The timing of the alleged fraud committed by Bernard L. Madoff could not have been worse. With just weeks left in what was already shaping up as one of the most challenging fund-raising years ever for charities, Mr. Madoff reportedly admitted on December 11 that his investment-management business…
By Ben Gose
Senior Editor
Grants to Help Alleviate the Nation’s Financial Woes: a Sampling
Bank of America Charitable Foundation
As more states slash their budgets, charities fear financial falloutDevastating. That’s the one-word heading that appeared on a recent report by the Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute, a group that analyzes the effect of the state budget on lowand medium-income residents. As the recession…
By SUZANNE PERRY
Contributor
A Plea for Nonprofit Priorities
When President Franklin D. Roosevelt put together the New Deal in his bid to lift the country out of the Great Depression, he created the Civilian Conservation Corps, a program that employed people on projects to protect and improve the country’s parks and other natural resources. As…
By SUZANNE PERRY
Contributor
A group that serves adults with mental disabilities in California is rushing to find a new lender after a financial-services company abruptly pulled a line of credit that the charity taps monthly to pay salaries until state grant money arrives. An arts organization in the Northeast has been forced…
By Debra E. Blum
Contributor
Despite strong attendance at many nonprofit museums and theaters in recent months, arts charities around the country are laying off workers or declaring hiring freezes and cutting other expenses in response to a falloff in support from companies, individuals, and governments. And most are bracing…
By Sue Hoye
Contributor
Survival Tips for Cash-Strapped Arts Groups
Arts experts say that communicating to the public the value of arts and culture is more important than ever for the survival of these institutions. They offer the following suggestions for steps groups can take now to get through these tough financial times and be ready to go full speed when the…
By Sue Hoye
Contributor
To many people, South Florida evokes idyllic images of sand, surf, and relaxation. Scratch that surface, however, and the reality for many residents is far more complex. “People had thought that Florida was recession-proof,” says Barbara Witte, vice president for philanthropic services at the…
By MARTY MICHAELS
Contributor
The December morning was damp and gray here when the Robin Hood Foundation held a special meeting in a ninth-floor conference room at its Manhattan offices. The principal speaker was Lucy Cabrera, president of the Food Bank for New York City, a charity that supplies more than 1,000 emergency…
By BRENNEN JENSEN
Contributor
Mozart’s “Jupiter” symphony was on the program of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra’s November 15 performance, but the intricate piece was not what most concertgoers were talking about afterward. That’s because, during intermission, the president of the symphony’s board stood up and made a…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Charities Brace for a Tough Year and Seek Role in Recovery Plan
Perhaps no other year-end fund-raising season has been watched as carefully and nervously as the one that just closed. While the last quarter is always important for filling charity coffers, it was perhaps even more important in 2008 as a bellwether of just how difficult the coming year will be for…
Recession Hits Arts Groups Especially Hard
Despite generally strong attendance at many nonprofit museums and theaters in recent months, many arts charities around the country are laying off workers or adopting hiring freezes and cutting other expenses in response to a falloff in donations from companies, individuals, and governments. And…
By Sue Hoye
Contributor
Tips for starting a charity endowment from scratch
Creating an endowment is not an activity for fledgling charities.
Foundations And Charities That Lost Investments In The Madoff Scandal
FOUNDATIONS AND CHARITIES THAT LOST INVESTMENTS IN THE MADOFF SCANDAL Foundations Picower Foundation $958-million JEHT Foundation Distributed $20- to $30-million per year Chais Family Foundation $178-million Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family Foundation $145-million Wolosoff Foundation $38-million Elie…
Weighing ethical questions when considering percentage-based pay
By taking a cut of what you raise, you run the risk of putting personal gain above the mission and the donor.
Older Nonprofit Innovators Recognized for Work That Helps Create Social Change
Six nonprofit workers in their 60s and 70s have been announced as the top winners of the third annual Purpose Prizes, given by Civic Ventures, a nonprofit group in San Francisco that promotes projects that use the skills and experience of older Americans. Each of the prize winners will receive…
By HEATHER JOSLYN
Contributor