Key Tax Official Plans to Step Down
Roger Colinvaux, legislation counsel to the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation, has announced he is leaving his post at the end of April. He accepted a teaching job at Catholic University of America’s law school, in Washington. Mr. Colinvaux helped shepherd key legislation for nonprofit…
By Sam Kean
Contributor
Former Scout Leader Takes Charge of a War Museum
A Civil War museum founded in 1865 by Union officers plans a big makeover by the end of the 21st century’s first decade. ALSO SEE: BIO: About Sharon A. Smith, president, the Civil War Museum of Philadelphia Currently housed in a small Philadelphia townhouse, the Civil War and Underground Railroad…
By Sandy Asirvatham
Contributor
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (Frederick, Md.): Appointed Emily Brockwell, market-data analyst at the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, to be philanthropic-research coordinator; Amanda Jankowski, production manager for Homes & Land Magazine (Tallahassee, Fla.), to be coordinator for the…
Most Cases of Charity Fraud Could Be Prevented, Study Finds
Most cases of employee fraud at charities stem from a lack of proper internal controls that deter theft, and those cases are further compounded by lax efforts to recover financial losses when the fraud is discovered, according to a new study. The report — based on an analysis of 2004 data from the…
By Peter Panepento
Contributor
The misuse of nonprofit organizations to shield income or provide fake tax breaks has once again appeared on the Internal Revenue Service’s “dirty dozen,” the agency’s annual list of the top 12 tax scams in the United States. Most of the abuse stems from people giving money or property to charities…
By Peter Panepento and Sam Kean
IRS Asks Charities to Help Promote Tax Rebates
The Internal Revenue Service is asking nonprofit organizations to help publicize the government’s tax-rebate program and to make sure that all people eligible to receive a rebate know how to claim it. Many Americans will receive a rebate of up to $600 each as part of the federal government’s recent…
By Sam Kean
Contributor
Google Offers New Site for Nonprofit Groups
The Internet search company Google has opened a new portal for nonprofit groups that explains how to adopt Google features and software for charitable work. The available tools include an e-mail program, mapping software, blog software, tools to analyze Internet traffic, and a grants search engine,…
By Sam Kean
Contributor
The following awards have been presented for work in advocacy, fund raising, nonprofit leadership, philanthropy, and other areas: Arts. Carnegie Hall (New York) has presented its Medal of Excellence to Terry J. Lundgren, chief executive officer of Macy’s, the department-store chain based in New…
Three-Fourths of Job Seekers Urge Changes at Charities, Study Finds
By Suzanne Perry More than 60 percent of nonprofit job seekers in a new survey said they planned to work for nonprofit groups for ALSO SEE: ARTICLE: Benefits for Nonprofit Job Seekers: What Matters Most After Salary and Health Insurance at least 10 more years, and 82 percent said they would like to…
By SUZANNE PERRY
Contributor
An Advocate for Victims of Violence Pleads for More Support
It wasn’t supposed to be a permanent job. In 1982, Milwaukee’s Sojourner Truth House — at the ALSO SEE: ARTICLE: About Kathie Stolpman, former executive director, Sojourner Truth House time, a shelter for victims of domestic violence that also offered treatment for abusers — was dealing with a…
By Mary E. Medland
Contributor
Report Looks at How ‘Conversion Foundations’ Work and Interact With Community
NEW BOOKS Connecting to Community and Building Accountability: Findings From the 2006 Survey of Foundations Formed From Health Care Conversions looks at the operations and governance of 107 so-called conversion foundations that were created when nonprofit health-care groups became for-profit…
By Anne W. Howard
Contributor
Report Encourages Foundations to Speak Up to Influence Public Policy
NEW BOOKS Communicating for Policy Change explores how grant makers can work to influence public policy through marketing and news-media outreach. The report, which draws its advice from conversations with 90 health grant makers, discusses how foundations should plan, develop, and deliver their…
By Anne W. Howard
Contributor
IRS Plans Close Look at Charity Business Activities
The Internal Revenue Service will be paying increased attention to nonprofit organizations that raise money through business activities to make sure that the law requiring them to pay tax on the income is working as Congress intended, said a key official of the tax agency. The revenue service wants…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
Law on Vehicle Gifts Produces Mixed Results
In a new report, the Government Accountability Office has found that charities have had mixed experiences with donations of cars and other vehicles after a 2005 law altered how much donors could deduct for such gifts. Before January 1, 2005, donors could claim a tax break equal to the fair market…
By Sam Kean
Contributor
Lawmaker Challenges IRS on Obama Church Inquiry
Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman is challenging the Internal Revenue Service’s investigation into allegations that the United Church of Christ violated federal laws on electioneering and is asking the IRS to explain why it began the inquiry. Mr. Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, said he found the…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
Charities Eye New Uses for Cellphone Messages
Text messages to mobile phones are going to become an increasingly important way for nonprofit organizations to reach out to their supporters, several speakers told participants at the Nonprofit Technology Conference. More than 1,100 charity technology officials, consultants, and company…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor