Recession-weary charities across the country may soon get some relief from an economic-stimulus plan Congress is now crafting. An early version of the plan would spend billions of dollars to bolster a range of federal health and social programs. The measures, unveiled this month by House Democrats,…
By SUZANNE PERRY
Contributor
Admiral Nimitz Foundation (Fredericksburg, Tex.): Appointed retired Gen. Michael W. Hagee, former commandant of the Marine Corps and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Washington), to be executive director. Augustana College (Rock Island, Ill.): Appointed Lynn E. Jackson, vice president for…
Bill Would Raise Rate for Volunteers’ Car Use
Several members of Congress are trying again this year to pass legislation that would increase the tax deduction for people who use their cars, trucks, and other vehicles as part of their volunteer work. Under federal law, volunteers who drive their cars for charitable purposes may deduct 14 cents…
By Grant Williams
Contributor
Technology Conference to Be Held in April
The Nonprofit Technology Conference will take place April 26-28 in San Francisco. Last year’s meeting drew more than 1,100 charity technology officials, consultants, and company representatives. Sessions at the conference — which is organized by the Nonprofit Technology Network — will focus on…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
American Brain Tumor Association (Des Plaines, Ill.): Appointed William R. Fehrman, director of development and major gifts at the U. of Illinois at Chicago, to be director of development. American Farmland Trust (Washington): Appointed Len Doran, managing partner at the Wexford Group (Vienna,…
After years of struggling to connect with donors, World Concern, a Christian charity that does disaster-relief and development work in 29 countries, saw some promising signs early last fall. Donations had grown 5 percent over 2007 for the three months ending in September, thanks in part to a…
By Ben Gose
Senior Editor
The following awards have been presented for work in advocacy, fund raising, nonprofit leadership, philanthropy, and other areas: Corporate giving. The Business Civic Leadership Center of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (Washington) has announced the winners of its 2008 Corporate Citizenship Awards in…
Former Venture Capitalist Helps Prisoners Prepare for Business World
I went straight from graduating from the University of California at Berkeley right into venture-capital investing. I loved it. I made my short career in forcing deals. I was an aggressive and good deal originator. I would call up CEO’s or find them wherever I could, and I was successful in turning…
Onetime Vietnamese Refugee Returns Home to Aid Others
In 1975, Le Nhan Phuong left Vietnam, one of about 2,000 child refugees spirited to America by international aid groups. Today, he has returned to his homeland, but now it is he who is helping others. Dr. Phuong is the newly appointed director of health programs for Atlantic Philanthropies, a…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
25% of Charities Have Changed Investing Policies
More than one out of four nonprofit groups have revised their investment policies within the last year, according to a new survey. That trend is certain to pick up in the coming months, say the researchers who oversaw the report. “We’re starting to capture the reaction of not-for-profits to what is…
By Debra E. Blum
Contributor
Company Enlists Cellphones in Charity’s Text Campaign
The Pepsi Bottling Group is putting its cellphones to work to help recover missing children. The Somers, N.Y., corporation enrolled more than 27,000 company-owned cellphones in the Wireless Amber Alert program, which sends text messages to participants when a child is abducted in their area. The…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Controversy Deepens Over a Former United Way Chief’s Pension Deal
A controversy over leadership and compensation at the United Way of Central Carolinas here has deepened as a new investigation shows that the head of the organization sought to increase her pension benefits significantly, ignored a lawyer’s concerns about possible tax-law violations, and made…
By Eric Frazier
Contributor
IRS Releases Final Version of Form 990, Schedules
The Internal Revenue Service has made public the final Form 990 and its related instructions and schedules, more than 18 months after the first draft of the revised federal financial-disclosure form was released to the public. The new form is the first overhaul of the Form 990 in nearly 30 years…
By Eric Kelderman
Contributor
Groups Seek to Raise Limit on Retirement-Account Gifts
Last year, Congress passed a law allowing people age 70½ or older to donate up to $100,000 from their individual retirement accounts to charity without incurring taxes in 2008 and 2009. But some charity leaders worry that another recent law may deter such gifts because it waives a requirement for…
By Eric Kelderman
Contributor
Charitable Deductions Fell in 2006, Report Says
Deductions for charitable contributions in 2006 declined after adjusting for inflation, according to statistics released by the federal government. Americans deducted $186.6-billion in charitable gifts in 2006, 1.8 percent more than the $183.4-billion in charitable deductions they claimed in the…
By Eric Kelderman
Contributor
Trustees Could Be Held Liable for Decisions in Madoff Case
These are trying times for the boards of charities and foundations that have seen investments evaporate in the Bernard Madoff fraud. But for the board members themselves, things could get even worse. Attorneys general, lawyers representing the very charities the board members serve, and possibly…
By Ben Gose
Senior Editor