Time Is Running Out to Earn Tax Deductions for Donations

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Dec. 23, 2014 - PRLog -- Late December is traditionally the busiest time of year for charitable donations, as people attempt to make room for new holiday gifts.  Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida, Inc. is reminding Southwest Floridians that donations must be made by December 31 in order to be eligible for a 2014 tax deduction.

Taxpayers that itemize deductions on their federal tax returns may be entitled to claim a charitable deduction for clothing, household goods, vehicles, and even cash contributions to Goodwill.  Donors at Goodwill stores and attended donation centers will receive a receipt that meets Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidelines for donations.

Only donations made to IRS-approved nonprofit organizations, such as Goodwill, are tax-deductible.

“A lot of well-intentioned donors get fooled by for-profit businesses that disguise themselves as nonprofits,” says Kirsten O’Donnell, director of public relations and marketing for Goodwill. “For example, people assume that they’re making a charitable donation when they drop items in a collection box, but that’s not always the case. The majority of those boxes we see in parking lots around the community aren’t owned by charities, but instead by for-profit recycling companies. Those donations aren’t tax deductible, and don’t help our community with needed services.”

Goodwill encourages donors to leave donations at sites with attendants on duty, and reminds donors to keep itemized lists of their donations.  Goodwill provides receipts to donors at its stores and attended donation centers sites, and attendants can validate itemized lists when they are presented.

“We want people to give as much thought to where they donate their clothes as they do to volunteering time or donating money,” says Carolyn Johnson, Goodwill’s vice president of communications and development. “Whether it’s cash, cars, or gently-used items, every donation to a nonprofit like Goodwill is an investment in the economic energy of your community.”

Most Goodwill locations in Southwest Florida are open until 6pm on New Year’s Eve for last minute donations.

Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that assists people with disabilities and disadvantages by offering life-changing opportunities to achieve independence.  Supported programs include Job-Link career resource centers, transportation assistance, income-sensitive housing for people with disabilities and senior citizens, and the Goodwill L.I.F.E. Academy, a Lee County charter school for students with developmental disabilities.

For more information about Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida, please visit http://www.goodwillswfl.org.