Philanthropy Must Encourage Open Debate
To the Editor: What is ironic and, indeed, sad about Emmett Carson’s response (February 3) to my critique of the Council on Foundations (“Grant Makers Need Leadership,” Opinion, January 6) is that all of the points I raised in my column are criticisms that have been made off the record by numerous…
Overhead Approach Punishes Honest Groups
To the Editor: I wish to commend the Urban Institute’s Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy and the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University for their path-breaking study of the administration and fund-raising expenses of nonprofits (“Study Examines Causes Behind Reporting Errors on Federal…
After the Tsunamis: What Charities Must Do
To the Editor: Articles The Chronicle has published in its opinion section in the wake of the tsunamis would seem to raise more questions about the role of American philanthropic leaders and their organizations than about that of the American public. While it is easy for philanthropic pundits to…
Grant Makers Must Focus on Government’s Role
Although foundations account for only about 2 percent of nonprofit organizations’ revenue, they make a huge difference to what many charities are able to achieve. Yet grant makers will have little ultimate consequence for today’s most critical issues if they focus principally on paying for…
By MARK ROSENMAN
Contributor
Beset by financial and organizational problems, a venerable charity makes major changes to stay afloatThe National Conference for Community and Justice has spent the past 78 years fighting prejudice. Now it is fighting for its life. The organization, which for most of its existence was called the…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
Congressional Unit, White House Seek to Curb Abuses of Charity Tax Breaks
Washington Scrutiny of nonprofit organizations continues to escalate, as President Bush and a powerful Congressional committee urged lawmakers to take action on what they identified as dozens of abuses involving charities and foundations. While the $2.6-trillion budget President Bush submitted to…
By Brad Wolverton
Contributor
Chronicle Displayed Left-Leaning Bias
To the Editor: I had trouble turning the pages of my January 20 issue. For some reason, the pages on the left seemed to weigh so much more than the pages on the right. Obviously, politics has an impact on charity and your readers are interested in having you cover those things. However, The…
Don’t Polarize the Nonprofit World
To the Editor: Most thoughtful Americans are appalled by the partisanship that has poisoned our politics, replacing statesmanship with one-upmanship, and compromise with confrontation. William A. Schambra, however, takes the view that divisive demagoguery is a good thing, so good, in fact, that it…
Foundation Group Unfairly Attacked
To the Editor: Pablo Eisenberg’s opinion article, “Grant Makers Need Leadership” (January 6), shows once again why a “scorched earth” strategy is no substitute for facts, reason, and a little research. It offends those who are knowledgeable about the realities of the situation on the ground and…
One Business Maxim to Avoid: ‘Going to Scale’
The application of business concepts in nonprofit groups offers proof of the old adage that a good metaphor frees the mind, then imprisons it. Over the past decade, many principles borrowed from corporate management, venture capital, entrepreneurship, and investment-portfolio management have been…
By Mark R. Kramer
Contributor