Spotlight on Source Book™ Advertiser: How do you choose your tax credit organization?

Barbara McClure

Our Arizona residents are fortunate to be able to direct their state tax dollars to a qualified charity of their choice! We hope you will choose IMPACT of Southern Arizona for your contribution this year! People often tell us they select IMPACT because they like to support local organizations making a difference in their community; that are fiscally responsible, have low administrative costs, utilize best business practices, have integrity, and whose work stirs a passion in their hearts.

Those are many of the great attributes of IMPACT! Imagine you are a family who just experienced a medical emergency that caused the income earner to be out of work for a long period of time. Soon after, that person was released from their job, and months later you had used your savings to manage your bills, until your car was repossessed; then, you found your savings could not support many more rent or mortgage payments. Now, you are left wondering how to feed your family, get re-employed, and where to go for help and direction. Those are often the types of circumstances under which a person comes to IMPACT for help. It can happen to any of us! It is happening to your neighbors!

We work to stabilize families and seniors in Tucson, Oro Valley, Marana, and the Pinal County Copper Corridor—and most importantly we move them out of poverty into self-sufficiency. We also provide a host of youth programs to ensure children who grow up in generational poverty can begin their adult lives with the skills needed to be successful in life, so they don’t need to come to our food bank as adults. Our programs are designed to stretch household budgets, and help those ‘in the gap’ who are not poor enough to qualify for all programs, but can move forward with some additional resources, guidance and support. We believe that access to one simple resource has the potential to begin a ripple of change in someone’s life! That is what our logo represents—that ripple effect we have on households, that gets them back on track.

IMPACT of Southern Arizona operates with less than a dozen staff but with 170 volunteer shifts every week! We utilize best business practices, insist on rigorous staff and volunteer training and development, and constantly evaluate systems and procedures for operational effectiveness and efficiency. We have a very stable financial foundation thanks to a steady income stream from the Golden Goose Thrift Shop which is an incredible third-party nonprofit we set up in partnership with SaddleBrooke Community Outreach fifteen years ago. Those funds pay for all our administrative costs as well as many of our program expenses. This means your tax credit investment goes to direct program costs—100%! I bet you would love to know that we have had eight ‘perfect’ annual audits in a row with no findings of concern. We take our finances, and your trust in how we spend the community’s donations, very seriously!

In September, IMPACT of Southern Arizona was awarded the Tucson Metro Chamber’s Copper Cactus Award for Outstanding Nonprofit in the $2 to $5 million budget range! They know quality businesses! We have a rich history of awards and superior customer service recognition.

You can contribute in many ways: Donate up to $400 per individual on our website for your qualified charitable tax credit donation (QCO#20519), call our bookkeeper to set up a monthly pledge of $33.34 for an easy way to distribute your $400 donation over a year. A household with two taxpayers can direct $800 of their taxes to make an IMPACT in their neighborhood! If you’d like to give more, consider donating a part of your IRA’s required minimum distribution this year, or contact your estate attorney to learn more about a legacy gift through planned giving. There are many ways you can have an IMPACT!

If you are still not sure of our organization is the right choice for your tax credit contribution, feel free to call us for a tour, to see for yourself just how amazing we are. Talk to a client or visit with one of our passionate volunteers. Like so many others, you will feel it, and know, as soon as you step through our doors: this nonprofit is worthy of your investment, whether financial, or of time or talent. Check out our website! Learn more about our programs, and our many volunteer opportunities. Make an IMPACT on your community that makes a difference!

Contact IMPACT of Southern Arizona at 520-825-0009 or impactsoaz.org. This year we also celebrate our 20th anniversary, and have many great plans for innovative growth and expansion. We look forward to having you join our team. Together, we can accomplish a great deal!