Donations to charities grew about 4.5 percent in the 2007 fiscal year which ended in July for most groups, to what sounds like a reassuring $72.5 billion. The data is from an annual survey of the 400 charities that raise the most from private sources, done by The Chronicle of Philanthropy, a biweekly publication that covers the nonprofit sector.

But that number doesn’t reflect the sudden downturn in donations these last few months, as large financial institutions and historically generous donors have collapsed, dozens of states have announced huge budget deficits, many municipalities are cutting their support of social service agencies — and some nonprofit agencies are facing a drop in individual contributions.

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If Congress fails to pass a bailout package, the damage to the economy will be "painful and lasting," for all citizens, President Bush told the nation Tuesday.

Jim Harrison, Carlsbad Community Foundation executive director, said he agrees with the president. Locally, it could become very painful for organizations and other recipients of annual funds from the foundation.

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The Greater Houston Community Foundation (GHCF) is asking businesses, organizations, bloggers and members of the media to support the fundraising effort for Hurricane Ike victims by posting a “Donate Now” logo on their Web sites. The logo links directly to the Community Foundation’s Website (www.ghcf.org) where visitors can make an online credit card donation to the Gulf Coast Ike Relief Fund.

“We want to leverage the pervasive, no-cost nature of the Web to easily connect as many people as possible from around the country to donate to this important fund,” said Steve Maislin, president of GHCF. “There are a great number of people in the Gulf Coast region who need help quickly, so using viral marketing, we hope to raise as much money as we can as quickly as we can.”

Greater Houston Community Foundation Seeks Aid in Viral Marketing Campaign for Gulf Coast Ike Relief Fund.

After nearly 30 years, the IRS has made its first substantial redesign of the Form 990, the annual information return filed by nonprofits and other tax-exempt organizations.

The new form, which will be used for the 2008 tax year, is significantly different from the current form and changes the requirements for many nonprofit organizations.

To ensure your organization has a solid understanding of the new form, the Solano Community Foundation, together with the Frank H. and Eva B. Buck Foundation, will present a free workshop titled, "Form 990 – Nonprofit Tax Compliance," from 9 a.m. to noon on Sept. 30 inside the Carriage House at the Buck Mansion, 225 Buck Avenue, in Vacaville. A complimentary lunch will be provided immediately after the seminar.

Crash course offered on new IRS form – The Reporter.

Residents who want to give now have a new resource where they can find charitable organizations in one place.

The binder "A Community of Giving" was given Tuesday to community leaders from various professional backgrounds — including banking, law and estate planning — which can be shared with their clients.

A copy of the binder will be available for public viewing at the Baxter County Public Library, library officials said.

The book includes information about giving opportunities with Arkansas State University Mountain Home, the Baxter County Library Foundation, the Baxter Regional Hospital Foundation and the Twin Lakes Community Foundation.

Area groups create comprehensive resource for charitable opportunities | baxterbulletin.com | The Baxter Bulletin.