Charities Get Ready to Put Millions of Federal Volunteers to Work
The votes by both houses of Congress last month to approve a big expansion of national and community-service programs left nonprofit leaders and other champions of the plan feeling euphoric. With President Obama’s support, the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act was passed by large majorities of…
By SUZANNE PERRY
Contributor
Majority of Charities Face Financial Stress, Survey Finds
The recession is undermining the financial health of nonprofit groups, nearly a third of which ended last year with a deficit, according to a new survey. Sixty-two percent of charities have less than three months’ worth of cash on hand to cover costs, and just 16 percent expect to be able to pay…
By Caroline Preston
Contributor
IRS Count of American Charities Can’t Tell How Many Are Active, Defunct, or Dormant
Trying to divine what the nonprofit world will look like when the economy finally stabilizes is a challenge. Even today, experts don’t have a good estimate of how many charities are operating as opposed to existing merely in the files of the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS reported in March that…
By Ben Gose
Senior Editor
For years, many foundation leaders and nonprofit experts have argued that the nonprofit world is bloated and in bad need of consolidation. The deep recession seems likely to fulfill that vision — even though few people are taking any joy from what will surely be a painful process. Many charities…
By Ben Gose
Senior Editor
ALS Association (Calabasas Hills, Calif.): Appointed Jane H. Gilbert, senior vice president for chapter operations at the American National Red Cross (Washington), to be president and chief executive officer. American Cancer Society (Atlanta): Appointed Mady Schuman, former fund raiser at…
The latest on which causes are hot with grant makers
Reginald Jones, executive director of the Steans Family Foundation, in Chicago, says his foundation has shifted its focus from broad social services in one city neighborhood to overhauling and strengthening education there.
Meeting other nonprofit workers who have come from the business world
If you prefer to find like-minded people the old-fashioned way, try calling your local United Way.
Fiscal Sponsorships Help Programs Keep Costs Down
A new online tool may help make it easier for groups to work together and avoid the hassle of duplicating financial and administrative services. The tool is intended to promote so-called fiscal sponsorships. Under such arrangements, a nonprofit organization accepts money donated to a program or…
By Darlene M. Siska
Contributor
Youth Charities Work Together on Planned Giving
Too often, the expense and complexity of seeking bequests and other planned gifts put the fund-raising technique out of reach for local social-service organizations. But in the New York area, three youth charities are joining forces to try to surmount the obstacles. “It’s a very important area as…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Terrance Keenan, Health Grant Maker
Age at death: 85 Major philanthropy job: Vice president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. In 1972, he became one of the foundation’s first employees. He worked there until he retired in 2003, and continued to serve as a consultant until his death. How he made his mark: Mr. Keenan was “revered…
Laid Off Executive Ponders Lower-Level Job
Q. I am considering accepting a position that is less important than the senior director position I lost last month. Do I add this new job to my rsum while I continue to look for an executive position? A. You face a difficult dilemma, having lost your job during a time when layoffs are becoming…
By EMAN QUOTAH
Contributor
NAACP’s Youthful New President Eyes Its Future
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People celebrates its centennial this year. As it heads into its second century, the person the storied civil-rights organization has chosen to lead it is the charity’s youngest president ever: Benjamin Jealous, who is 36. While a fresh face…
By BRENNEN JENSEN
Contributor
Charities Urged to Disclose More Data on Operations
Most nonprofit groups’ Web sites do not offer enough detailed information about the organizations’ finances, programs, and leadership, according to a new report that documents how much information charities disclose online. The findings suggest that charities need to better respond to donors’…
By Debra E. Blum
Contributor
N.Y. and Washington Nonprofit Groups Have Recession Jitters, Survey Reveals
Among nonprofit organizations in the Washington and New York metropolitan areas, staff members who run programs are most likely to be laid off this year, while fund raisers at those charities are most likely to see their ranks increase, according to a pair of new surveys on nonprofit salaries. The…
By HEATHER JOSLYN
Contributor
GuideStar Unveils Web-Site Changes
GuideStar has revamped its online repository of charity data to make it easier for groups to post more information. Organizations can for the first time add logos, photographs, and videos to their profiles on GuideStar, and the site now offers an easy way for groups to upload key documents, such as…
By Debra E. Blum
Contributor
Software Preserves Native Languages
A New Mexico charity is harnessing modern tools in the struggle to revitalize some very old and endangered languages. Of the more than 400 languages that were once spoken by Native Americans in the United States, roughly 175 are still spoken today, according to Inée Yang Slaughter, executive…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor