Webster’s Dictionary defines a philanthropist as “a benevolent supporter of human beings and human welfare.”
When I grew up and heard that big word, guess who I thought about?
Andrew Carnegie. Henry Ford. The Kennedys. The mega-wealthy.
Who’s this, “Someone who surrenders up to one-half of their family’s wealth or one-fifth of their capital gains to support the general welfare of our country?”
The answer: a taxpayer.
In my vernacular, a taxpayer is an involuntary philanthropist.
Our tax code makes us all philanthropists… and tax is the ultimate loss of control. Don’t get me wrong; I’m wholeheartedly for paying my fair share of taxes.
That said… to avoid taking advantage of tax incentives that have been available for decades is… well… ludicrous.
The estate tax and the capital gains tax are both voluntary.
Your donors have the choice to opt out of both of them… and control where that money goes through a more joyful process: Voluntary Philanthropy.
Are you letting them know about all of their choices?
“If there be any truer measure of a man than by what he does, it must be by what he gives”
Robert South
