Government Relations

Action Alert

December 10, 2009

The IRA Charitable Rollover is set to expire on December 31st, and the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning is asking that you take action now!

Under current law, individuals aged 70½ and older are permitted to donate up to $100,000 from their Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) and Roth IRAs to public charities without having to count the distributions as taxable income. This important charitable giving incentive, however, expires at the end of the year, and it will take Congressional action to extend it into 2010 and beyond. The House of Representatives approved a one-year extension on December 9, 2009, but the Senate has not yet acted.

Please call both your Senators and urge them to extend the IRA Charitable Rollover before the end of the year.

To find the Washington, DC telephone numbers for your Senators, use an online directory or call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask for the information. Remember that calls to Senate offices are answered by staff members. Therefore, when you place your call simply identify yourself and the organization for which you work and ask to speak with the staff member who handles tax issues for the Senator. If that staff member is not available, share your message with the person who answers the phone.

Suggested talking points are below. For additional information, please email info@pppnet.org.

The IRA Charitable Rollover allows individuals aged 70½ and older to donate up to $100,000 from their IRAs and Roth IRAs to public charities without having to count the distributions as taxable income.
Since enactment in August 2006, the IRA Charitable Rollover has proven to be a simple, efficient, and effective means for older Americans to give back to their fellow citizens and to the causes in which they believe.
The IRA Charitable Rollover is particularly helpful for older Americans who do not itemize their tax deductions and would not otherwise receive any tax benefit for their charitable contributions.
By eliminating the barrier in the tax law that had discouraged transfers from IRAs, the IRA Charitable Rollover has generated a significant amount of new charitable giving to cash-strapped charities throughout the country and enabled these charities to maintain or expand critical services.
The resulting gifts from IRA Charitable Rollovers – ranging from as little as $10 to the legal maximum of $100,000 – have helped organizations build cancer centers, develop programs for counseling at-risk youth, support housing for homeless families, conserve wilderness areas, and provide art therapy for people with developmental disabilities.
[Explain how your organization has used donations from IRA Charitable Rollovers to positively impact your community.]
The House of Representatives voted on December 9, 2009 to extend the IRA Charitable Rollover for one year, and the Senate needs to act now before the IRA Charitable Rollover expires on December 31, 2009.