Cellphone Texts Become International-Aid Tool
Working with an African telecommunications company, Google and the Grameen Foundation have created a text-messaging service to assist rural Ugandans, who often live far away from markets and health clinics. Using the new service, farmers will be able to get weather forecasts, search a database of…
By NICOLE WALLACE and Ian Wilhelm
Adding U.S. Entrepreneurs to Kiva Proves Controversial
Kiva lenders debate addition of U.S. entrepreneurs
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
YMCA Tops List of 100 Most-Valuable Brands in the Nonprofit World
The YMCA of the USA has the strongest brand among charities, according to a new report by the marketing firms Cone and Intangible Business. The Salvation Army placed second on the list of the 100 most-valued nonprofit groups, followed by the United Way of America, the American Red Cross, and…
By NICOLE WALLACE and Caroline Preston
The financial crisis has dealt a staggering blow to the federal program that is the largest source of financing for low-cost rental housing, stalling hundreds of projects across the country and causing major cash-flow problems for scores of nonprofit groups. The credits are expected to produce…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
A New Orleans Charity Tracks a Growing Population
It’s impossible to know exactly how many people live in this city. But for the almost four years since Hurricane Katrina struck, a small nonprofit organization has tracked New Orleans’s vital statistics — and its population analysis has helped win an additional $45-million in federal aid for the…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Texas Donor Site Starts Off Strong
DonorBridge, a new online giving site in North Texas, got off to a big start, raising more than $4-million for 353 area charities in celebration of Dallas Giving Day. While the site provides general financial information about nonprofit groups across the country, local organizations created…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
International Charity Assists American Entrepreneurs
Kiva has been enormously successful matching entrepreneurs in developing countries with people who want to lend them money. In less than four years, visitors to the Web site have made loans totaling more than $75-million. Now the San Francisco charity is testing the idea of also including U.S.…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
American Entrepreneurs Get Help from a Popular International Charity
American entrepreneurs can now get help from a popular international charity
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
iPhone Application Extends Public Radio’s Reach
Public radio’s bet that the iPhone would be an important platform for reaching out to listeners appears to be paying off. Several major public-radio organizations — including National Public Radio, American Public Media, and Public Radio International — joined forces to develop the Public Radio…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Multiple Departments Oversee Online Activities
Employees responsible for a charity’s online activities are likely to be spread throughout the organization, rather than concentrated in a single department, according to a new report. An online survey of 60 nonprofit groups found that only 12 organizations, or 20 percent, had organized all of…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor