by 
The Curious Bag
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Many non-profit organizations depend on charitable giving to fund their beneficial activities. The government includes charitable donations as itemized deductions in the tax code as a way to encourage the number of donations to organizations for the greater good.
Benefits
Many types of charitable donations are tax deductible, meaning that they decrease the amount of tax you owe during the year.
Eligible Donations
The IRS lists the types of organizations which can be considered when determining your tax deduction. These include religious, charitable, educational, and scientific organizations.
Considerations
If you make a donation which gives you any kind of benefit (for instance, the dinner you eat at a charity dinner), you are only allowed to deduct the amount of your donation which is more than the fair market value of the benefit (the dinner) you received.
Tax Deduction Limits
Many donations listed on the IRS website are subject to a 50 percent limit, meaning that you are only allowed to deduct up to half of your adjusted gross income. Some contributions have 30 percent and even 20 percent limits.
Tax Returns
You are only allowed to deduct charitable donations from your taxes if you itemize deductions (use Schedule A, lines 16 through 19, of Form 1040).
Source:
Internal Revenue Service: Topic 506, Contributions
Internal Revenue Service: Legal Details of Contributions
Resource:
Internal Revenue Service: Form 1040, Schedule A
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