You still have time. Yes, you still have time to contribute to your favorite charity or nonprofit organization in 2008 and receive a tax deduction on your 2008 taxes. Don’t wait. Do it now before you get even busier and forget. Get that deduction.

OK. I’ve done it. I’ve delivered the message that you can still make a charitable donation to the Truckee Tahoe Community Foundation before year-end and get a charitable deduction for 2008. But you and I know that tax deductions don’t drive charitable giving. Charity begins at home, not in Turbo Tax or your accountant’s office.

Charity and charitable giving is really born in the heart. Yes, it must pass through the reality check of your wallet. But it never makes it that far unless you have the will, the will to do good and help someone who really needs it. Once you’ve determined that you have the will to make a charitable contribution or donation, you’ll find the way and the means to do it.

Look at the Truckee Tahoe Community Foundation’s annual Gifts for Good campaign. Each year TTCF raises between $70,000 to $140,000 and distributes those donations to those local non-profit organizations in the North Lake Tahoe and Truckee areas that help struggling families and individuals meet their basic needs: food, clothing and safe shelter. How does this miracle happen? It happens through your heart, through your generous donations, through your determination to make a difference in someone else’s life.

Sure, TTCF is fortunate enough to receive a few donations of $10,000 and higher and many more in the $5,000 range. However, the vast majority of our donations are for $50 and $100. They come from you and me, our friends and neighbors. By pooling our resources together, we make a huge difference. Your individual contribution doesn’t have to be huge to make a huge impact.

So get to it. Decide that you want to make a difference and then decide how much you can and will contribute. Write that check, as big or small as you can afford, to the Truckee Tahoe Community Foundation and together we’ll make a difference. By the way, if you do it before the end of the year, you’ll get that tax deduction too. Happy Charitable Holidays!