Dear Donor,
As you may have heard, the IRS has proposed a new form that nonprofits can use to record and report donations over $250. To use the new form, nonprofits would have to collect and report the Social Security numbers and addresses of donors, file the new form with the IRS by February 28 every year, and send a copy to each donor listed.
United Way Worldwide and individual United Ways have concerns about the proposal and plans to submit comments.
We ask you to take action and let your voice be heard by submitting your own letter outlining your concerns. Feel free to use any or all of United Way's concerns listed below.
VOLUME MATTERS. LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD.
TAKE ACTION BY DECEMBER 16, 2015
CLICK HERE to submit your own letter.
United Way is concerned about the IRS proposal for the following reasons:
- While the proposed rule is voluntary, it creates the ground work for a mandatory rule, which would be devastating to charitable giving in the United States.
- The proposed rule dramatically increases the risk of identity theft for millions of individuals who donate to charities. The IRS advises taxpayers against disclosing Social Security numbers for this reason.
- The proposed rule would have a chilling effect on charitable giving as it would significantly complicate giving for individuals, forcing individuals to consider disclosing personal information as part of their decision about whether and how much to give.
- Most employers operating workplace charitable giving campaigns - including the federal Office of Personnel Management - would not disclose employee social security numbers to charities.
- The proposed rule creates and undue burden on charities, which operate on tight margins and have limited capacity to manage, protect, and report data about individual donors.
Remember to submit your comments by December 16th. Please don't hesitate to let us know if you have questions.
Regards,
Greater Gallatin United Way
406.587.2194
