Charity Work Isn’t the Solution for All Older Americans
As the oldest of the 78 million baby boomers approach retirement, more and more people are promoting ways to get older Americans involved in volunteering with nonprofit and other organizations to help fill unmet community and social needs. Compared with the apocalyptic scenario, favored by the news…
By Marty Martinson
Contributor
Baby Boomers Seek a Purposeful Direction in Later Life, Study Finds
What do baby boomers want? Many charities and foundations have been asking that question now that the oldest members of the generation that is expected to redefine retirement are entering their 60s. Do they plan to work or volunteer for nonprofit groups, or to look for programs to stimulate them…
By SUZANNE PERRY
Contributor
Offer by iTunes Benefits Charity Work in Darfur
Customers at iTunes, the online music site, can download new versions of classic John Lennon songs and help victims of the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. Amnesty International is using music to raise awareness about — and much-needed money for — the conflict, which has killed more than 300,000…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Database Offers New Hope in Tuberculosis Fight
A new database could be an important tool in the battle against tuberculosis. Scientists finished sequencing the genome of the tuberculosis bacterium in 1998. Through a process called expression profiling, they can analyze infected tissue samples and determine which of the bacterium’s 4,000 genes…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Rockefeller Foundation Offers ‘Ideas Portal’
The Rockefeller Foundation has been testing something it calls an ideas portal on its Web site, which provides visitors with an online form through which they can share thoughts about problems they would like to see the foundation tackle and specific projects it should support. More than 1,700…
By Debra E. Blum
Contributor
IBM Collaborates With Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy and IBM hope to harness the power of technology to conserve the world’s great rivers. By working together, the charity and the information-technology giant plan to develop a computer-modeling system that will bring together multiple sets of data about water quantity, climate,…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Charity thrives on zealous pursuit of church-state separationMembers of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a charity that advocates ALSO SEE: TEXTBOX: Freedom From Religion Foundation the strict separation of church and state, go by a variety of labels: atheists, agnostics, nonbelievers,…
By Debra E. Blum
Contributor
United Way of America Plans Big Increase in Program to Strengthen Family Finances
United Way of America announced last week that it is creating a program to help low- and moderate-income people improve their finances, saying millions of Americans are struggling to survive in an economy marked by growing income inequality. The giant social-service group said it would increase its…
By SUZANNE PERRY
Contributor
Tips on how to get hired by a foundation.
Foundations tend to operate in an insular fashion and develop strong internal cultures that can be difficult to break into.
When is it appropriate for a volunteer to ask for compensation?
If the organization is relying on volunteers so much for fund-raising support, it may well be time for it to consider employing a paid fund raiser.
By Rebecca Gardyn
Contributor
The following awards have been presented for work in advocacy, fund raising, nonprofit leadership, philanthropy, and other areas: Community service. The Marin Community Foundation (Novato, Calif.) has presented its 2007 Beryl H. Buck Awards for Achievement to Ana Maria Ramirez, who will receive…
‘Portfolio’: Cultural Patronage
As competition to attract donors intensifies, many arts groups are increasingly offering patrons an opportunity to support particular artists, says Portfolio magazine (May). “For some wealthy donors, it is no longer enough to see one’s name in the program or even etched into the wall of a symphony…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
‘Weekly Standard’: Growth of Charities
While both liberal and conservative idealogues have declared the surge in the size and wealth of the nonprofit world in the last 30 years a threat to aspects of American society, such fears are overblown, says Gerard Alexander in The Weekly Standard (April 23). In his article for the conservative…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Bits: Fenton Communications Purchases Donordigital
Fenton Communications, a consulting company in New York that advises nonprofit organizations, foundations, and other advocacy groups, has purchased Donordigital, a consulting company in San Francisco that helps nonprofit organizations with their online fund raising and advocacy. The merger goes…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Nominations Sought for Technology Awards
The ePhilanthropy Foundation is accepting nominations for the 2007 International ePhilanthropy Awards, which honor innovative uses of the Internet for fund raising, membership, and activism. A new award will honor the best Web site or online campaign designed for older adults. Winners will receive…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Verizon Gives $31-Million for Education Web Site
Over the next three years, the Verizon Foundation, in Washington, will put $31-million toward its Thinkfinity.org educational and literacy program. The site provides more than 50,000 free lesson plans for elementary- and secondary-school students developed by leading educational institutions,…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor