To the Editor: Public Agenda has done some fine work over the years, some of which the Open Society Institute has been pleased to support. But the recent commentary by its new president, Ruth A. Wooden (“Building Consensus, Not Partisanship,” My View, October 14), chiding unnamed nonprofit leaders…
Have Nonprofit Groups Lost Their Integrity?
Integrity, transparency, and serving the public interest are the qualities that sustain Americans’ confidence in the nonprofit world. In recent years, however, confidence in charities has declined. One reason is that too many charitable organizations have taken positions on important public…
By PABLO EISENBERG
Contributor
Grant Makers Shouldn’t Treat Charities as Contractors
To the Editor: Two of my colleagues, Gara LaMarche, vice president and director of U.S. programs for the Open Society Institute, and Jessie C. Gruman, president and executive director of the Center for the Advancement of Health, have both recently written eloquent and impassioned articles for The…
A Compromise on the Estate Tax
When the newly elected Congress gets down to business next year, among the issues it will consider is the fate of the estate tax. The tax is now scheduled to be phased out through 2009 and disappear completely in 2010, but then reappear a year later in 2011. Congress is divided over whether to…
By Diana Aviv and ROBERT GREENSTEIN
Gates Program in Botswana Offers Lessons on Fighting AIDS
Gaborone, Botswana
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
World’s wealthiest foundation steps up advocacy effortsSeattle Tucked away on a quiet side street next door to the Lake Union Autobody repair shop here, the unassuming ALSO SEE: Gates Program in Botswana Offers Lessons on Fighting AIDS Gates Fund Gets 300 Requests a Day Gates Grants: Where the…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Venture Philanthropy: A Clarification
To the Editor: Ben Gose’s article on the small but growing impact of “venture philanthropy” (“Supporters Say Venture Philanthropy Still Thrives, Even if Reach Is Limited,” October 14) provides an excellent example of how some funders are increasingly seeking to achieve measurable results with their…
By Arthur C. Brooks George W. Bush calls himself a “compassionate conservative.” He obviously hopes this will influence a few wavering voters on November 2 who believe his claim. If they do believe it, however, it will be in spite of the mainstream news media, which throughout the campaign have…
Salary Data Included a ‘Hypothetical’
To the Editor: Thank you for including the American Heart Association in The Chronicle’s survey featuring compensation and benefits for executives at top nonprofit organizations (“Executive Pay Rises Modestly,” September 30). We would like to clarify information about benefits listed for our chief…
To the Editor: One couldn’t find a better example of that old kindergarten lesson about viewing the glass as half empty than Leslie Lenkowsky’s pessimistic prediction about youth voting (“Voter-Turnout Efforts Won’t Pay Off on Election Day,” Opinion, September 30). If we accepted Mr. Lenkowsky’s…