‘Chicago Tribune’: Failures of Child Sponsorships
International-relief charities often raise money by broadcasting heart-rending appeals that urge donors to transform the lives of poor children by sending a donation and becoming a child’s “sponsor.” But those contributions often fail to reach the children whom donors were told they were helping,…
By Vince Stehle and Paul Demko
Controversy Follows Election of New NAACP Chairman
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People celebrated the election of the veteran civil-rights activist Julian Bond as chairman of its Board of Directors last month. But it almost immediately found itself mired in controversy over the roles of two trustees who have pleaded…
By Paul Demko
Contributor
Non-Profit Group Wins Internet Trademark Dispute
The Planned Parenthood Federation of America has persuaded a federal court to block an antiabortion activist from using the charity’s name in the address of his World-Wide Web site. The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York declined to overturn a March 1997 ruling that…
By Paul Demko
Contributor
Charity Uses Technology to Shop for Volunteers
Volunteer vancouver is hoping that people who want to donate their time will no longer show up at the group’s front door. The Canadian charity has installed a touch-activated computer kiosk in the Bentall Centre, a popular downtown mall. Shoppers there can find out about the volunteer needs of more…
By Paul Demko
Contributor
Charities turn slain deer -- and sometimes road kill -- into food for the needy, but critics say programs are a publicity ploy Big Island, Va. Sharon L. Cash, director of the Lynchburg Area Food Bank in Virginia, recalls the day her daughter called her at work, distraught from what she had…
By Paul Demko
Contributor
Index Helps Track Down Articles on Non-Profit Issues
The Foundation Center has created an on-line version of its publication Literature of the Nonprofit Sector. The searchable data base contains more than 15,000 bibliographic citations for books, periodicals, CD-ROM’s, and other information resources. Citations from almost 100 publications are…
By Paul Demko
Contributor
New Web Directory Aimed at Donors
Charitable Choices is hoping that its new Web site will encourage people to contribute to its 234 member charities and that it will help donors make informed choices about which groups to support. All charities listed on the Web site participate in the Combined Federal Campaign, the government’s…
By Paul Demko
Contributor
Charities to Cash In Through On-Line Book Sales
Barnes & Noble, the big bookstore chain, is enlisting charities to help it peddle books via the Internet -- and offering them a cut of the profits. Charities that want to participate in the deal must showcase books on their Web sites. If people are interested in purchasing a book, they can click on…
By Paul Demko
Contributor
Web Site Aims to Make Ads Benefit Charities
A new World-Wide Web site is hoping to channel advertising dollars into charities’ bank accounts. Eyegive, an Evanston, Ill., technology company, pays selected non-profit groups every time a person calls up one of the advertisements on its site (http://www.eyegive.com). People who sign up for the…
By Paul Demko
Contributor
Clinton Backs Bigger Credit for Housing
The Clinton Administration has announced that its 1999 federal budget will include a proposed $1.6-billion increase in tax credits designed to spur construction of low-cost housing. The Administration estimates that the expansion will encourage the development of 150,000 to 180,000 new housing…
By Paul Demko
Contributor