Adopt‐an‐Haitian‐Internet‐technician‐or‐facility

Mon Feb 8 21:06:20 UTC 2010

Sean Donelan wrote:
> On Mon, 8 Feb 2010, Steven Bellovin wrote:
>> As a matter of form, how might one check out the legitimacy of 
>> requests like this?  (No, I don't think this one is fake...)
>
> Although folks on the ground are focused on doing good work, this is an
> area where the reputation and infrastructure of well-known organizations
> can be used to validate and coordinate fund raising.  

Another good reason is so that the funds are tax-deductible.  People are 
willing to give more when they know they can get a tax break and most 
corporations won't give anything unless it's a tax-deductible donation. 

There are special rules for personal donations for Haiti this year - if 
you donate by the end of February 2010 you can take the deduction off of 
your 2009 tax return.  This means you realize the tax benefit 
more-or-less right away, rather than having to wait a year to see the 
tax benefit realized with a bigger refund (or smaller amount owed) when 
you file your taxes in 2011.

jc