thedrifter
10-21-07, 07:31 AM
Uniforms allowed at toy collection sites
By Michael Hoffman - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Oct 20, 2007 7:25:29 EDT
Leathernecks may wear their uniforms at Toys for Tots collection boxes and events, despite rumors that a new federal tax law imposing restrictions on nonprofit charities would end the tradition, said a top Marine Toys for Tots Foundation official.
The Pension Protection Act, signed into law last August, states that charitable organizations must provide donors with a receipt in order for them to claim the donation on their taxes.
Based on the volume of donations that Toys for Tots receives, it would be impossible to issue receipts to each person who makes a donation, said Brian Murray, Toys for Tots’ vice president of operations.
In order to bypass the problem, Toys for Tots listed its collection boxes as “unmanned.” Instead of getting a receipt, donors must record the name of the organization; the date, location and time of the contribution; and a description of the donation with its fair market value on their tax forms, Murray said.
This is where the confusion started.
The foundation instructed each campaign site to post its address on every collection box to help donors file their claims. But some people misconstrued the instruction to mean that Marines may not wear their uniforms when working near the unmanned boxes, Murray said.
The commandant of the Marine Corps League detachment in Billings, Mo., told his members that leathernecks were no longer allowed to wear their uniforms when they pick up the toys, according to a post on the Marine Corps League Web site’s message board.
“The Marine Corps League has gotten this blown out of proportion,” Murray said.
Murray said leathernecks simply must ensure donors understand how to claim their donations on their taxes and direct them to place the toys into the boxes themselves, Murray said.
“Marines are often there for an event or to bring attention to Toys for Tots,” he said. “They might be in the vicinity of the box, but they are there to thank people for supporting Toys for Tots.”
Ellie
By Michael Hoffman - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Oct 20, 2007 7:25:29 EDT
Leathernecks may wear their uniforms at Toys for Tots collection boxes and events, despite rumors that a new federal tax law imposing restrictions on nonprofit charities would end the tradition, said a top Marine Toys for Tots Foundation official.
The Pension Protection Act, signed into law last August, states that charitable organizations must provide donors with a receipt in order for them to claim the donation on their taxes.
Based on the volume of donations that Toys for Tots receives, it would be impossible to issue receipts to each person who makes a donation, said Brian Murray, Toys for Tots’ vice president of operations.
In order to bypass the problem, Toys for Tots listed its collection boxes as “unmanned.” Instead of getting a receipt, donors must record the name of the organization; the date, location and time of the contribution; and a description of the donation with its fair market value on their tax forms, Murray said.
This is where the confusion started.
The foundation instructed each campaign site to post its address on every collection box to help donors file their claims. But some people misconstrued the instruction to mean that Marines may not wear their uniforms when working near the unmanned boxes, Murray said.
The commandant of the Marine Corps League detachment in Billings, Mo., told his members that leathernecks were no longer allowed to wear their uniforms when they pick up the toys, according to a post on the Marine Corps League Web site’s message board.
“The Marine Corps League has gotten this blown out of proportion,” Murray said.
Murray said leathernecks simply must ensure donors understand how to claim their donations on their taxes and direct them to place the toys into the boxes themselves, Murray said.
“Marines are often there for an event or to bring attention to Toys for Tots,” he said. “They might be in the vicinity of the box, but they are there to thank people for supporting Toys for Tots.”
Ellie