The following awards have been presented for work in advocacy, fund raising, nonprofit leadership, philanthropy, and other areas. Community development. The Open Society Institute (New York) has announced its 2004 Baltimore fellows, each of whom will receive $48,750 over 18 months to carry out…
Charities Outdo Businesses on Worker Benefits
By Sharnell Bryan Employees of religious, charitable, and nonprofit professional organizations receive more-generous benefits than do those in other industries, according to a survey by Mercer Human Resource Consulting, in New York. The report drew information from more than 1,700 for-profit and…
By Sharnell Bryan
Contributor
Fund-Raising Association Clarifies Stand on Fees
The Association of Fundraising Professionals has revised its ethics code in an attempt to eliminate confusion over how fund raisers should be paid for attracting sponsorships, advertising, and similar types of support. The changes, which take effect this month, make it unethical for the…
By Holly Hall
Contributor
New York Charity Officials Repay $1.3-Million in Loans
New York State officials have ordered officers and directors of three dozen charities to repay a total of $1.3-million in loans they had received from the organizations. The New York attorney general’s office said most of the money has been repaid. The state office ordered the repayments as part of…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
Trustee Selection Often Based on Personal Links, Study Finds
Most nonprofit organizations recruit trustees based on friendship or other personal connection to the organization’s leadership, according to a new study by Bridgestar, an arm of the Boston consulting organization Bridgespan that helps charities recruit senior managers and board members. The…
By Cassie J. Moore
Contributor
New York Opens Inquiry on Donor Privacy
The New York State attorney general’s office is investigating whether the American Civil Liberties Union violated its pledge to protect its donors’ privacy with an effort to collect information about them. Attorney General Eliot Spitzer sent the New York nonprofit group a letter last month asking…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Review Finds Orchestra Did Not Violate Tax Law
An internal review by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra has concluded that, while the organization’s leaders misled the board and the public about the value of 30 stringed instruments the symphony purchased in 2003 from a private collector, their actions did not appear to violate any tax laws. The…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
Tax-Exempt Property Tough on N.J., Says Report
New Jersey loses nearly $90-billion a year in potential revenue because nonprofit organizations and governments there are not required to pay property taxes, according to a new report. The property of most of the state’s nonprofit groups and governments is located in a few cities, depriving those…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
Government Drops Financial-Services Suit
The U.S. Department of Justice has dropped its lawsuit against a San Diego financial-services company in which it had charged the business with defrauding the government and investors by selling questionable tax shelters -- including one that allegedly allowed clients of the company to falsely…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
Group Offers Free Tax-Form Software
Charities now can file their federal informational tax returns over the Internet using free software offered by a Washington nonprofit group. The group, the Urban Institute’s National Center for Charitable Statistics, has developed a program that allows charities to enter, verify, print, and…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor