Nonprofits and charities can often be confused because both nonprofit organizations and charities are groups that provide services to the community. But, nonprofit organizations and charities do have some significant differences. In fact, it’s important to distinguish between nonprofit organizations vs. charities because nonprofit organizations and charities can use different tax treatment for their operations and charitable donations. Also, by understanding the nonprofit vs. charity difference, nonprofit organizations can help charities better understand the services they provide so that nonprofit organizations and charities can ultimately work together to serve their communities.
What’s the Difference?
Nonprofits
There are many nonprofit organizations in the United States that are dedicated to providing important services to communities, schools, counties, states, and individuals. Some nonprofit organizations are dedicated to serving the poor or needy while other nonprofit organizations are focused on providing emotional support to people struggling with illness or loss. Still other nonprofit organizations work towards environmental conservation efforts, education reform initiatives, animal rescue efforts, cultural preservation programs for communities at risk of extinction, and many others.
Charities
By contrast, charities are nonprofit organizations that provide public services to the community. Like nonprofit organizations, charities also work towards goals like providing relief for the poor or needy, preserving cultural heritage, animal rescue efforts, and educational programs. While nonprofit organizations focus on improving communities in general while working toward larger goals like social reform initiatives or environmental conservation efforts; charities often work to meet the immediate needs of people who are struggling in their communities.
For nonprofit organizations and charities, donations from individuals or local businesses can be an important source of funding for operations. This is why nonprofit organizations and charities hold fundraising drives both online and offline to attract donors from around their communities so they can continue serving the people who need them most.
At Haiti Children’s Project, we are a charity that focuses on individuals and helping those in need in our specific community. We invest in people, not projects, to help Christian leaders build a better Haiti. To learn more about how to support children in Haiti and what our organization does to help its community, visit our site today.