Your client wants to make a gift to Rotary … or Disabled Veterans … or Whitetails Unlimited – but how do you know if the gift will be tax-deductible?  

EO Select Check contains a searchable version of all IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) organizations.  When checking this database for philanthropic clients, be aware that:

• Contributions to churches and other religious organizations are generally tax-deductible, even if they aren’t listed in the IRS database (the First Amendment makes IRS filings optional for these orgs).
• Governmental entities also will not appear in the listing, but contributions to municipalities, local school districts, and the like are tax deductible.
• Just like the old print version, the online database contains errors – including the wrong legal name for one of my alma maters.  (!)

Additional details about an organization’s assets, revenues and executive compensation can be found on its Form 990, almost all of which is available for public inspection.  The Urban Institute’s National Center for Charitable Statistics offers a sophisticated but user-friendly database of recent 990 filings.  This information can also be found at guidestar.org (registration required).

Not finding the information you need for a charitably inclined client?  Give us a call. We’d be happy to do some detective work for you!

Kim Petersen is VP Gift Planning. Email her at [email protected].
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