It's Official: THF Is a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Corporation

January 6 marked the First Anniversary of The Haiku Foundation, a year which far exceeded our expectations. Besides launching the project and getting our name established, the Foundation was able to create and implement some of the most exciting projects and opportunities the haiku community has ever seen. Nearly 2000 poems appeared on the site over the course of the year, and hundreds of different poets interacted through blog posts, responses to featured content, and participation in the many projects and committees presented. It is not too much to say that The Haiku Foundation brought the haiku world into the 21st century. For an encore we’re introducing several new content areas, in particular the Haiku Registry, an interactive poets’ center that we feel will be one of our most popular features; and the HaikuNow! International Haiku Contests, one for all poets and one expressly designed for children, to name only two. Work continues for our core projects: a digital library, a hard copy library, the Haiku Registry , and much more.

None of this would be possible, of course, without the generosity of haiku lovers around the world. As a start-up organization, The Haiku Foundation received no windfall gifts, no matching grants, no enabling bequests. The donations we received were directly from people like you, writing checks, in small amounts and large, to permit us to get on with our work, without even the assurance that your generosity would be tax-deductible.

This last, we are pleased to announce, has changed: The Haiku Foundation today has been officially recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. As such, your gifts, bequests and contributions to the Foundation are fully tax-deductible. This designation is retroactive, and those of you who contributed in 2009 may claim that amount on your income taxes. And this has important consequences for the Foundation and its donors in the future.

I would like to take this opportunity to urge you to contribute to The Haiku Foundation right now. We have good uses for the money, of course, but there are other considerations that make your participation essential. Now that we have nonprofit status, it is up to us to maintain it. One of the criteria is the size of the audience we meaningfully serve, and one reflection of the size of this audience is the number of people who are willing to contribute. Our goal is to double the number of donors we had in 2009. If this also doubles the total gross receipts, that would be better still, but the number of participants is more important. If you like what you’ve seen of The Haiku Foundation, help us to maintain our momentum—make a contribution today. The size of the check isn’t so important as the indication you’re willing to show your financial support.

Please go to the Donate page (you can press the Donate button in the menu bar above) and choose the option that suits you best. You may send us a check, or pay via PayPal with your credit card

I thank you in advance for your generous and significant support.

Jim Kacian

President