New Books

403(b) Answer Book, Fourth Edition

Edited by Donald R. Levy, Barbara N. Seymon-Hirsch, and Janet M. Anderson

This book provides detailed information about accounts that are widely used by non-profit groups to help their employees save for retirement.

The plans, known as 403(b) under the Internal Revenue Code, are tax-sheltered annuities that are purchased by charities and held in custody for their employees. Workers may contribute to the plans by having money withheld from their paychecks or by making after-tax donations. The earnings accrue tax-free and are used to supplement a charity’s pension plan — or may even constitute the entire plan.

In question-and-answer format, the book examines the different types of 403(b) contracts that are available to non-profit groups. The book’s contributors, mostly lawyers who advise non-profit organizations on retirement plans, explain the rules that govern contribution limits, loans, and life-insurance policies. They also delineate the tax aspects of church-run retirement plans and examine other subjects that fall under the audit guidelines issued by the Internal Revenue Service in 1995.

During that year the I.R.S. reported widespread abuses of 403(b) plans, charging that many non-profit groups and their employees were setting aside more money than was legally permissible. This book offers a summary of the “Voluntary Correction” program adopted by the I.R.S. to help charities monitor their retirement plans and correct potential problems.

Updates to this edition include chapters that note the latest guidelines for designating income to beneficiaries and that examine the effects of court decisions on benefits to domestic partners and spouses.

The publishers offer a companion book that provides sample forms, documents, and worksheets related to 403(b) plans, such as the federal forms needed to maintain 403(b) tax status, and a worksheet that lists the pros and cons of switching from a 403(b) plan to a 401(k) plan — a cousin retirement account used by many businesses.

Mr. Levy and Ms. Seymon-Hirsch are lawyers in Scarsdale, N.Y., and Washington, respectively, and Ms. Anderson is a consultant in Richmond, Va.

Publisher: Panel Publishers, 7201 McKinney Circle, P.O. Box 990, Frederick, Md. 21705-9727; (800) 638-8437; fax (301) 417-7650; World-Wide Web http://www.aspenpublishers.com; 888 pages; $136; I.S.B.N. 0-7355-0074-6. The book of forms and worksheets is available for $96; 984 pages; I.S.B.N. 0-7355-0073-8.

Grantseeker’s Toolkit: A Comprehensive Guide to Finding Funding

By Cheryl Carter New and James Aaron Quick

When grant requests fail, it is often because too many grant seekers assume that their only job is to ask for the money, write the authors.

“Many of you have excellent ideas based on years of observation and hard work in your fields,” write Ms. New and Mr. Quick, “but lack the know-how to design and develop your project, position that project so that it is marketable to a funder, or develop a proposal that describes your project effectively.”

Ms. New and Mr. Quick are president and chief executive officer, respectively, of the Polaris Corporation, a consulting company in Greenville, S.C.

The book’s first section focuses on designing a project that has a shot at winning a grant. In a hypothetical example, the authors take a broad problem, youth vandalism, and pare down lists of possible causes and solutions until they settle on a project idea. They offer worksheets designed to help board members and proposal writers get started.

Sections that follow cover possible sources of funds, including private, corporate, and government donors. The authors also examine restrictions imposed by grant makers, offer tips on how to analyze requests for proposals, and detail elements of a successful proposal.

The book contains numerous worksheets and flow charts, most of which are reproduced on a 3.5-inch computer disk that also contains key points from the book’s chapters. System requirements are an IBM-compatible computer and Windows 3.1 or later. Software requirements are Microsoft Word for Windows 6.0 or later, or other software capable of reading Microsoft Word 6.0 files.

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, 605 Third Avenue, New York 10158-0012; (800) 879-4539; fax (212) 850-6135; World-Wide Web http://www.wiley.com; 248 pages; $39.95; I.S.B.N. 0-471-19303-8.

Inspired Philanthropy: Creating a Giving Plan

By Tracy Gary and Melissa Kohner

Donors must make a more-concerted effort to sift through the stream of requests made by charities if they are to discover the causes that matter the most to them, maintain the authors.

Ms. Gary, who works in San Fransisco as a consultant to donors and family foundations, and Ms. Kohner, a program officer at the Shefa Fund, in Philadelphia, note four reasons why giving is problematic for many people: Donors are ashamed at how little they give; they are unsure of how much they can give away; they are wary of the ways in which charities apply their money; and they are swamped by innumerable solicitations and have no time to identify the worthiest causes.

The centerpiece of the book is Ms. Gary and Ms. Kohner’s “Personal Giving Plan.” It encourages the reader to draft a personal mission statement (“I believe that education fosters personal growth,” for example), identify areas of support, set aside specific dollar amounts or volunteer hours to donate to charities, establish timelines for giving, and gather names of contacts.

Such a plan is intended to serve as a blueprint for giving away a fixed percentage of one’s income to charity — and to make the donor feel as if his or her good deeds were informed by wise choices.

Publisher: Chardon Press, P.O. Box 11607, Berkeley, Cal. 94712; (510) 704-8714 or (888) 458-8588; fax (510)649-7913; World-Wide Web http://www.chardonpress.com; 105 pages; $20 plus $4 postage and handling; I.S.B.N. 1-890759-03-1.

Selecting Software for Non-Profit Organizations and Trade Associations

By Sheldon Needle

This book identifies the probable computer-software needs of assorted types of non-profit groups and provides information on software packages offered by 64 companies.

