for charitable services has skyrocketed.  

Charities urgently need more resources to recover and continue serving those in need, and Congress has already recognized this by enacting a limited charitable deduction for every taxpayer through 2021. The Universal Giving Pandemic Response and Recovery Act will generate billions of dollars in additional giving by increasing the cap on this temporary deduction and extending it through 2022.  

 Please cosponsor the Universal Giving Pandemic Response and Recovery Act (S. 618, H.R. 1704) and support its inclusion in the year-end tax package considered by Congress. 

Sincerely, 

{Name, Organization}