Lisa Jordan
Associate Director, Communications
NACUBO
+1-202-861-2565
LJordan@nacubo.org

Pam Russell
Director of Communications
CASE
+1-202-478-5680
russell@case.org

For Immediate Release
Dec. 3, 2012

More than Three-quarters of Voters Favor the Federal Charitable Giving Deduction

Washington, D.C.—A post-election poll for the National Association of College and University Business Officers and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education reveals that most United States voters have a favorable opinion of the charitable giving tax deduction. Given current concerns about the federal deficit, legislators are considering various spending cuts as well as new revenue sources. Among the ideas offered is a proposal to limit itemized deductions, including the tax deduction for charitable donations.

The poll data show that most voters are familiar with and favorable toward the deduction regardless of party affiliation: 78 percent of all voters are favorable (79 percent of Democrats, 77 percent of Republicans and 77 percent of Independents).

Two in three (67 percent) 2012 Presidential voters are "very" or "somewhat" familiar with the charitable giving tax deduction on federal income taxes. Fully two in three (68 percent) voters who are familiar "strongly favor" the charitable giving tax deduction. Only about one in 12 (8 percent) voters nationally say they are "not at all favorable" toward the charitable deduction.

NACUBO President and CEO John Walda remarks, "The data make it clear that support for the charitable deduction cuts across party lines. The charitable deduction has served as a tool for the public to financially support causes and organizations that address community and societal needs in lieu of government-provided services. Charitable contributions have become integral to helping colleges and universities achieve their teaching, research and public service missions."

"The charitable deduction has contributed to a remarkable tradition of philanthropic support for our nation's educational institutions, a tradition that countries around the world are seeking to emulate," adds CASE President John Lippincott. "Proposals to increase the "cost of giving" by reducing the value of the charitable deduction will mean fewer resources available for areas of critical and growing need, including medical research programs, economic development projects and student scholarships. Each 1 percent decline in donations to higher education, for example, would be equivalent in value to 300,000 scholarships for students in need."

The results are taken from the 2012 Penn Schoen Berland National Post-Election Study. The study was conducted online from Nov. 9-10, 2012, among n=1,202 Americans who voted in the 2012 presidential election. The margin of error for the study is +/- 2.83 percent at the 95 percent confidence level and larger for subgroups.

About NACUBO

NACUBO, founded in 1962, is a nonprofit professional organization representing chief administrative and financial officers at more than 2,500 colleges and universities across the country. NACUBO's mission is to promote sound management and financial practices at colleges and universities.

About CASE

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education is a professional association serving educational institutions and the advancement professionals who work on their behalf in alumni relations, communications, development, marketing and allied areas.

CASE was founded in 1974 and maintains headquarters in Washington, D.C., with offices in London (CASE Europe, 1994), Singapore (CASE Asia-Pacific, 2007) and Mexico City (CASE América Latina, 2011).

Today, CASE’s membership includes more than 3,600 colleges and universities, primary and secondary independent and international schools, and nonprofit organizations in 76 countries around the globe. This makes CASE one of the world’s largest nonprofit educational associations in terms of institutional membership. CASE serves more than 70,000 advancement professionals on the staffs of its member institutions and has more than 17,000 professional members on its roster.

To fulfill their missions and to meet both individual and societal needs, colleges, universities and independent schools rely on—and therefore must foster—the good will, active involvement, informed advocacy and enduring support of alumni, donors, prospective students, parents, government officials, community leaders, corporate executives, foundation officers and other external constituencies.

CASE helps its members build stronger relationships with all of these constituencies by providing relevant research, supporting growth in the profession and fostering support of education. CASE also offers a variety of advancement products and services, provides standards and an ethical framework for the profession and works with other organizations to respond to public issues of concern while promoting the importance of education worldwide.

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