Charities Need Lawyers in the Boardroom
The recent controversies at the Smithsonian Institution and the World Bank have drawn much attention to the relationship between boards and chief executives. But a key lesson has been missed in assessing what can be done to avoid such scandals: Nonprofit organizations need to include their lawyers…
By michael peregrine
Contributor
The New Guard in Philanthropy Might Not Have All the Answers
Two transitions occurred in New York City this week that illuminate an important debate occurring in American philanthropy today. One was the appointment of Luis A. Ubiñas as the next president of the Ford Foundation. Mr. Ubiñas is a business consultant with no previous grant-making experience. The…
By LESLIE LENKOWSKY
Contributor
Red Cross’s Tough-Guy Approach in Licensing Lawsuit Is Unwise
At first blush, the decision by Johnson & Johnson to sue the American Red Cross seems utterly wrongheaded, a clear case of the bad guys against the good guys. After all, a commercial health-care behemoth is suing the far smaller Red Cross over the use of the red-cross symbol. The company argues…
By DOUG WHITE
Contributor
Newspaper Cuts Are a Threat to Charities’ Accountability
The sharp reduction in reporters and editors at the nation’s major newspapers and the resulting decline in quality journalism over the past few years pose a major threat to the continued accountability of the nonprofit world. As Charles Lewis, founder of the Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit…
By PABLO EISENBERG
Contributor
Mrs. Astor’s Lessons for Philanthropy’s New Guard
Two transitions occurred in New York City last week that illuminate an important debate occurring in American philanthropy today. One was the appointment of Luis A. Ubiñas as the next president of the Ford Foundation. Mr. Ubiñas is a business consultant with no previous grant-making experience. The…
By LESLIE LENKOWSKY
Contributor
Don’t Get Caught in the ‘Evaluation Gap’
It is widely conceded that billions (some say trillions) of dollars in international assistance were wasted in the 20th century. Now the same thing could well happen again. Thanks to the leadership of Jeffrey D. Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University (along with Bill Clinton…
By William Cotter
Contributor
Company Experiments With Tying Employee Pay to Grantees’ Feedback
It was an innovative, even shocking, idea: Use the feedback from grantees to help determine the year-end ALSO SEE:STATISTICAL DATA: Charitable Giving at Major Corporations bonuses earned by employees of a corporation’s grant-making department. But one California company gave it a try for three…
By Darlene M. Siska
Contributor
Charities and Politics: The Debate Rages On
Charities and politics: the debate rages on
By SUZANNE PERRY
Contributor
Opinion Article Stirs Up Questions About Community Funds
Do community foundations need to take more creative approaches?
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor