Why Criticize the Proliferation of Nonprofit Groups?
To the Editor: Your special report on the growth of charities (“America’s Charity Explosion,” January 6) gives voice to critics who see too many nonprofit organizations, claiming that the growth of the sector reflects inefficiency and duplication of services. It is ironic that at a time when the…
Tax-Code Overhaul Could Harm Charities
President Bush tried to persuade nonprofit leaders that his efforts to overhaul the tax code would recognize the importance of philanthropic giving to society by announcing last year that the charitable deduction would be retained. But, even if the charitable deduction stays, the ideas for…
By JOHN BUCKLEY
Contributor
Museum Loses Benefactor From Its Board
Peter B. Lewis, who has contributed more money to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Foundation than any other donor, resigned as chairman of the organization’s board last month, citing differences of opinion with other board members and the museum’s director, Thomas Krens. Mr. Lewis, chairman of…
By nicole lewis
Contributor
American Lung Association of the City of New York: Appointed Louise A. Vetter, vice president of communications and advocacy, to be chief executive officer. American Montessori Society (New York): Appointed Richard A. Ungerer, a consultant in Westport, Conn., to be executive director. America’s…
The Real Costs of Estate-Tax Repeal
To the Editor: In a letter (“Estate-Tax Policy Affects Far More Than Philanthropy,” December 9) about our opinion article, “A Compromise on the Estate Tax” (My View, November 11), Ira Kaminow, president of Tzedakah Inc., minimizes the importance of a study by the nonpartisan, highly respected…
How Much Americans Give Isn’t the Real Issue
In the days after the tsunamis devastated South Asia, philanthropy’s response to the catastrophe attracted plenty of attention, and the attention does not seem to be letting up. What is surprising -- especially after the controversy over the gifts made after the September 11 attacks -- is how much…
By LESLIE LENKOWSKY
Contributor
Have Donors Learned the Real Lessons of the Tsunamis?
Horrified by the devastation wrought by the tsunamis in South Asia, donors in the United States poured more than $300-million into the coffers of relief charities. With television news showing the destroyed villages and the massive numbers of people -- especially the tens of millions of children --…
By NANCY LANGER
Contributor
To the Editor: Abraham H. Foxman’s letter to the editor (November 25) about the American Civil Liberties Union’s decision to reject Ford Foundation grant conditions that might stifle free speech and academic freedom endeavored to make a paradoxical distinction between the ACLU’s mission of…
Don’t Let Charities and Government Get Too Close
To the Editor: It is a large -- and possibly treacherous -- leap from supporting Arabic language and cultural-studies programs to gathering intelligence and identifying terrorists. But Michael S. Kutzin (“How Charities Can Fight Terrorism,” December 9) suggests that the nonprofit world thereby…
Antiterrorism Policies Hurt Philanthropy
As Americans rushed to provide aid to the victims of the Asian tsunamis, President Bush praised their generosity and encouraged individuals, companies, and foundations to do more. But it is likely that far more money might have been given far more effectively if the Bush administration had not…
By Teresa Odendahl
Contributor