IRS Oversight Lacking, Draft Report Says
A draft report by the investigative arm of Congress concludes that the Internal Revenue Service lacks adequate data on the finances of nonprofit groups and has failed to develop effective strategies for overseeing charities. The report, prepared by the General Accounting Office at the request of…
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor
Payments to Parish Include Charitable Gifts
By Grant Williams The Internal Revenue Service has ruled that a parish of the Roman Catholic Church may, in a fund-raising campaign, offer its members the right to use niches in its columbarium -- a vault with spaces for urns containing cremated remains -- because it will make clear what part of…
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor
Senator Wants Inquiry of Charity, Fund Raiser
By Harvy Lipman An influential Republican Senator who has been raising tough questions about federal regulation of charities ALSO SEE:Text of Senator’s Letter to the Department of Justice and Internal Revenue ServiceText of Senator’s Letter to the Federal Trade Commission has urged three top Bush…
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor
IRS Handling of September 11 Charities Shows Weaknesses of Approval System, Critics Say
Less than two weeks after the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Internal Revenue Service ALSO SEE:September 11 Charities Face Challenges Beyond the OrdinaryHalf of $2-Billion Raised for September 11 Given Away; Other Recovery UpdatesA Sampling of Charities Given IRS ‘Fast Track’ Status granted…
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor
D.C. United Way Moves to Quell Complaints
Allegations of mismanagement at the nation’s fourth-largest United Way -- including claims of cronyism in a contract for an outgoing executive and improper spending to renovate the chief executive’s office -- have led the board of the United Way of the National Capital Area, in Washington, to…
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor
N.Y. Official Seeks Changes in Phone Appeals
New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer has announced several efforts designed to crack down on fraud by companies that do telemarketing on behalf of charities, including changes in federal and state regulations for charities that hire solicitors and donors who make gifts to telemarketers. Mr.…
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor
Arizona Charity Executive Is Accused of Fraud
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has accused a charity in Scottsdale, Ariz., of fleecing elderly donors of at least $54-million in gift-annuity payments. Regulators say the total amount lost by donors to the Mid-America Foundation could be as much as $100-million. In a lawsuit against…
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor
Minority Homeowners Give More to Charity Than Whites, Study Finds
Homeowners who live in neighborhoods that are predominantly black or Hispanic donate a ALSO SEE:A Changing PaletteTapping Ethnic WealthSeeking a Bigger ShareCultivating OpportunityPercentage of Income Donated to Charity (Javascript required) greater percentage of their income to charity than do…
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor
Charity Executives’ Median Pay Is $42,000, Report Says
The median salary for chief executives of nonprofit organizations is $42,000 -- less than what ALSO SEE: Pay Increases at Foundations Salaries and Benefits at Foundations Salaries of Chief Executives at Charities, by Field private companies typically pay people in jobs carrying far less…
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor
Charity Executives’ Median Pay Is $42,000, Report Says
JOB MARKET By Harvy Lipman The median salary for chief executives of nonprofit organizations is $42,000 -- less than what private companies typically pay people in jobs carrying far less responsibility, such as computer programmers, construction managers, and dental hygienists, according to a new…
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor