Model Ethics Codes for Charities Issued by Nonprofit Group
Independent Sector, a coalition of charities and foundations, has issued its first official model code of ethics for nonprofit groups to follow, the initial step in what the organization’s president said would be a comprehensive effort to deal with ethical controversies in the nonprofit world. The…
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor
More Than 300 Nonprofit Groups Protest a Federal Proposal on Advocacy
Washington More than 300 nonprofit groups have urged the Federal Election Commission to reject a proposal that they say would make it harder for them to express opinions on public-policy issues. An advisory opinion drafted by the commission’s legal staff proposed that any communication that…
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor
One Utah Lawyer Helped Create 8 Groups That Lent Money to Donors or Officers
As The Chronicle analyzed the records of supporting organizations that lent substantial sums of money to their officers or directors, one name appeared repeatedly: Richard H. Bradley, a Salt Lake City lawyer.
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor
Donors Set Up Grant-Making Groups, Then Borrow Back Their Gifts
The owners of a successful truck-stop business contributed $1.4 million to their foundation and took the tax deduction for the contribution — then borrowed more than half of that money to pay off loans and make investments.
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor
How a Loan Deal Backfired on One Nonprofit Leader
An executive director has a message for nonprofit groups thinking about making a loan to one of their officials: Don’t.
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor
Charities Bestow No-Interest Loans on Their Well-Paid Executives
In an analysis of Form 990 informational tax returns filed by 10,700 nonprofit groups from 1998 through 2001, The Chronicle found that at least 140 groups had interest-free loans outstanding to officers or directors.
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor
Federal law bars foundations — but not charities — from making loans to their officers and directors. The practice is prevalent enough that two influential voices in the charity world reacted sharply to The Chronicle’s findings.
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor
Nearly Half of Donations in Wash. Kept by Solicitors, Report Says
Slightly less than half of the $376-million solicited on behalf of nonprofit groups in Washington State in the past year ended up in the hands of the charities, according to a new state report. The amount raised by commercial solicitors rose $42-million from the year before, an increase of 13…
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor
Direct-Marketing Firm Settles Federal Postal-Fraud Charges
A Boston direct-marketing company and its subsidiaries have agreed to pay $4.5-million to settle federal postal-fraud charges over the company’s fund-raising mailings for dozens of charities. The government accused the Vantage Group of illegally using cheaper nonprofit bulk mailing rates while it…
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor
Donations to Community Foundations Drop for Second Year in a Row, Study Finds
Gifts to community foundations fell by nearly 10 percent in 2002, after adjusting for inflation, the second year in a row that donations have ALSO SEE:
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor