Advocacy, The Charitable Act, and Your Seat at the Table
Chapter Leadership Brief 2.21.25
by Gary Weinberg, President DM Pros
and AFP NYC Government Relations Committee Chair
They say in politics, “if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.” AFP Global and the AFP NYC Government Relations Committee are advocating in Congress on behalf of non-profits to make our interests heard.
While there are a range of issues expected to be on the current 119th Congressional 2025-2026 agenda including data privacy and artificial intelligence, establishing the universal charitable gift tax deduction in the tax code is at the top of our agenda.
Many key legislators in the current Congress are well positioned to champion these issues. As such, now is one of the most exciting times I’ve ever seen to get involved to make a huge impact on our fundraising industry.
The Charitable Act
AFP Global, along with more than 600 other organizations, supports the Charitable Act that provides for the charitable gift tax deduction for all taxpayers, including those that do not itemize deductions on their income taxes.
This truly bipartisan bill was introduced in the last Congress and received equal co-sponsorship support between Republican and Democratic representatives in the House (64 Congressmembers) and the Senate (23 Senators). In January the Charitable Act was reintroduced into the new 119th 2025-2026 Congress in both the House (H.R. 801) and the Senate (S.317). The bill is now under review in the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance committees.
Background
In 2017 Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (JCTA). One of goals of JCTA was to simplify taxpayer filing by increasing the Standard Deduction to approximately $12,000/$29,000 for individuals/joint filers, saving the complexity of itemizing tax deductions. However, JCTA had an unintended consequence – fewer taxpayers itemizing on their income taxes resulted in less taxpayers receiving the income tax deduction incentive for making a charitable contribu
In 2020 and 2021 there was a temporary fix for this issue. The Cares Act during the COVID-19 pandemic provided for a tax deduction for charitable gifts up to $300/$600 for individuals/joint filers. AFP’s Fundraising Effectiveness Project (FEP) demonstrated a strong correlation with the Cares Act’s incentives: (1) specifically, a 28% increase gifts exactly $300 in 2020, and (2) more broadly, gift amounts between $300 and $600 increased nearly 11% in 2020 and 2021. These gifts declined in subsequent years.
Data from FEP and Giving USA studies show an overall decline in charitable giving from 2021 through 2023. And, while total donations started to increase again in 2024, the number of donors went down. Thus, individual giving is now concentrated in a smaller number of larger donors.
As fundraisers, we know that most donors start as smaller donors. We need more small donors in our fundraising pipeline for the future of philanthropy.
Currently, only 9% of donors itemize deductions on their taxes, which means that 91% of donors take the Standard Deduction, resulting in no tax incentive for their charitable gifts.
The Charitable Act will make the charitable gift tax deduction available to all. It will incentivize charitable donations, help increase the number of small donations that organizations depend on, and add fairness back into the tax code.
Advocacy – Your Seat at the Table – Now
Advocacy is a marathon, not a sprint. Legislation takes time. But now more than ever, with several important issues on the Congressional agenda that impact our non-profit industry, there are opportunities for us to make a great impact this year. Understanding the process is very straight forward.
Step 1 – Identify your legislators.
Here’s a link to look up your Senators and Congressmember: https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member
Step 2 – Educate your legislators about your work. Locate your legislators’ website. Most have an online form to submit your view on an issue or schedule a meeting.
Whether you are reaching out on a matter via E-mail or participating in an in-person or Zoom meeting, your first-hand experience is the most powerful tool you have. Share your stories. Explain how the legislation will impact your community. Build a relationship for you to connect for other issues as the arise.
Be specific in your communications. Keep in mind throughout the process, you are the constituent. Your legislators are elected and work for you.
Step 3 – Follow up after the meeting.
Often you will not meet directly with the legislator but with an aide. Depending on the experience with the topic, the aide will take notes and tell you they will pass the information on to the legislator. At the meeting conclusion, be sure to ask for a good time to follow up. Get a specific timeframe and follow up accordingly.
You Don’t Need To Do It Alone – Join Us To Advocate Together
The AFP NYC Government Relations Committee will soon be reaching out to New York City area Congressmembers and Senators to encourage them to co-sponsor The Charitable Act. That’s where you come in. We need your stories.
Further, the most effective way to schedule an appointment with a Congressmember is to have a constituent in their district make the request. We need help from fundraisers in certain districts to get our foot in the door. No experience is necessary to join the Committee.
You can contact Gary Weinberg, AFP NYC Government Relations Chair Committee at GaryW@DMPros.net for more information on advocacy or to get involved.
Additional Resources
Press Release from Senators Langford and Coons reintroducing The Charitable Act 1/29/2025: Lankford, Coons Lead Bill to Incentivize Charitable Giving – Senator James Lankford
Lisa Chimola, AFP Global Vice Chair of External Relations, OpEd piece 1/28/2025 for USA Today: Donations to charity are down. Congress can save nonprofits | Opinion
AFP Global Fundraising Effectiveness Project (FEP) – Data for Q3 2024 released December 2024, shows More Dollars coming from Fewer Donors in a Continuing Trend: https://afpglobal.org/news/fep-data-q3-2024-shows-more-dollars-coming-fewer-donors-continuing-trend
The Charitable Giving Coalition, an umbrella organization comprised of non-profit organizations, associations (including AFP Global), and other organizations in the industry, dedicated to supporting the universal charitable deduction. Membership is free: http://charitablegivingcoalition.org/index.php
The Charitable Act Summary: http://charitablegivingcoalition.org/universal-charitable-deduction.php
The Nonprofit Alliance Legislative Round up (1/30/2025) including video: “Around Capitol Hill in 90 seconds with Mark Micali” – Legislative Round-Up | January 2025 < The Nonprofit Alliance
Independent Sector Survey: New Poll: Voters Want Policymakers to Support Nonprofits in an Uncertain Time – Independent Sector
Gary is a specialist in individual giving. He has been a leader in direct mail and direct response fundraising communications for over 35 years. He takes a holistic approach, focusing on the complete giving cycle from direct mail and digital solicitation, through acknowledgment and stewardship activities.
He has been involved with advocacy on the local, state and federal levels throughout his career.
He currently serves on the AFP-NYC Board of Directors, Chairs the Government Relations Committee providing advocacy for charitable giving issues in NYS and on The Hill in DC, and is active in the Professional Advancement Committee that organizes the Chapter’s regular seminars. In addition, serves as Vice Chair on the Board of the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts in the Bronx, on the Board of the Hastings High School Alumni Association, and on the Board of his homeowner’s cooperative.