Do you think this is a charitable tax deduction?

[AnnieR]

A relative of mine is raising money for him and his family to "minister" at a Bible Camp. The receipt states that "all contributions are tax-deductible, receipts will be provided." He has to raise approximately $2000 a month in contributions before they can "minister", checks are to be made payable to the Bible Camp, but the $2000 goes to them as a "salary. I have my opinions about whether or not this is deductable as a charitable contribution. All I can say is "Thank God I don't live near them", but what do the rest of you think about this. BTW, when he and his wife went to China, they did the same thing, actually I got a letter requesting $5000 so they could go and it also was said to be a "charitable contribution". Sorry, I didn't reply.

AnnieR

[jasdlm]

Navigators do this also (you send money to the Navigators to support a person who is working for the Navigators). It seems questionable to me, but perhaps they insist the money goes to the general fund and the support of the individual just happens to be in the same amount. I'll be eager to hear what Jainen, JohnH, KC, etc. say.

[BulldogTom]

I think you might be making more out of this than you need to. If you give money at church to a designated missions fund, or a special benevolence offering, do you question the deductibility of the contribution? If the check is not going directly to them, and the organization is a legitimate charity, I don't see a problem with supporting a ministry that sends specific people to do the work of the charity.

Another example - Christian Childrens Fund. They tell you who they are sending the money to. It goes directly for that child's benefit. Does that void the charitable contribution.

There may be more than what you have posted to this story, but on its surface, I don't see where there is a problem with the contributor taking a charitable ccontribution deduction.

Tom

Lodi, CA

[jainen]

>>I don't see where there is a problem <<

Suppose you really get into what your relative is doing and decide to fund him for the whole year! He looks great totin' that book at two large a month, until he gets in country where a Blackwater recruiter shows him how to make five times the scratch totin' an AK-47. Are you going to get your money back? Of course not, because you made an unrestricted gift to the missionary society and they can do anything they darn well please with it, specifically, cover admin expenses (that is, their own salaries) for training up a replacement.

And, you know, that's a pretty common scenario; I didn't just make it up. So check out the organization in Pub 78, and then move on to something really important like is the taxpayer donating underwear to Goodwill.

[imjulier]

Ask if they have qualified as a 501c3 organization. Not qualified, not deductible....and possibly a little fraudulent. But that's their problem....not yours.

[JohnH]

Sometimes it's easy to over-think this sort of situation, especially if the person asking for the support is a family member or someone else you know personally. Trying to discern the purity of the other person's motives can get you into a real moral quandry. But keep in mind that it's very common for many organizations to require their full-time or part-time missionaries to raise their own support.

However, as has already been mentioned, I'd be inclined to check out the sponsoring organization as a matter of good stewardship. If they are a legitimate religious organization, if their financial info seems reasonable and responsible, and if you agree with the overall mission of the organization, then I think it's perfectly acceptable to make the donation & take the deduction. If the organization fails any of those stewardship & accountability tests, then I wouldn't contribute no matter who is doing the asking. One excellent place to start would be the ECFA. http://www.ecfa.org/