There are some things that you do for charity that might save you some money on your taxes. If you volunteer for a charity or for your kid’s school, you probably don’t think of the little things you spend around that as part of your donation. You might be wrong about that.
First thing is mileage. There’s a statutorily set charity mileage rate, which is $0.14 per mile right now, so if you make a written record of the mileage for your charitable work you might be able to deduct it.
Out of pocket expenses for charity are also deductible, so if you buy some markers to make signs, that receipt would count as a charitable donation (write when, where and who used them on the receipt).
Finally, if you make a donation of cash, pay by check, because the check stub serves as written evidence of your donation. It might help you prove a donation if you’re ever audited.