Myths and Facts About Charitable Giving解讀慈善捐贈的誤區與真相

蘇珊·奎爾蒂

Few people argue against the need for charitable donations. Yet when it comes to time to donate， it can be difficult to sort through the myths so you can be smart with your charitable contributions. Here is a look at six common myths surrounding charitable giving.

1. My charitable donations are always tax deductible.

Charitable contributions are often tax deductible， but not always. Before you donate money to a particular charity， you should find out if it is registered with the IRS for 501（c）（3） tax-exempt status. You can contact charitable organ-izations directly or check their status with the IRS either by calling or searching “IRS Publication 78” online.

Many people do not realize that if you receive any goods or services for your charitable contributions， only a portion of your gift will be tax deductible. This often applies if you buy tickets to a charitable event or receive an item like a t-shirt or coffee mug as thanks for your gift. To avoid problems at tax time， be sure to ask how much you can deduct for each of your charitable donations.

2. My charitable gifts are used only for program services （medical research， supplies， etc.）.

When you make charitable donations， a portion of your gift is likely to go to the charities operating expenses. The percentage that goes to actual program services will vary from one charity to the next. To find out exactly how your charitable contributions will be spent， you should research charitable organizations before giving.

As founder and executive director of Foundation Beyond Belief， an organization designed to support charitable donations， Dale McGowan is well versed in researching charities. Foundation Beyond Belief uses multiple resources to help in their research， but McGowan also recommends contacting charitable organizations directly.

“Charities that have been around for three or more years should have at least one full cycle of audits and annual reports available on their website，” McGowan says. He also advises looking at the whole picture. “High admin costs are not automatically a concern， but high individual salaries relative to the industry norm should be. Look for programs with a clear， stated awareness of the current best practices in their area.”

3. Gen X and Gen Y dont care about charity.

Younger generations are often thought to not care about charitable giving. Yet a recent study by Convio， Edge Research， and Sea Change Strategies， “The Next Generation of American Giving，” offers some interesting results about charitable contributions made by four different generations： Generation Y1 （born 1981–1991）， Generation X （born 1965–1980）， baby boomers （born 1946–1964） and “matures” （born 1945 or earlier）.

While the estimated percentage of giving may be higher among older generations （79% of matures and 67% of baby boomers）， 58% of Gen X and 56% of Gen Y do give to charities. Though their average donations are generally smaller， Gen Y and Gen X often have plans to increase their charitable contributions in the following year （31% and 24%， respectively）.

The study also reports that younger generations contribute in other ways than direct charitable donations. Gen Y and Gen X are involved with charities in many different ways， including fundraising， online promotion， and volunteering.

4. My charitable donations are not large enough to make a difference.

Charities rely on your support and appreciate donations of any amount. Yet concentrating your charitable contributions can be a more effective way to give. Matthew J. Viola， senior program analyst at Charity Navigator2， agrees that both large and small donations are appreciated by not-for-profit charities and recommends donors make a long-term commitment to support charities over time. Viola tells WebMD3， “Charity Navigator suggests that instead of donating $10 to 10 charities， a donor should focus on a couple of charities and give each one of those a larger donation （$50 to two charities）.”

No matter which charities you choose to support， small gifts from multiple donors add up， and they also provide charities with a broad base of support. This is particularly true when donors continue to give what they can afford year after year.

5. Causes with active fundraising campaigns need my charitable donations the most.

While there is nothing wrong with supporting well-known causes， like cancer or AIDS research， many lesser-known causes may have an even greater need for charitable contributions. This is especially true when your charitable gifts support medical research， as rare medical conditions and diseases often have less funding.

McGowan often prefers to find deserving charities that support these lesser-known medical needs. “Sometimes the popular vogue does not match the highest need for funding at a given moment，” he says. “Hundreds of millions are funneled into research areas that are already well enough funded， while other critical-need areas are overlooked.”

6. If I donate money to charities， I will be put on several mailing lists.

Before making charitable contributions， ask organizations about their donor privacy policies. Some charities sell your contact information to mailing lists， and others do not. Charitable organizations may also offer a way for you to “opt-out” of receiving additional mailings.

To keep from being added to mailing lists， look for charities that offer written privacy policies and read the terms. Many charities are happy to protect their donors private information.

