Give to an IRS-recognized section 501(c)(3) charitable organization. You may be surprised who is not on the list. I know of one “Not-for-profit” who has been involuntarily dissolved by the IL Secretary of State’s office and are not listed on GuideStar.org, so I don’t think they ever filed the IRS postcard return. But hold themselves out as an NFP.
Use IRS’s online “Tax Exempt Organization Search” tool to verify whether a group is tax-exempt and whether it is eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Watch out for bogus charities and solicitors, we all know they exist. The IRS is warning taxpayers to be alert both to scammers who claim to solicit funds for coronavirus victims and to charities with names similar to well-known charitable institutions.
Donations you make to individuals are not tax-deductible. The same goes to donations you make through personal fund-raising websites that are earmarked for a single person or small group.
This includes contributions made on sites to assist with a person’s medical costs or to help a family who is struggling because of the coronavirus pandemic or a natural disaster.
But you can deduct gifts to 501(c)(3) groups that solicit donations on those sites. If you qualify for itemization or in 2020 up to the $300 donation credit limit.