Charities give preliminary thumbs-up to proposed IRS regulations on financial abuses, but wait for further clarification The reviews are in: Charities and their lawyers say that the Internal Revenue Service wrote a good first draft of new rules designed to punish people who receive overly generous…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
Computer Co-op Can Ease Year-2000 Bug
To the Editor: Great article on the year-2000 computer problem (“Preparing for the 2000 Bug,” December 3). The Central Indiana Community Foundation is currently conducting “Y2K” assessments of the 18 non-profit agencies housed in our building. We have discovered a 60-per-cent failure rate of the…
The Many Benefits of Local Organizing
To the Editor: Pablo Eisenberg reminds us that community organizing -- adult, community-based, experiential education in civic participation -- is a key strategy as low-income people build economic and political capital in an era of welfare reform and the devolution of federal authority…
Political Correctness Is Hurting ‘Progressives’
To the Editor: In a November 5 commentary (“‘Progressive Philanthropy’ Should Cast a Wider Net”), I argued that the left was becoming its own worst enemy by embracing sectarian philosophies that are alienating potential allies -- and most of the American people. The letters to the editor that…
New Law Merits Whole-Hearted Support
To the Editor: It is rare that I agree with Leslie Lenkowsky about anything. But I congratulate him on his excellent column “Foundations and the Press: Forging Better Ties” (November 19). Mr. Lenkowsky writes: “If philanthropy wants to do better, it will ultimately have to be more honest about what…
Gates’ Gift Must Be Put in Context
To the Editor: I am very pleased to learn how Bill and Melinda Gates are increasing their engagement with philanthropy (“Gates Boots Up His Giving,” December 17). Leadership is important, and I believe people take their cues from seeing how others behave. Putting $100-million toward eradicating…
The Dawning of ‘Post-Modern Philanthropy’
Privately financed school-choice programs, which provide hundreds of millions of dollars to enable thousands of children to attend private schools, have become one of the most rapidly growing arenas for philanthropy. They also represent a new approach to giving whose roots can be found in…
By LESLIE LENKOWSKY
Contributor
Cartoon of Female Scientists Was Sexist and Offensive
To the Editor: When I read the cartoon by Mark Litzler in your December 3 issue (Opinion), my first reaction was disbelief: I could not believe that any editor at such a well-respected publication would let this blatantly sexist cartoon make its way to final publication. The picture of two female…
The Education of Young Donors: a Two-Way Street
A new generation of wealthy young people is arriving on the philanthropic scene, with values and attitudes toward giving that differ greatly from those of earlier donors. If the non-profit world is to thrive in the next century, it must find ways to tap into the vision of those donors. The new…
By Catherine Gund
Contributor