An At-Risk Element of Public Radio
LETTERS TO THE EDITORTo the Editor: Vince Stehle’s article “All Grant Makers Have a Big Stake in Preserving Local Public Radio Stations” (Opinion, August 31) eloquently makes an important case. Another segment of the public-radio world is equally at risk and in need of support — the independent…
How to Stem the Nonprofit-Leadership Deficit
For more than a decade, people in the nonprofit world have been taking steps to stem the growing lack of leadership at charities and foundations. So far, nothing has worked terribly well. Colleges have been offering more courses on public and nonprofit leadership. Foundations have financed…
By PABLO EISENBERG
Contributor
Why a Fund-Raising Prank Isn’t Funny
LETTERS TO THE EDITORTo the Editor: You can add North Park University to the list of hoaxed institutions (“Why Is a Mystery Man Making Prank Donation Calls?,” August 31). Our story has an unfortunate twist to it. The major-gifts officer who took the call was quite hurt by this incident. Although we…
The world of philanthropy is largely quiet, secure, and comforting. Unlike almost any other enterprise, it is possible to be applauded and embraced regardless of merit or performance. While no one is in a position to ask tough questions about philanthropic choices, some donors and grant makers —…
By Peter Frumkin
Contributor
Old-school canvassing brings new donors to charities Janet S. Domenitz doesn’t rely much on direct mail, telemarketing, or e-mail to recruit new donors. Instead, the executive director of the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group, in Boston, depends on an old-school, low-tech method to…
By PETER PANEPENTO
Contributor
The IRS Has Some Explaining to Do
The official end of the Internal Revenue Service’s investigation of the NAACP was as inexplicable as its beginning. Even though the organization was cleared of allegations that it had violated federal law on partisan campaigning, the way the group was treated raises important issues about how the…
By Frances R. Hill
Contributor
How to Make a Big Foundation Effective
Shortly after Warren Buffett announced his plans to give $30-billion or more to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the foundation’s president, Patty Stonesifer, said in an e-mail message to the foundation’s grant recipients: “As we grow, truth-tellers will become ever more important to us. So…
By WILLIAM SCHAMBRA
Contributor
Opinion: Community Foundations and Commercial Funds Locked in Battle
An unfortunate competition has developed between community foundations and commercial donor-advised funds for the interest of wealthy people, says Daniel M. Schley, chief executive of Foundation Source, a company that helps manage private foundations, in BusinessWeek. Their efforts to market…
The Tragic Death of a Fund Raiser
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR To the Editor: I read with sadness the item in the People section of the August 17 issue announcing the death of Pamela Waechter, director of annual giving for the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle. For the record, it is important to note that she was, in fact, brutally…
Keeping Family Funds on the Same Page
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR To the Editor: Your article “Governing From Afar” (August 3), about the growing number of family foundations run by far-flung trustees from different generations, prompts two brief comments, one on logistics, the other on donor intent. One cannot overstate the disparity of…