‘The American Prospect’: Conservative Philanthropy
Lobbying groups and think tanks that get money from conservative foundations have eclipsed their liberal counterparts in strategy and public influence, largely because conservative foundations spend their money more effectively than do liberal ones, according to an article in The American Prospect…
By Thomas J. Billitteri
Contributor
New Index Aims to Chart Climate for Giving
Measuring the climate for charitable giving has never been easy, but the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy thinks it has found a way. The center has developed a biannual survey called the “Philanthropic Giving Index” that asks fund raisers to assess current and future giving and to rate the…
By Thomas J. Billitteri
Contributor
Accounting Firm Creates Fund to Back Studies of Government
PricewaterhouseCoopers, the accounting and consulting firm, has formed an endowment to stimulate research and discussion on improving government performance. The endowment will award grants for research and conferences and provide for sabbaticals for government executives to study ways to improve…
By Thomas J. Billitteri
Contributor
Congress Passes Legislation on Bankrupt Donors
Congress has approved legislation to protect churches and other charities from having to give up contributions they receive from donors who declare bankruptcy. The bill last month passed the Senate, 99 to 1, and this month went on to win the unanimous approval of the House. President Clinton was…
By Thomas J. Billitteri
Contributor
Treasury Weighs Foundation Payout Rule — or Does It?
Was it a revelation -- or a misunderstanding? At a seminar last week on non-profit organizations and the government, a top Treasury Department official suggested that his agency is prepared to re-examine the rules mandating that private foundations distribute at least 5 per cent of their investment…
Top 10 Public Charities Gave $677-Million
Fidelity Investments’ Charitable Gift Fund, the American Cancer Society, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute lead a new list of U.S. charities and community foundations ranked by the amount of money they disburse in grants to other non-profit organizations. The list is included in the second…
By Thomas J. Billitteri
Contributor
‘The New Republic’: Fund Raising at Colleges
The increased attention that college presidents must pay to fund raising has dangerous implications for higher education -- and for society, warns The New Republic in a June 1 cover story entitled “The Incredible Shrinking College President.” “As universities have become more like other…
By Thomas J. Billitteri
Contributor
‘Forbes’: Is Charity an Irrational Act?
Did Scrooge have it right? Is giving to charity an irrational act? Forbes contributing editor Dan Seligman advances that incendiary notion in the magazine’s June 1 issue, arguing that “an emerging case” exists against charitable giving. Rational people maximize their investment returns, Mr.…
By Thomas J. Billitteri
Contributor
Tracking the Effectiveness of Charities
Competition for funds leads to rise in ‘performance-based’ evaluations For decades, the Michigan Association of Rehabilitation Organizations and other non-profit groups have sought money from Congress by arguing that every new dollar produces corresponding social benefits. But, laments David Price,…
By Thomas J. Billitteri
Contributor
6% of Michiganders Plan to Bequeath Money to Charity
Only 6 per cent of Michigan adults intend to leave money to charity in their wills, according to a survey conducted by Michigan State University. The survey found that 38 per cent of Michigan residents over age 18 have a will, but of those, only 15 per cent include a monetary bequest to a charity.…
By Thomas J. Billitteri
Contributor