This is a lie that I had hoped to leave behind on Reddit but lo and behold it’s so pervasive that it transcends social circles.

Repeat after me: that is not how taxes work.

They do not get any monetary benefit from your donations, save for arguably good publicity. They do not claim your donations in their taxes. They do not get extra write offs on their taxes.

Those donations are yours and you could claim them on your taxes, if you were so inclined.