Mr. Needle, president of Computer Training Services, in Rockville, Md., examines what features should be considered if one is seeking software to raise funds, keep up-to-date files on membership, plan conferences, or manage a university or religious organization.

He then describes software packages that are tailored to the needs of non-profit groups, and provides information on the companies that manufacture the software. Each entry contains a company address, telephone number, and a World-Wide Web address, as well as a detailed description of the product offered and the features it provides. Most entries list how many installations the company has done, and note price ranges for single and multiple users, compatible operating systems, networks supported, types of technical support available, and hardware requirements.

The book’s final section consists of four spreadsheets that list all the companies under type of function provided, recommended budget size of the non-profit group buying the software, type of non-profit organization the software is intended to aid, and compatible operating systems.

Mr. Needle does not endorse any of the products contained in the book, but he does warn non-profit groups against some common mistakes when selecting software.

Don’t sacrifice efficiency for low cost, he writes. Don’t neglect to test the software thoroughly before buying it. And don’t expect that good software will make up for incompetent employees.

Publisher: Computer Training Services, 11708 Ibsen Drive, Rockville, Md. 20852; (301) 468-4800 or (800) 433-8015; fax (301) 468-2309; World-Wide Web http://www.ctsguides.com; 269 pages; $99 plus $5 postage and handling; I.S.B.N. 0-917429-20-6.

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

The Directory of Missouri Foundations, Sixth Edition, 1998-1999, edited by Wilda H. Swift and Anne Borman, profiles 381 private, corporate, and community foundations registered in Missouri. According to the compilers, the directory includes all foundations in Missouri that report to the Internal Revenue Service. Each entry provides contact information, a list of trustees, total assets, types of support provided, grant-making interests, total amounts of grants awarded, and giving restrictions. Listings contain data from the informational tax return most recently filed with the I.R.S., as well as information supplied by foundation officials. Publisher: Swift Associates, 8122 Edinburgh Drive, St. Louis 63105; phone and fax (314) 725-6834; 168 pages; $50 plus $3.50 postage and handling.

Of the World or in the World? Assessing the Place of Religion in the Organizational Universe, by Peter Dobkin Hall, attempts to sharpen the distinctions between faith-based institutions and their secular counterparts in the charitable world. Mr. Hall asserts that religious organizations account for the bulk of individual donations and volunteer hours, yet many people know too little about such groups. He contends that religious organizations and secular non-profit groups have run on parallel tracks over the last 25 years, with neither side learning much from the other or even acknowledging the other’s existence. Mr. Hall aims to provide an overview of the myriad types of organizations — and philosophies — that constitute the religious landscape in the United States, and he also tries to pinpoint the qualities that define the “religious” aspects of religious groups. In a concluding case study, Mr. Hall examines how Roman Catholic charities in New York responded to cuts in human-service programs in the 1970s. Publisher: Program on Non-Profit Organizations, Yale University, 409 Prospect Street, New Haven, Conn. 06511; (203) 432-6297; fax (203) 432-6591; 22 pages; $4.50; ask for PONPO Working Paper No. 247.

VIDEOTAPES

Grant Your Wish: Learn from the Professionals How to Write a Successful Grant Proposal takes potential grant applicants through 12 elements that the scriptwriters believe are components of a winning proposal. Tom Ezell, president of Ezell & Company, a consulting company in Miami, and Rhonda Ritchie, a freelance consultant who works in southern Florida, discuss what they consider to be tried-and-true tenets of grant-proposal writing. For example, they suggest building an argument that the proposed project could survive without future support. A computer-animated pen points to relevant information on sample title pages and budget outlines. Other topics that are discussed include cover letters, appendixes, and project timelines. Creed C. Black, former president of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, in Miami, serves as narrator and offers the cardinal rule of proposal writing in the videotape’s second minute: Be concise and easy to understand. “Contrary to the popular impression, foundations do not weigh proposals, they read them,” he says. The Florida Association of Nonprofit Organizations, in Miami, provided guidance and advice to the videotape’s producers. Contact: Successful Images, 111 Southwest Sixth Street, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 33301; (954) 467-7200, ext. 18; fax (954) 467-5411; e-mail simages@icanect.net; 30 minutes; $35.95 plus $6 postage and handling.

Meeting the Challenge: an Orientation to Nonprofit Board Service acquaints board members with their duties through a four-part narrative that offers advice on defining mission, overseeing internal and external relations, raising funds, and promoting and participating in the charity’s work. Ray Suarez, host of National Public Radio’s Talk of the Nation, narrates the videotape in front of a computer-generated backdrop that splashes colorful graphics against photographs that depict charitable deeds. The tape features sound bites from several trustees of charities and a lengthier panel discussion among board members on such issues as avoiding conflicts of interest and evaluating the performance of the chief executive. Interviews with Kay Sprinkel Grace, author of Beyond Fundraising, and Skip Rhodes, vice-president for corporate giving at the Chevron Corporation, bracket the panel discussion. The video was financed by the Lilly Endowment, the Chevron Corporation, the American Express Foundation, and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. A 16-page guide summarizes key points made in the videotape and lists discussion questions. Contact: National Center for Nonprofit Boards, 2000 L Street, N.W., Suite 510, Washington 20036-4907; (202) 452-6262; fax (202) 452-6299; World-Wide Web http://www.ncnb.org;34 minutes; $46.50 for N.C.N.B. members, $62 for non-members.