‘The New Yorker’: Portrait of a Donor
Zell Kravinsky, who donated most of his $45-million fortune to charity and then gave a kidney to someone he didn’t know, has such philanthropic zeal that his views and behavior can be shocking and perplexing to those around him, according to a profile in The New Yorker (August 2). As he wrestles…
By Lauren Kafka
Contributor
‘Economist’: Good Times for Giving
Philanthropy may be on the brink of a golden age on both sides of the Atlantic, according to a special report in The Economist (July 31-August 6). “Years of accumulated wealth -- in America and in Europe -- are about to change hands, as the post-war generation dies off.” “For the first time in…
By Lauren Kafka
Contributor
Charitable Deductions Fell in 2002, IRS Says
New statistics released by the Internal Revenue Service show that deductions claimed for charitable ALSO SEE: Charitable Deductions Claimed on Tax Returns contributions declined in 2002, falling from $139.2-billion in 2001 to $136.3-billion in 2002, a drop of 2.1 percent. The decline is only the…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
IRS Questions Charities About Pay and Benefits
The Internal Revenue Service has begun contacting nearly 2,000 charities and foundations as it officially kicks off an effort to crack down on groups that are providing excessive pay or benefits to their top executives. The majority of the organizations selected by the IRS were chosen because…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
Nonprofit Group Trims Research Unit
Washington Independent Sector, a coalition of 600 charities and foundations, has announced that it plans to greatly reduce the amount of original research that it conducts and concentrate instead on ensuring that work done by academic and other researchers is distributed throughout the nonprofit…
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor
Local charities seek out best ways to expand nationallyFrom the time she founded her nonprofit group, Alice Korngold wanted her ideas to spread across the country. And now, after years of planning, they are. In 1993, she started Business Volunteers Unlimited, as an effort to match the skills of…
By EMAN QUOTAH
Contributor
Bequest Moves Buffett Fund Into Ranks of 20 Largest
The family foundation created by Warren E. Buffett and his late wife, Susan, will soon become one of the country’s 20 wealthiest philanthropies. Ms. Buffett, who died last month, left the Buffett Foundation the bulk of her stock holdings, currently valued at $2.6-billion. As of 2003, the Buffett…
By Holly Hall
Contributor
Three Groups Attract Large Gifts
Three organizations have received large gifts or pledges: The Overture Foundation, in Madison, Wis., has announced that W. Jerome Frautschi, former owner of Webcrafters, a printing press in Madison, has promised to pay for a new center for the arts. Mr. Frautschi has said that he will pay for the…
Checking Employees: How Charities Are Complying With New Rule
Many nonprofit organizations participating in this year’s on-the-job solicitation campaign for ALSO SEE:Federal Campaign Flap federal workers have failed to comply with a controversial new government requirement, according to a spot check of about a dozen groups. The new rule requires nonprofit…
Antiterror rules prompt withdrawals from annual driveAs the federal government intensifies its efforts to discover charities that support terrorist activity, ALSO SEE:Checking Employees: How Charities Are Complying With New Rule a new government regulation has come under scrutiny. The rule requires…
By Brad Wolverton
Contributor