Why We All Need to Take a Ride on VolunteerSpot's #TinyCars Campaign

On Tuesday, January 24, 2012, VolunteerSpot launched a “Tiny Cars” campaign to fight for support of H.R. 387: Charitable Driving Tax Relief Act of 2011.  Passage would mean an increase of the measly $.14 per mile tax deduction rate for charitable driving unchanged by the U.S. Congress since 1997. That’s compared to the 50 cents per mile deduction for business use of a personal vehicle in 2011.  And the new bill would also no longer count such reimbursement to volunteers as gross income.

It seems like a no-brainer for all leaders of volunteers and volunteer-involving organizations to visit the Tiny Car’s campaign page and follow at least one of the suggested action items. But some of you may need convincing.

Energize’s President Susan Ellis has been working on this issue since the dawn of time…er…at least since the 1970s, when the push was to get any charitable mileage deduction and everyone saw $.07 per mile as a small victory.  Here are a few thoughts she’s written in the past that still remind everyone why supporting volunteer drivers is important to volunteerism at its core:

• In 2009 President Obama signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act calling Americans to volunteer. He said, "All that's required on your part is a willingness to make a difference,.." Yet, for some of society’s most needed volunteers, a full tank of gas is also a must. If the Federal government (a.k.a We the People) really wants to show its respect for volunteers who deliver meals to the homebound, assure that seniors get to doctor’s appointments, assist patients needing dialysis treatments, and any of the wide variety of important services we rely on volunteers to provide, it’s time to demonstrate real “support of volunteering” in a tangible way: raise that rate!
• Keeping the mileage deduction rate for volunteers at a level 3.5 times lower than that for a business person sends a message that volunteers are second class citizens and volunteer work is not as valuable as paid work. Leaders in the field of volunteer management have sought to find an accurate figure for the dollar value of volunteer time to acknowledge those who dedicate their time, talents, and energy to making a difference. We should be fighting for a respectable tax deduction to make the same point.
• While the U.S. and other countries deal with the tax value of cash and property donations to charities, they basically do not consider volunteer out-of-pocket expenses as donations. A gift of $100 in cash is recognized as both revenue to the charity and an exact cost to the taxpayer; paying for $100 in gas or for art supplies to complete a youth activity is not acknowledged as $100 of value to the organization, let alone as a gift from the volunteer.  It’s our job to strive to raise the value and importance of time donors to that of money donors.

So, take 5 minutes, visit Volunteer Spot's TinyCars campaign page, watch their cute video, and take action! Let’s give volunteers their due with reasonable tax deductions and respect.