Charities Had No Choice but to Take Unions’ Side in California Vote
To the Editor: Leslie Lenkowsky’s recent column puzzling over non-profits’ opposition to California’s Proposition 226 and accusing them of needlessly aligning themselves with unions (“California Vote: Losing Proposition for Charities?,” June 18) misses the mark on a number of critical points.…
Charities and the Shibboleth of Accountability
Rhetoric emanating from public and private sources suggests a big problem with non-profit accountability. In fact, despite a few well-publicized cases to the contrary, there is little evidence of significant wrongdoing or irresponsible behavior by non-profit organizations. Nor is there a lack of…
By Bruce R. Sievers and Bruce Sievers
Charities Breathe Easier After Court Decision on Gift Annuities; Model Law Delayed
Charities that raise money through gift annuities feel a new sense of relief after two recent actions regarding the popular planned-giving vehicles. In late June, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners decided to send back to committee a proposed “model law” on regulating gift…
By Vince Stehle
Contributor
Researchers Spar on Question of How Much Americans Give to Charity
The elusive answer to the question of how much money Americans give to charity is at the core of a flap involving teams of researchers who study that problem. Two scholars at Boston College have concluded that the average U.S. household gave more than $1,000 to charity in 1995 -- the latest year…
By Stephen G. Greene
Contributor
Companies Divided Over Philanthropy’s Impact on Profits
Corporate-giving officers are sharply divided over whether it makes any difference to a business’s bottom line if a company gives to charity. In a Chronicle survey of the largest U.S. companies -- based on revenue rankings by Fortune magazine -- corporate officials were asked to rate their…
By Debra E. Blum and Susan Gray
Fund Already Works With Business on Jobs
To the Editor: In your March 26 issue, Basil J. Whiting calls upon foundations to work with the business sector to address the growing problem of inadequate worker training (“Foundations Must Work With Business on Job Training,” My View). While he praises a few large foundations for early efforts,…
Celebrity Fund Fills a Philanthropic Niche
To the Editor: Thank you for your coverage of the Giving Back Fund (“New Fund Caters to the Philanthropic Wishes of the Rich and Famous,” May 21). I would like to make one correction, as well as to respond to the thoughtful observations offered by Greg Schupra of the Community Foundation for…
Mapping Technology Has Its Limits
To the Editor: In reply to the letter from Daniel Bassill (“General Powell Needs a Battle Map to Fulfill America’s Promise,” May 21), the Waterbury Foundation and the United Way of Central Naugatuck Valley have also used mapping technology to map the after-school programs available in Waterbury’s…
Jewish Ways of Giving Are Not Mutually Exclusive
To the Editor: The Chronicle’s May 21 article “Levi Strauss’s Descendants Help Lead Revolution in Jewish Philanthropy” correctly acknowledges the emergence of independent giving in the Jewish community but somewhat inaccurately asserts that designated giving is sup planting the traditional…
No One Best Approach to Teen-Age Preganancy
To the Editor: I am responding to your article reflecting the growing philosophical gap between “abstinence only” and other programs to prevent teen-age pregnancy (“Helping Kids Not Have Kids,” April 23). The fact is, there is no one best approach to programs to prevent teen-age pregnancy. It is…