A Critical Day for Your Volunteers - 27 Cents is Not Enough!

Image via WikipediaFrom Ruth Wahtera:

If you volunteer anywhere, depend on volunteers, or just believe that volunteers shouldn't lose money when they give time, read this message and take action.

"Ask your Senator to Co-Sponsor the GIVE Act

Under federal law, paid employees can be reimbursed 58.5 cents per mile when driving their cars. But volunteers can only deduct 14 cents per mile. This harmful discrimination against nonprofit volunteers must end.

The GIVE Act of 2008, (S. 3429) introduced on a bipartisan basis by U.S. Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY) and John Ensign (R-NV) and now co-sponsored by thirteen (13) other Senators, would eliminate the disincentives that prevent charitable volunteers from doing what they really want to do, which is to help the needy in their communities.

Unfortunately, momentum is building behind an alternative that is inadequate: S. 3246 (the 'Cardin/Snowe/Mikulski' bill), with its new companion bill, H.R. 6854, introduced in the House by Representatives Lewis (D-GA) and Ramstad (R-MN). While this alternative approach would make many of the fixes in the GIVE Act, it would only raise the charitable mileage rate to 27 cents a mile; (or 46% of the standard business mileage rate) as opposed to the GIVE Act's rate of 41 cents a mile, or 70% of the standard business mileage rate.

27 cents is not enough!

Nonprofit volunteers should not be treated as second class citizens, less worthy than business or government employees. Please take action. Support GIVE. "

And, thanks, Senator Schumer, for sponsoring Give.