About one and a half million charitable organizations and religious parishes are registered in the USA. Over 2% of this country's GDP is spent on donations. Moreover, 76% of this money is from individuals. And such a public fund sends a rather significant part of charitable funds abroad.
The statistics of the Russian Federation are much more modest. The lion's share of official donations is carried out by legal entities, while from the profits from financial and economic activities. There are no exact figures: the estimate of annual payments ranges from 200 million to 1.5 billion US dollars. Many significant donations are provided by the largest Russian companies and banks.
What is a charitable organization?
According to the law, Russian charitable organizations are non-profit organizations that have specific legal forms (public organizations, foundations, and institutions). As for the taxation of charitable organizations, they are similar to other non-profit organizations (they are exempt from paying income tax in relation to earmarked income and have a number of benefits that apply to both the beneficiary and the philanthropist).
The rise of charity
The first charitable organizations in Russia are considered monasteries, which Prince Vladimir ordered to engage in "contempt of the needy." Such a decree was issued in 988, and Ivan the Terrible created the first almshouse, which is the prototype of the modern charitable foundation. Funds for their activities were allocated from the state treasury. In addition, the affluent members of society had an obligation to give alms. Peter the Great considered charity one of the important areas of public life.
After the 1917 revolution, Russia's charitable organizations were abolished, and all their property was transferred to the people. In recent years, charity has developed at an accelerated pace. Perhaps this is due to the fact that citizens have become more responsive to the problems of others.
Financing
A non-profit charitable organization is required to register with the authorities, submit reports on activities, and reflect the funds raised and spent that are not taxable. She should use donations only for charitable purposes.
Donation is the most popular way of helping. In the Russian Federation, a public assistance fund can be financed from five sources:
- state aid;
- grants, donations from individuals;
- corporate funds of large business entities;
- funds of municipal authorities and entrepreneurs;
- family and private foundations are funded exclusively by private individuals.
Types of charitable organizations
In addition to the method of obtaining funds, charitable organizations of Russia vary depending on the target audience:
- charity children's funds created to help various categories of children. They help orphans, people with disabilities, children from low-income families, and children who suffer from various diseases. Funds also provide grants for the education of gifted children;
- funds to help adults, for example, people with various diseases, refugees, people with disabilities, and so on;
- charitable organizations to help the elderly, veterans, the disabled and the elderly, hospice patients.
They decided to entrust their money to a charity fund, but are not sure that they will go to those in need? In Russia, there are various organizations that are founded by both Russians and foreign investors. There are also charitable social programs of commercial organizations. Below will be presented the stable funds that are used for charity work. They have personal sites and regularly submit reports on the work done.
The main charitable organizations of Russia
ASSOCIATION (Union of Russian Charitable Organizations) - this is 15 years of work, half a billion raised funds, dozens of successful projects and thousands of needy people who received help from the fund. ASSEMBLY is supported by famous actors, athletes, politicians.
Another major charity organization is the National Charity Fund, which was founded in 1999 on the initiative of President V.V. Putin.
Initially, the fund was called the “National Military Fund” and provided all possible assistance to the military personnel of various ministries and departments of Russia, their families, veterans and other persons. In 2002, the fund was categorized as organizations that provide one-time humanitarian assistance.
Multi-Purpose Charities
- One of the largest charitable foundations, the Union of Russian Charitable Organizations, unites more than two hundred different target areas, including volunteer and social programs. It provides assistance to an extensive category of citizens.
- Also a large fund in the charity market is ROSSPAS. Helps people with serious illnesses. In the area of his attention are migrants, people with disabilities, orphans, large and low-income families.
- There are foundations that carry out charitable activities in several categories of those in need at once. For example, the national charitable organization "Dobro" provides assistance to large families, children with disabilities, children with various diseases, orphans and those who suffer from drug addiction and alcoholism.
Charities helping children
- There are exclusively children's charitable organizations, such as Nastya, Mary’s Children, Children's Houses, Happy Hearts, and many others. They help children who are in a difficult life situation: the loss of parents, orphans, people with disabilities, patients with serious illnesses, those who suffer from a congenital illness.
- The All-Russian Charity - Russia Foundation unites over a million individual entrepreneurs. Grants various grants and scholarships among youth and children, helps with public funds nursing homes, hospices and hospitals, provides assistance to just citizens who apply.
Other funds
- A serious charitable organization is Life. Its target audience is children with cancer, blood diseases. Medicines, consumables are bought for donations, research and diagnostics, chemotherapy courses, surgeries are paid, financial assistance is provided to families.
- Charitable organizations of Russia, established by famous people in the country: politicians, show business stars, businessmen. This is an additional influx of investors and those who wish to make a donation. The most famous fund of this category is “Give Life”, which was established by the popular actresses D. Korzun and Ch. Khamatova. Its purpose is to help those suffering from cancer.
- Public charitable organizations that help people with disabilities, the elderly, veterans, people and patients of hospitals and hospices are the Vera, Old Age in Joy, and The Collective of Indifferent People relief funds.
- Large charitable organizations of the world also work in Russia: the Soros Foundation, the International Women's Organization, the AIDS Fund, and others.
Help is not easy, but very simple! This motto on the main collection site of the ASSEMBLY perfectly expresses its readiness to accept donations from any caring person. After all, the sooner funds arrive at the charity fund's account, the more chances there are to save someone's life.