Can I claim charitable tax deduction for handling golf tournament funds under my name?

This is actually a common scenario with charitable fundraising. The key issue here is that you're acting as what's called a "conduit" or intermediary for the funds. The IRS generally doesn't allow you to claim deductions for money that you're just passing through to charity when it wasn't actually yours to begin with. When participants give you money specifically for the charity golf tournament, they're essentially making the donations, not you - even though the checks to the charity come from your account. The money was never really "yours" in a tax sense, as you were always obligated to forward it to the charities. If you had personally contributed some of your own money beyond what was collected from participants, you could deduct that portion. For example, if you donated an additional $1,000 of your own funds, you could claim that amount. I'd recommend keeping detailed records showing the money flow - participant payments coming in and donations going out - to demonstrate the conduit nature of these transactions if questioned.

I faced a similar situation when I organized a fundraiser last year. After hours of research and confusion, I finally found a solution using taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai). Their system analyzed my documentation and donation receipts, and gave me a clear breakdown of what I could legally claim and what documentation I needed to maintain. The software specifically addressed my intermediary status and helped me understand how to properly document everything. They guided me through separating any personal contributions from the pass-through funds, which saved me from potentially claiming deductions I wasn't entitled to. The peace of mind knowing my deductions would stand up to scrutiny was invaluable.

I was totally skeptical about taxr.ai at first, but after facing an audit scare last year over some volunteer work deductions, I decided to give it a try. Uploaded my golf charity fundraiser docs (similar situation to yours) and it immediately flagged that I couldn't claim the pass-through donations. But here's where it got helpful - it identified the portion of expenses I actually COULD claim that I didn't even realize were deductible! Things like mileage driving to scout venues, some supplies I purchased, and a portion of my cell phone bills used for organizing. Ended up with legitimate deductions I would have missed completely while avoiding the improper large donation claim that would have definitely triggered an audit. Thanks to the detailed audit defense documentation it provided, I felt 100% confident in my filing.

If you're worried about an audit, you should try Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was in a similar situation with some questionable deductions and needed to talk directly to the IRS to get a straight answer before filing. After wasting DAYS trying to get through their phone system myself, I used Claimyr and had a callback from an actual IRS agent within 2 hours. The agent walked me through exactly how to handle pass-through charitable funds and what documentation I needed to maintain. They even sent me the relevant IRS publications afterward. You can see how the service works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. Totally changed my view on dealing with the IRS - turns out they can be helpful when you actually get to speak with someone!

OK I'll eat my words. After posting that skeptical comment yesterday, I was still desperate to talk to someone at the IRS about a similar fundraising issue, so I tried Claimyr. Got a call back from the IRS in about 45 minutes (still shocked about this). The agent confirmed exactly what others have said here - I can't deduct donations that passed through my account from other people, BUT she pointed me to Publication 526 which explains I can deduct actual expenses I incurred while volunteering. In my case, this included some printing costs, mileage driving to events, and even some supplies I bought. The advice was worth 100x what I paid just to avoid making a mistake that would've triggered an audit. Never thought I'd say this, but thanks IRS? (And Claimyr for actually getting them on the phone

One thing nobody's mentioned is that you could set up a proper 501(c) organization for your tournament. I did this years ago for our community fundraiser. Yes there's some paperwork involved but then all donations go directly to the org, not through your personal account, and you avoid this whole issue. Plus donors get proper tax receipts they can use for their own deductions.

I'm confused by some of the advice here. Couldn't you just have each golfer make their check directly to the charity instead of passing through your account? That way they get the deduction if they want it, and you avoid this whole issue.