Philanthropy’s Role: Turning Passion Into Partnerships
In philanthropy, passion is not enough. Yes, it was a passion for books that led Andrew Carnegie to establish thousands of public libraries that have nourished millions of Americans’ personal growth and ambition. It was a passion for art that inspired Isabella Stewart Gardner to provide in her will…
By Margaret E. Mahoney
Contributor
Leaders of Black Church Call for Increased Accountability in Wake of Scandal
Church leaders are demanding that one of the nation’s largest black denominations make far-reaching changes in its financial-management practices in the wake of a sex-and-money scandal that led to the criminal conviction and resignation of the group’s president. While leaders of the National…
By Debra E. Blum
Contributor
Court Says IRS Was Right to Strip Church’s Exemption
A federal judge has ruled that the I.R.S. properly pulled the tax exemption of a New York church after it ran newspaper advertisements opposing Bill Clinton as a 1992 Presidential candidate. Under the law, churches and charities must not participate in political campaigns in behalf of, or in…
By Jennifer Moore
Contributor
Story Failed to Disclose Lawyer’s Ties to Case
To the Editor: Grant Williams’s article “A Legal Setback for IRS” (February 25) failed to disclose important facts about Thomas A. Troyer, his clients, and the partisan role he played in the United Cancer Council case as it made its way from the U.S. Tax Court to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the…
Most Hospitals Do Care about Philanthropy
To the Editor: Henry Goldstein’s experience at Millennium Medical Center (“Hospitals Need an Extra Dose of Philanthropy,” February 11) would have been the same at the Cleveland Clinic. We are a health-care organization first and last. A patient would never be approached by a fund raiser at the…
Foundations Must Trust the Experts at Charities
To the Editor: I couldn’t agree with Pablo Eisenberg more (“The ‘New’ Philanthropy Isn’t New -- or Better,” Opinion, January 28). There is a growing and troublesome tendency in foundations today, most prevalent among program officers but increasingly found at senior-executive and board levels as…
Academic Centers Don’t Develop Charity Leaders
Some scholars and other charity observers believe that the rapidly growing number of academic centers that offer graduate programs in non-profit management and fund raising represent the best training ground for the men and women who will lead the non-profit world into the 21st century. Largely in…
By PABLO EISENBERG
Contributor
Many Groups Already Give Kids the Chance to Serve Others
To the Editor: While Deborah Spaide raises important issues (“Charities Must Give Kids the Chance to Serve Others,” My View, February 11), we at the Points of Light Foundation see a different picture of America’s youthful volunteers and the opportunities available to them. Yes, more volunteer…
Grants to Media Projects: More Than Meets the Eye
Next month the Council on Foundations will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a conference whose theme is “Communicating Philanthropy.” That the key organization of grant makers has recognized the importance of communications is encouraging, but it is a shame that so few philanthropies have taken…
By Suzanne Stenson Harmon
Contributor
Conservative Think Tanks Gain Influence and Reshape Social-Issues Debate, Report Says
Conservative think tanks have grown dramatically in size and influence in the past decade, says a new report. They have succeeded not only in helping to win major political battles on social issues but in framing the very dimensions of the national debate. ALSO SEE:America’s Largest Conservative…
By Stephen G. Greene
Contributor