I am away from home for the holidays this year so my mind will be turning to thoughts other than arts management until after the new year. A couple of time sensitive links before I sign off until then, both from the Non-Profit Law Blog.

First is a piece in the Wall Street Journal about mistakes people make when donating to charity. Important things to think about if you haven’t given yet, but definitely intend to. One nuance that I wasn’t aware of-

“When you’re donating tangible physical property, you can only deduct its fair market value if the charity’s mission directly relates to the property. So, if you give your picture to a museum, whose mission is to display art to the public, you can donate the full appraised value. But if you give it to a school or other charity that doesn’t showcase art as its primary mission, the deduction is based on what you actually paid for the piece”

On the other side of the equation, a quick primer from Pro Bono Partnership on what sort of acknowledgment is required of a charitable organization when donations are made. They include some examples of ways to structure an acknowledgment letter. They also remind you about what portion of a donation is and is not deductible.

That is about it from me for the year. Best wishes to you, your families and your arts orgs for joyous holidays and a prosperous new year.