Closing That Gift! How to Be Successful 99% of the Time By Robert F. Hartsook This slim volume, intended to aid solicitors in securing gifts and designed for a quick browse, offers the advice of a veteran fund raiser and the lessons he learned from successful campaigns. Mr. Hartsook, a consultant…
By C. Quinn Hanchette
Contributor
Donations to Charity Rise 7.5%
Americans gave $143.5-billion in ’97; international causes did best The robust economy helped fuel a 7.5-per-cent increase in donations to charity last year, with gifts totaling $143.5-billion, according to a report released last week. The increase was the largest since 1989, and it marked the…
By Marilyn Dickey and Domenica Marchetti
IRS Eyes Innovations in Compensation
The I.R.S. is responding to inquiries from tax-exempt institutions about how to structure innovative compensation packages for mid-level professors, researchers, and inventors at universities and other non-profit organizations, says Marc Owens, director of the I.R.S.'s Exempt Organizations…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
Restructuring Bills Shift Burden of Proof to IRS
Bills to restructure the I.R.S. that have passed the House and Senate would force the agency to shoulder the burden of proof in legal disputes with tax-exempt organizations that have less than $7-million in assets. Under current law, the service is presumed to be correct when it tangles over taxes…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
Congress May Stiffen Foundation-Disclosure Rules
Congress may consider enacting new rules that would make it far easier for the public to gain access to the tax returns of private foundations, according to congressional aides on Capitol Hill. Under a proposal that lawmakers could take up in coming weeks, foundations would have to immediately…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
The following awards have been presented for work in philanthropy, fund raising, volunteerism, and non-profit management: Aging. The American Society on Aging (San Francisco) has presented its ASA Award to Patrick Arbore, director of the Goldman Institute on Aging’s Center for Elderly Suicide…
Publication Covers Global Philanthropy
England’s Charities Aid Foundation has joined with the Dutch publisher Kluwer Law International to produce periodicals and reference works about philanthropy worldwide. One of their efforts involves the publication of Alliance, a journal that focuses on civic partnerships. When first published…
Senator Seeks to Aid Faith-Based Groups
The Senate has been asked to consider legislation to expand the role of so-called faith-based charities in providing services to the poor. Sen. John Ashcroft, Republican of Missouri, has introduced the “Charitable Choice Expansion Act of 1998,” which seeks to expand a proposal he successfully…
Bill Would Protect Gifts to Churches
The U.S. Senate last week approved legislation that would protect churches and other charities from having to give up contributions they received from donors who later declare bankruptcy. Currently, bankruptcy trustees across the country are suing to force churches to turn over donations made as…