Red Cross Gets Chided by Congress
Washington A blistering report issued last week by an 11-member House committee investigating the preparation for Hurricane Katrina and the responses to its devastation focuses primarily on failures by government at all levels, but it also charges that charities were ill-equipped for a disaster of…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Three Large Charities End Solicitations for Katrina Relief as Total Tops $3-Billion
With about $3.2-billion raised to help Hurricane Katrina victims — and contributions still coming in — three of the largest charities that solicited such donations have now stopped raising money for Gulf Coast relief efforts. The American Red Cross, which received nearly $2.12-billion, more than…
By Leah Kerkman
Contributor
Six Months After Katrina, United Way Leader Still Searches for Normalcy in Daily Routine
Ask G. Gary Ostroske, president of the United Way for the Greater New Orleans Area, about his post-Katrina life and he answers with a big sigh. “It’s been a ....” He pauses and releases a breath. “It’s been interesting, I’ll say, in the least.” Mr. Ostroske returned to the Crescent City five months…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Charity leaders strive to adapt to post-Katrina New OrleansNew Orleans Since Sharon Alexis returned here in November, her life has been an almost daily struggle. She spends her time scrubbing the floors of her flood-damaged house, searching for contractors who won’t overcharge her, and calling her…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Higher Numbers for Higher Education
Private donations to colleges and universities rose by 4.9 percent in 2005; Stanford U. raised the mostColleges and universities raised $25.6-billion in private donations last year, a 4.9-percent increase from ALSO SEE: Giving to Colleges and Universities 2004. While it was the second consecutive…
By Erin Strout
Contributor
Couple’s Philanthropy Honors the Achievements of Immigrants
New York Jan T. Vilcek and his wife, Marica, fled Communist Czechoslovakia in 1964 with two suitcases and the names of ALSO SEE: DATABASE: America’s Most-Generous Donors RELATED STORIES: Top Donors of 2005 a few professional contacts in the United States. Now Dr. Vilcek, a New York University…
By Caroline Preston
Contributor
A Lobbyist Prepares to Increase Local Philanthropy in Foundation Role
Starting a new job is always tough. Starting it in the midst of one of life’s storms is even tougher. Such was the case for Andrea Bazan-Manson, 37, the new president of Triangle Community Foundation, in Durham, N.C. She faced an emotional goodbye from El Pueblo, the Latino advocacy organization…
By Scott Westcott
Contributor
Bits: Blackbaud Acquires Campagne Associates
Blackbaud, a company in Charleston, S.C., that makes fund-raising and accounting software for nonprofit organizations, has acquired Campagne Associates, a fund-raising software company in Manchester, N.H., in a $6-million cash deal. Blackbaud says it will continue to provide support for Campagne’s…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
New Book Explores Role of Internet in Social Change
A new book by a former foundation official discusses how nonprofit organizations can use information technology to foster social change, and the obstacles that still stand in the way. In the book, The Dynamics of Technology for Social Change, Jonathan Peizer draws on his experience overseeing the…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Study Seeks to Measure Value of Technology Help
A new study is under way to look at what types of training and other assistance make a difference in helping nonprofit groups make good use of technology. The three-year project will be led by NPower, a national network of 12 nonprofit technology-support organizations, and the Nonprofit Technology…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Telephone Service Links Interpreters and Doctors
Interpreters who can help doctors communicate with patients who speak Haitian Creole, Somali, Twi, and 150 other languages are just a phone call away, thanks to a nonprofit organization in Portland, Ore. The Institute for Cultural Competency uses a sophisticated telephone routing service to join…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Russia’s New Charity Law Is Controversial
A new Russian law regulating nonprofit groups — signed by President Vladimir Putin last month — is ALSO SEE:Advocate Fears Backlash Against Pro-Democracy Groups in Russia drawing protests from some international charities, even though it is less restrictive of foreign charities than would have been…
By SUZANNE PERRY
Contributor
Advocate Fears Backlash Against Pro-Democracy Groups in Russia
Many charity officials have financial or legal woes. But few have troubles that can top those of Irina ALSO SEE:Russia’s New Charity Law Is Controversial Yasina, program director at Open Russia. Her group’s founder, board chairman, and sole donor is in a Siberian penal colony. Prosecutors raided…
By SUZANNE PERRY
Contributor
Mass. Lawmakers Reject Disclosure by Congregations
Lawmakers in Massachusetts have voted down a bill that would have required churches and other houses of worship to file annual financial reports with state authorities in the same manner as other charities. The organizations would also have had to file lists of real-estate holdings. The…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
Hospitals Oppose Plan to Require Charity Care
Nonprofit hospitals in Illinois are fighting a proposal by the state’s attorney general that would require them to spend at least 8 percent of their total operating costs on charity care each year to retain their state tax exemptions. Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who made the proposal last month,…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
Senate Commitee Reviews Oklahoma Trustees’ Pay
Washington The U.S. Senate Finance Committee is questioning whether the trustees of a group of 12 Oklahoma charitable trusts worth $1.6-billion deserve to be paid more than $5-million a year. The committee’s action comes as some state regulators and others have suggested the need for changes in the…
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor