Nonprofits fear fiscal cliff effects  By: Christy Dimond Email
By: Christy Dimond Email  Non-profits nationwide fear tax
credits for charitable donations may be under threat from the
fiscal cliff.  Charitable deduction is the federal government's
ninth largest tax expenditure in the federal budget, according
to the Congressional Research Service. If the government cut
charitable write-offs, the report estimates the government would
save $52 billion in 2014.  But for non-profits that rely heavily
on private donations, the risk is huge.  "The [funding] is
declining, which indicates to me that they expect more
participation from individuals in local communities to fill that
gap, and then to not give people incentives to do that is going
to create a lot more problems down the road if it goes through,"
said Marilee Langfitt, Vice-President of Public Relations and
Development for Mesa Developmental Services.  Every year,
Langfitt said Mesa Developmental Services has a
$300,000-$500,000 deficit, and relies solely on