Elderly Farmer’s Surprise Bequest Is the Talk of an Oregon Town
By Stephen G. Greene Wesley Howard’s surprise bequest last year drew international attention because of its seeming ALSO SEE:DATABASE: America’s Most Generous DonorsBig Giving Makes a ComebackDonors who Gave $25-Million or More in 2003Donors Who Pledged $25-Million or More to Nonprofit…
By Stephen G. Greene
Contributor
Widow’s Bequest Gives Children’s Charity and Those It Serves Reason to Smile
In October 1996, Jeanne Cox Brady saw a television show that would change not only her own life, but also ALSO SEE:DATABASE: America’s Most Generous DonorsBig Giving Makes a ComebackDonors who Gave $25-Million or More in 2003Donors Who Pledged $25-Million or More to Nonprofit Organizations in…
By Stephen G. Greene
Contributor
Entrepreneur Finds a Home for Collection of Rare Chinese Artifacts
A Chinese entrepreneur who immigrated to California at age 5 and amassed a fortune in the high-technology ALSO SEE:DATABASE: America’s Most Generous DonorsBig Giving Makes a ComebackDonors who Gave $25-Million or More in 2003Donors Who Pledged $25-Million or More to Nonprofit Organizations in…
By Stephen G. Greene
Contributor
Software Entrepreneur Seeks to Promote Excellence Through Philanthropy
Charles Simonyi, who made a fortune developing word-processing and spreadsheet software that ALSO SEE:DATABASE: America’s Most Generous DonorsBig Giving Makes a ComebackDonors who Gave $25-Million or More in 2003Donors Who Pledged $25-Million or More to Nonprofit Organizations in 2003How The…
By Stephen G. Greene
Contributor
Many Charities Report Success in Coping With Fiscal Challenges
Many nonprofit organizations managed to increase revenues last year, despite daunting fiscal challenges caused by a lackluster economy and cutbacks in government support, according to a new report. But the groups’ costs rose even more, prompting many of them to scale back some programs and take…
By Stephen G. Greene
Contributor
Former Irvine Foundation CEO and His Wife Repay Fund for Benefits That Raised Questions
A former president of the James Irvine Foundation and his wife have repaid the foundation $31,300 for some of the benefits they received during his 16-year tenure, the foundation disclosed last month. Dennis A. Collins, who headed the foundation from 1986 until he stepped down two years ago, paid…
By Stephen G. Greene
Contributor
Many Donors Inflate Value of Vehicles They Give, Federal Report Shows
Wide gaps often exist between the proceeds charities receive from sales of donated vehicles and the tax deductions claimed by donors, according to a new Congressional report. Vehicle donations have become increasingly popular in recent years, but Congress is concerned that some taxpayers may be…
By Stephen G. Greene
Contributor
One in Five Charity Boards Changed Policies in Past Year
A federal law intended to improve corporate governance and accountability has had relatively little impact on nonprofit organizations, according to a new survey. Just one in five of the more than 300 nonprofit officials surveyed said their organizations had made any changes as a result of the…
By Stephen G. Greene
Contributor
Former eBay executive uses wealth to encourage activismSan Jose, Calif. Growing up in Montreal in the 1970s, Jeffrey S. Skoll often daydreamed about becoming a writer who could ALSO SEE:The Skoll FoundaionSkoll Foundation’s Grant: a Sampling of Awards inspire people to solve the world’s social…
By Stephen G. Greene
Contributor
Accountability, the presidential race, and globalization are among topics at major nonprofit meetingSan Francisco Concerns about nonprofit accountability colored many of the sessions at a conference here last week that drew more than 800 nonprofit leaders from around the country. “The era of…
By Stephen G. Greene
Contributor