End of Estate Tax Won’t Hurt Giving
To the Editor: Concerning your article “Republicans in Congress Agree on Major Tax-Law Changes” (Tax Watch, August 12), I have never understood why it is better to give a bank $1 instead of giving the government 15 to 40 cents. Similarly, I have never believed that people make gifts primarily…
Insurance Programs Are Not All Alike
To the Editor: Your article on income-producing life-insurance projects (“For Charities, a New Twist in Raising Money: Corporate Investors in Life-Insurance Policies,” August 12) unfairly raised serious concerns about the integrity and credibility of all such projects, and the companies that…
Redrawing the Map of Philanthropy
Friendships, personal contacts, reputations, visibility, access, and poor judgments too often serve to undermine the fairness of foundation giving. So does geography. Many of the poorest areas of the country, often home to large minority populations, are grossly underserved by foundations. States…
By PABLO EISENBERG
Contributor
Beware the Effects of Government Funds on Charities
To the Editor: Jennifer Moore and Grant Williams report that Texas Governor and Republican Presidential front-runner George W. Bush has promised to “get more government money to private institutions, especially faith-based groups” if elected President (“Charity: a Campaign Front-Runner,” August…
Changing the Rules: the Key to Expanding What Works
The people who run successful programs for the most disadvantaged Americans will tell anyone who will listen about the constant struggle to swim upstream. They say that every day they have to be willing to break or bend the rules to get the job done, whether it be to educate or protect our…
By Lisbeth B. Schorr
Contributor
Hollywood-Giving Issue Didn’t Get Its Due
To the Editor: To my mind, The Chronicle greatly underplayed the importance of The Hollywood Reporter’s recent “Philanthropy in Hollywood” issue, for which I was a consultant and wrote the lead article, titled “Where Giving Is Going” (“New Giving Strategies,” Press Clippings, July 29). “Where…
Other Funds Need to Follow Markle’s Lead
To the Editor: I enthusiastically support the decision of Zoë Baird, president of the John and Mary R. Markle Foundation, to give away assets at least twice as fast as the 5 per cent required by law (“Taming the New Frontier,” July 29), and hope it sets a precedent for our nation’s public and…
It’s Time to Tailor Campaign Brochures
To the Editor: Sue Washburn, one of the fund-raising consultants quoted in Marilyn Dickey’s July 29 article “Putting It All Together,” makes a point I have been promulgating for years, often to uncomfortable if not downright resistant clients: The value of glossy campaign brochures is doubtful.…
Consultants: the Cause of Problems
To the Editor: “Putting It All Together” (July 29) provides an excellent primer on pitfalls for non-profit groups to avoid in crafting campaign budgets. However, in my 25-plus years as an in-house fund raiser for educational, health-care, and cultural institutions (both large and small), I have…
Markle’s Bold Bid Leaves Some Big Questions
The John and Mary R. Markle Foundation’s decision to spend $100-million over the next three to five years to finance Internet-related projects (The Chronicle, July 29) is to be commended on many counts. First, by electing to move in such a dramatic new direction, foundation president Zoë Baird and…
By Mark R. Kramer
Contributor