Many ways, reasons to give before year’s end

The merriment of the Christmas holiday weekend will be followed by resolutions and reflections as we head toward the New Year. It’s traditionally also the time to get in last minute tax-deductible donations before the clock strikes midnight and the calendar turns to 2024.

Those tax advantages decreased with the 2018 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which doubled the standard deduction, reducing the capabilities for many to itemize deductions and thus providing less incentive for many to contribute to nonprofits.

But there is more to year-end giving than just reducing one’s tax bill. Local businesses rely on sales in November and December to get through the coming months. Similarly, local nonprofits must gauge the level of services they will provide in the next year based a great deal on the support they receive during this time. The resulting benefits are not limited to those directly receiving services. Just as the shop local mentality is meant to circulate money in our communities for the greater good, the circle of giving and support to local charities will improve the quality of life for all.

A recent newsletter by local nonprofit Give A Little Foundation expressed this through a quote by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: “Sometimes our fate resembles a fruit tree in winter. Who would think that those branches would turn green again and blossom, but we hope it, we know it.”

“As the quote above suggests,” the newsletter continues, “the fact that the branch of a fruit tree is empty does not tell the whole story. We hope, trust, and know that fruit will reappear, possibly in abundance.

“At this pivotal moment in the year, let’s remind ourselves that we are in community, and together we can help those who may feel darkness or despair to experience the return of light and a new beginning.”

We encourage all to give as little or as much as they can. A $25 donation to the Yamhill Enrichment Society can provide books to a local youngster for a year, through its collaboration with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. A $150 sponsorship can provide that child the joy of literacy from birth to age five. A gift of $233 can provide 100 meals through The Soup Kitchen at St. Barnabas. There are many other examples of how a little can definitely go a long way.

The News-Register’s annual Season of Giving catalog, distributed earlier this month and available to view on the newspaper’s website, highlights several great places to give this time of year. It’s also a reflection of the wonderful support delivered by the local business community.

For ideas on how to give outside of monetary contributions, see the Helping Hands listings, which rotate through most issues of the paper, and can be read in its entirety at newsregister.com/helpinghands. The giving of time, talent and treasure can make the same impact as a cash donation.

Christmas is the season of giving, for the communal warmth and kindness it brings, the improvements to communities that come and tax advantages that can be had. In the end, every reason is a good one to give.