Court Ruling Shows Risks of Acting Too Much Like a Business
A ruling on a case involving the Girl Scouts of America shows that nonprofits may be required to follow rules meant primarily for companies.
By Arthur L. Pressman
Contributor
Is Underperformance Philanthropy’s ‘Natural State’?
Two new books underscore why it’s so hard to get donors and nonprofits to focus on results—but they also offer useful advice on overcoming that challenge, writes a Chronicle columnist.
By SEAN STANNARD-STOCKTON
Contributor
Opinion: IRS Should Rethink Its Treatment of Charities
The IRS purge of 275,000 groups from the tax-exempt rolls signals a move by the federal government toward micromanagement of the nonprofit world, write two philanthropy experts in The Wall Street Journal.
Opinion: Charity Walks Are a Puzzling Way to Help the Needy
Charity fund-raising walks are “a peculiar institution” motivated by sincerity but characterized by “many lost opportunity costs,” a journalism professor writes in a New York Times opinion column.
Opinion: Philanthropic Backing Does Not Buy Success at Charter Schools
Charter-school networks with the biggest philanthropic support are not performing better than their less-generously financed peers, according an Orange County Register opinion column.
Critics Question Philanthropist’s Growing Influence in Big School Districts
Twenty-one of the country’s 75 largest school districts are now led by alumni of the philanthropist Eli Broad’s training center for education administrators, prompting growing scrutiny of the billionaire’s influence on U.S. schools, Education Week writes.
Opinion: Beware Fund Managers’ ‘Big Beast Philanthropy’
With the Ark Gala Ball, one of London’s biggest charity fund raisers, taking place Thursday night, a Guardian columnist argues that the “big beast philanthropy” of the hedge-fund managers behind the event masks the social inequality and financial instability their business fosters.
Let’s Stop Commercializing Services for the Needy
The Obama administration’s social-impact bonds are just another example of the growing greed that is getting in the way of providing aid to America’s most vulnerable.
By MARK ROSENMAN
Contributor
Armstrong Scandal Could Cost Livestrong $10-Million, Expert Says
A philanthropy expert estimates that cancer charity Livestrong could face a $5-million to $10-million donations hit as investigators probe doping allegations against its founder, Bloomberg writes.
Foundation Boards Shouldn’t Be Filled Just With Wealthy People
Foundations are the last vestiges of royalty in our society—and unless that changes, they will continue to be staid, unimaginative, and anti-democratic.
By PABLO EISENBERG
Contributor