Travelers' Philanthropy Handbook - Center for Responsible Travel

• Are Donations Tax Deductible?We are awaiting our U.S. 501c3 status inorder to offer tax deductions to ourdonors. Most of our partner non-profitsare registered charities so donors havebeen able to claim an income taxdeduction against their U.S. income.However, we would like to be able tooffer this deductibility to our smaller nonprofitpartners who do not have thisoption themselves.• Do Your Clients Visit the ProjectSites?Habitat for Humanity, Mt Kenya Coop, Kenya.Credit Go PhilanthropicOur GoPhilanthropic travelers always visit the project sites yet we have quite a network andfollowing of clients who simply fund our portfolio of programs. We are proud to offer trips as theengagement portion of philanthropy, yet not everyone is in a position to travel.• Do You Offer Opportunities for Voluntourism?If a client wants to volunteer we refer him or her to companies in that business. Our focus is oneducating the traveler – having them learn about, engage with, and support these programs--notwork at them. We believe that financial investment does far more good than volunteering, inmost cases.• What Type of Educational Materials do You Give to Travelers?Our unique service requires that we thoroughly educate our clients about the mission and focusof programs before, during, and after their visit.• Is Travelers’ Philanthropy Promoted on Your Website and/or in Your Advertising?Yes, of course. It is at the core if what we do.• How are Funds Distributed? What is the Structure to Ensure Accountability?We utilize a different system than most travel companies. Our clients contribute directly to ournon-profit partners instead of to the company for subsequent disbursement to the beneficiaries.The company and the clients receive follow-up reports from the partner organizations which alsokeep us informed about program growth and direction of future initiatives. Donated funds arealmost always converted into something tangible such as a well to supply drinking water, alibrary, or a classroom. Accountability is built into our approach because clients see how their85