In response to scandal and increased competition, the United Way of America is adopting a new approach to raising money and distributing its dollars, reports Forbes. In the past, the charity took in donations, primarily through paycheck withholding, and awarded grants to 43,000 groups, with little…
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. MEMORIAL
Center built to honor Martin Luther King Jr. faces questions about its future
The United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta announced this week that it will give the local Boy Scouts council $250,000, reports the Associated Press. Six months ago the United Way withheld the donation because the council inflated its number of minority members. The United Way reversed its decision…
MEGACHURCHES AND THE BOND MARKET
A growing number of so-called megachurches—congregations of 2,000 people or more—are turning to the bond market to raise money to expand their facilities, reports the Dow Jones Newswires. While exact figures are not available, estimates suggest that churches are selling at least $20-billion in…
Despite a state budget surplus and a healthy economy, nonprofit groups in Maryland are complaining that they are having difficulty raising money, reports the Baltimore Sun. One reason for the fund-raising woes is that charities are facing more competition with the number of groups in the state…
In a new documentary about Bob Geldof, the rock musician who organized the Live Aid concerts in 1985 and helped put together last year’s Live 8 event, he says that despite Africa’s deep-rooted poverty, AIDS pandemic, and corruption, he is hopeful that the continent can overcome its problems ,…
OBITUARY: MARSHALL A. ROBINSON
Marshall A. Robinson, the former president of the Russell Sage Foundation, in New York, died last week, reports The New York Times. He was 83. Mr. Robinson led the grant maker from 1979 to 1986 and helped guide the foundation’s work in social-science research. Before joining the Sage Foundation,…