很少有人會質疑慈善捐贈的必要性。然而，真到了捐贈的時候，人們很難厘清真假從而合理行善。下面，我們來了解一下對慈善的六大常見誤解。

誤區一：慈善捐贈可以全額免稅

一般而言，慈善捐贈可以減免稅款，但也有例外情況。在向某個慈善機構捐款之前，要了解該機構是否向美國國家稅務局申請了第501（c）（3）條免稅待遇，既可以直接與慈善組織聯系，也可以致電國稅局核實，或在網上搜索《國稅局第78號文件》。

很多人不知道，如果進行慈善捐贈獲得了任何實物或服務作為回報，則能夠免稅的捐贈只有其中一部分。如果你購買了某場慈善活動的門票，或因為捐款而獲贈T恤衫或咖啡杯等物品，上述規則往往試用。為了避免在納稅時遇到麻煩，一定要問清每一筆捐款可以免稅的額度。

誤區二：所有捐贈只用到項目服務上（包括醫學研究、醫療用品等）

在捐款之后，慈善機構可能提取其中部分善款用于管理運營。每個慈善機構用于實際公益項目服務的善款比例各不相同。要想確切了解捐款的實際使用情況，就必須在捐贈前對慈善組織作一番調查研究。

戴爾·麥高恩是“超越信仰基金會”的創始人和執行董事，他的機構旨在為慈善捐贈提供專業支持，而他本人對研究慈善機構也十分在行。超越信仰基金會利用多種資源來開展研究，但麥高恩也建議捐贈人與慈善機構直接取得聯系。

“成立三年或三年以上的慈善機構在其官網上應該有至少一個完整周期的審計報告和年度報告。”麥高恩說。另外，他建議大家著眼全局。“管理成本高昂本身并無大礙，但相對于行業標準，如果機構中的個人工資過高，那就不合理了。要找明確表示其很清楚業內現行最佳做法的項目。”

誤區三：X世代和Y世代不熱心公益

人們往往以為，年輕一代對慈善捐助漠不關心。然而，Convio、Edge Research和 Sea Change Strategies這三家機構最近聯合進行了名為“美國慈善事業下一代”的研究，調查了四個世代的慈善捐贈行為，得出的結論耐人尋味。這四個世代分別是Y世代（指1981年至1991年出生的人）、X世代（指1965年至1980年出生的人）、嬰兒潮一代（指1946年至1964年出生的人）以及“成熟的一代”（指1945年或1945年以前出生的一代人）。

這份研究估計，老一輩人的捐贈比例可能較高（成熟的一代中占79%，嬰兒潮一代則有67%），但其實，58%的X世代和56%的Y世代也在獻出自己的愛心。盡管這兩個年輕世代的平均捐款額總體上較低，但他們往往計劃在來年增加捐款數目（包括31%的Y世代和24%的X世代）。

該研究還指出，年輕世代除了直接捐贈之外，還會尋求其他途徑參與慈善。Y世代和X世代會參與各種形式的慈善活動，包括籌款、在線推廣和志愿服務等。

誤區四：個人捐款是微不足道的

慈善需要支持，捐多捐少都值得感激，但集中捐款是一種更加高效的捐贈方式。馬修·J.維奧拉是“慈善導航”網的高級項目分析師，他也認為，無論捐款多少，非營利性組織都一樣感激。他建議捐贈者持之以恒地支持慈善機構。維奧拉告訴WebMD：“與其給10家機構各捐10元，不如選定兩三家各多捐一點（比如給兩家慈善機構各捐50美元）。”

無論支持的是哪一種慈善事業，來自很多捐贈者的點滴愛心會積少成多，也使慈善機構獲得了廣泛的支持。捐助者年復一年量力而行，則尤其彰顯這一點。

誤區五：大力籌款的事業最需要資助

向知名的慈善事業捐獻當然是合情合理的，比如癌癥或艾滋病研究。然而，許多不太知名的項目更需要大家的慷慨解囊，尤其是醫學研究募捐，因為對罕見疾病的研究往往經費較少。

麥高恩更愿意選擇的常常是為那些鮮少人知的醫療需求提供支持的慈善機構。“有時，大眾捐贈集中在熱點領域，最需要資金的領域在特定時刻反而得不到捐助。”他說，“數以億計的資金流入業已資金雄厚的研究領域，而其他亟待資助的領域卻無人問津。”

誤區六：捐款后會收到群發的營銷郵件

在捐款前要了解慈善機構的隱私政策。有的機構會出售捐贈者的個人聯系信息，有的則不會這么做。一些機構允許捐贈人選擇“不接受”多余郵件。

為防止被列入郵寄名單，就要去尋找有書面隱私政策的慈善機構，并閱讀相關條款。有很多慈善機構是樂于保護捐贈人私人信息的。

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎者;單位：上海工程技術大學）