Being Charitable Without an Income

This just rattled my begging bowl! (I always put some change in there to encourage others to donate and to enable me to be charitable as well ... even in these very rough times.)  What do you think?

http://philanthropy.com/article/White-House-Says-Charitable/130862/?sid=pt&utm_source=pt&utm_medium=en

Here's my reply:

NEED AN INCOME TAX DEDUCTION? HOW ABOUT $21/HR. FOR YOUR VOLUNTEER LABOR?

Looking for a bail-out-free economic stimulus? If you volunteered your time to a nonprofit organization, it was worth more than $21/hour (national average, per Independent Sector) in 2010. Would have been great to deduct it, but IRS says you only can deduct your direct expenses.

Please share this petition with your Facebook and Twitter fans, family, etc. Tell your elected official running for or against the incumbent to make this a campaign priority! Something on which they can all agree.

Let's not be romantic about volunteerism. We're really doing essential WORK that in a better economy a person would have been paid to do. Soon it'll be the top bosses with big salaries and volunteers.

America is a great working society, but volunteer labor -- estimated by the Corporation for National Community Service (funny, profit-making sound) accounted for $173 billion in 2010 (up from $168 billion in contributed time in
2009) but not counted in the GDP.

And remember,

No Matter What

Don't Forget to Ask for the Money!