You write the check because something moved you, and the arithmetic shows up later, if it shows up at all. The number lands on a tax return in April and then disappears into a filing cabinet until the next holiday season. Americans extended $617.20 billion in giving in 2025, the first year the total giving cleared $600 billion, according to Giving USA. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent threw his weight behind a package of nonprofit disclosure bills last week, and the timing lands on the charitable deduction at the exact moment millions more filers are about to claim one. That is a big deal for the roughly 86% of filers the Tax Foundation expects to skip itemizing this year, as TheStreet has reported.