To the Editor: I would like to make a clarification concerning the list of Moody’s nonprofit bond ratings that appears in your December 12 issue (“Report Predicts Debt Woes for Charities”). As we state in our report, “Not-for-Profit Institutions Have Mixed Credit Outlook,” these ratings are…
To the Editor: I’m writing in response to the summary of Michael Porter and Mark Kramer’s Harvard Business Review article that appeared in your December 12, 2002, issue (“Press Clippings”). In the article and your summary of it, Cisco System’s Networking Academy is cited as an example of corporate…
Testing Consultants: Not the Way to Hire Veterans
To the Editor: Your excellent article on the use of fund-raising consultants by nonprofit groups (“When Fund Raisers Go Solo,” December 12, 2002) suggested a few thoughts: Fund raising is not the only field in which nonprofit groups can benefit from outside expertise. While an obvious example is…
Confronting Criminal Deeds by the Clergy
Last month’s resignation of Cardinal Bernard F. Law, America’s senior Roman Catholic prelate, and the settlement in New Hampshire of what would have been the first-ever criminal case brought against a diocese, ought to frame a broader debate about crime in the clergy. For a full year now, the…
By Gordon Mehler
Contributor
Tapping Opportunity in Colorado
Foundation uses mining fortune to spur economic developmentColorado Springs Look at the signature building projects here, and one is likely to see the imprint of Spencer Penrose. ALSO SEE:The El Pomar Foundation The Broadmoor Hotel, the Pikes Peak Highway, the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun, the…
By Ben Gose
Senior Editor
Charity consultants can’t perform magic
LETTERS TO THE EDITORTo the Editor: As a longtime independent consultant to nonprofits, I read your article on freelance fund raisers with interest (“When Fund Raisers Go Solo,” December 12). While I agree with the points made by the writer, I feel it’s important to emphasize a few key points: an…
New York’s Proposal on Fund Raising Will Harm Charities
LETTERS TO THE EDITORTo the Editor: I have been in the fund-raising business for nearly 20 years. I am the first to acknowledge that there are enough unethical practitioners in the industry to warrant action by those who are in a position to do something about it. Unfortunately, while the laws and…
The New Congress Should Keep the Estate Tax
When the new Congress convenes in January, permanent repeal of the estate tax is likely to be high on its agenda. But eliminating the tax would have disastrous consequences, not only for the nation’s economy and its democratic ideals, but also for its long tradition of charitable giving. We should…
By CHUCK COLLINS
Contributor
Bush’s executive order loosens federal restraints on religious charitiesPresident Bush’s decision last month to order the federal government to loosen restraints on religious charities that seek and obtain federal money means that Mr. Bush has accomplished with the stroke of a pen much of what…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
‘Ivory tower’ label doesn’t fit
To the Editor: I feel compelled to respond to Edward Able’s letter (“Defending Independent Sector,” October 31) which criticizes my article on Independent Sector (“What Independent Sector Should Look For in a New CEO,” September 19) not because he is critical of my views but because he implies that…