Speaking Up for Those Who Speak Out
Four years ago, when Teresa Chambers told The Washington Post that the nation’s monuments and parklands were less secure than they had been in previous years because fewer police were available to patrol them, she never thought her job as police chief of the U.S. Park Police would hang in the…
By Michael Anft
Contributor
This fall’s hurricanes test changes made by relief charities By Caroline PrestonKay W. Wilkins, who leads the Southeast Louisiana Chapter of the American Red Cross, spent Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath isolated from most of her employees, learning only days after the storm hit that it had…
By Caroline Preston
Contributor
Sheila Dobson, 55, grew up with so much poverty, neglect, and family tragedy that her own alcoholism and mental illness weren’t effectively treated until she was well into her 40s. At different times, Ms. Dobson turned to Ingraham, a charity in Portland that offered her crisis counseling and…
By Lee Burnett
Contributor
In the Portland, Ore., metropolitan area, the challenge was clear: More than 300,000 people lacked health insurance, a number only likely to climb, given a weakening economy and national trends. Such uninsured people usually end up relying on charity care — physicians and hospitals that provide…
By Alison Stein Wellner
Contributor
Ruby White, like a lot of other elderly homeowners in the Atlanta area, was house-rich but cash-poor, living on $1,143 a month from Social Security and other benefits. She refinanced her home in the fall of 2006 for some extra cash to make repairs. But the terms of her refinance required her to pay…
By Cassie J. Moore
Contributor
Scanning this year’s budget numbers for the Children’s Theatre of Charlotte, it is hard to find any evidence of the economic downturn that has so many nonprofit leaders wringing their hands. Attendance at performances has risen 40 percent over the past two years. Unrestricted gifts
By Eric Frazier
Contributor
Long before the latest national economic slowdown, this industrial town, where General Motors was founded a century ago, started to face tough times. Flint has lost more than 80,000 auto-manufacturing jobs since the 1980s, as domestic carmakers trimmed the size of their staffs and moved jobs…
By BRENNEN JENSEN
Contributor
Academics in Motion (New York): Appointed Jim Presbrey, co-founder of the organization and chief executive officer of Extra Hands and the Jack Orchard ALS Foundation (St. Louis), to be vice president. Academics in Motion promotes students’ participation in sports as a way to boost academic…
The Internal Revenue Service has released the latest version of its Form 990-EZ — the short version of its informational tax form that is used by small charities — and its instructions. The updated form takes effect for the 2008 tax year. The tax agency said the revised Form 990-EZ is similar to…
By Eric Kelderman, Peter Panepento and Paul Fain
Jamie Gaskin led the effort to revive Flint’s Boys & Girls Club. (Photograph by Santa Fabio, for The Chronicle)
Guidelines for creating a shared job at a charity
You have to have an apples-to-apples comparison between the two.
By EMAN QUOTAH
Contributor
The following awards have been presented for work in advocacy, fund raising, nonprofit leadership, philanthropy, and other areas: Aging. The American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (Washington) has presented its 2008 Award of Honor to Laverne R. Joseph, president and chief…
Advice on finding a low-stress position in fund raising
Q. There was a time I loved what I did; a career in philanthropy was a calling. But now I have a health condition that makes it difficult to handle the stress and long hours expected from development directors. Any advice on a new direction I can take and still stay in the nonprofit field? A. The…
By EMAN QUOTAH
Contributor
Onetime Aerospace Supervisor Finds New Mission in Nonprofit World
About 10 years ago, I decided to leave the stress of the corporate world behind. My departure was bittersweet: I had entered the aerospace industry after a divorce and had worked my way up the ladder from entry-level work to a position as material supervisor for Gulfstream Aerospace, in Long Beach,…
By Nikki Conkings
Contributor
Cancer Survivor Helps Others Find the Road to Recovery
I was born in Corcoran, which was a town of about 5,000 people in California’s San Joaquin Valley. My mother had been born there, and my father came when his family purchased a ranch in the valley. Pretty much the only industry in the valley was agriculture. I was a competitive swimmer from a young…
Interactive Timeline Tells Charity’s 50-Year History
To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the Education Development Center, in Newton, Mass., has created an interactive timeline that draws on photography, audio, and video to tell the story of its work in education and health promotion. The organization has focused much of its energy on curriculum…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor