Tis the season
If you’re like most people, you do your major giving toward the end of the year. This is also the time of year most non-profit organizations receive over half their donations for the calendar year.
Part of the reason is we get caught up in the spirit of the season. Shopping, planning and gift giving is all part of the fun. It feels good. Making a donation to your favorite non-profit organization feels good too.
Give yourself a break
Another reason is because it is the end of the tax year and you should have a pretty good idea how things went for you financially for the past 12 months. Now it's time to give yourself something- a tax break on your 2015 taxes!
It's not too early to start planning. By the time you fill out your income tax return, it will be too late to make charitable gifts for the previous year. Act today, while you still have the opportunity to make a year-end gift. The deadline for charitable deductions is December 31, so donate now!
Amazon.com
If you do any of your holiday shopping online, remember you can find almost everything you're looking for at Amazon.com. If you go to Amazon.com through the Amazon link on our website, Amazon will donate 5% of your total purchase amount to the AAVSO. Remember to use this link every time you shop online.
Black Friday
Black Friday is the day following Thanksgiving Day in the United States (November 27th this year). Since the early 2000s, Black Friday has been regarded as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season in the US. Most major retailers open very early and offer promotional sales. You can stay home and shop online using the Amazon link on our website, and avoid the crowds, the traffic, the parking hassles and the mayhem of the Black Friday weekend.
Cyber Monday
Cyber Monday is the Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. Cyber Monday has become an international marketing term used by online retailers around the world. The deals on Cyber Monday are online-only, so remember to use the Amazon link on our website, and 5% of your total purchase amount will be donated to the AAVSO.
#GivingTuesday
Observed on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) and the annual shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday falls on December 1 this year. #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving. Make a donation to the AAVSO on #GivingTuesday then encourage your friends, family and social media followers to do the same.
Membership Dues- Sustaining Dues
If you haven't renewed your membership dues for 2016, now is a good time to do that too. If you renew at the sustaining level ($150.00 US) $75.00 of that is a tax-deductible donation you can claim on your 2016 tax return.
AAVSO Funds
You can make a valuable donation to the General Fund or to any of the special funds we have set up for specific purposes. The General Fund is unrestricted and supports the general operations of the Association. The Endowment Fund is professionally managed, and is invested for the perpetuity of the AAVSO. Transfers from this fund into the General Fund are made as necessary to meet operating deficits of the Association. The complete list of AAVSO funds you can make a charitable, tax-deductible gift to can be found on this page https://www.aavso.org/funds.
Adopt A Star
The Annual Adopt a Variable Star Program is a fundraising program designed to encourage small donations each year. In this program you can “adopt” any variable star listed in VSX for one year, for a donation to the AAVSO of $20.00 US (tax-deductible in the US).
There is no limit to the number of variable stars a person can adopt (at $20.00 per star). There is also no limit to the number of people who can adopt a specific variable star.
For you procrastinating, last-minute shoppers, adopted stars make excellent last-minute stocking stuffers and New Year’s gifts!
Click on the big red button to make a donation to the AAVSO. If you do not wish to specify how you would like your donation to be used, the AAVSO will determine the fund where it is needed most and place it there. The important thing is to donate now!