Al Sigl Center Partners’ Foundation (Rochester, N.Y.): Appointed Karen M. Gaffney, senior associate director of development at the U. of Rochester Medical Center, to be vice president. The foundation raises money for the Al Sigl Center, which serves children with disabilities. American Cancer…
U.S. Representative Adam B. Schiff, a California Democrat, and two other members of Congress have requested a federal investigation into news reports that the IRS conducts reviews of churches and other places of worship based on the content of sermons or other discourse delivered as part of…
By Grant Williams and Elizabeth Schwinn
Albert Ellis Institute (New York): Appointed Robert O’Connell, chief financial officer, to be interim executive director. He succeeds Michael Broder, who has served as interim executive director since 2003 and recently resigned. AMIT (New York): Appointed Arnold Gerson, executive director of the…
Report Advocates Giving General Operating Support
Not All Grants Are Created Equal: Why Nonprofits Need General Operating Support From Foundations, examines the debate over whether foundations should provide more general operating support in place of project-specific grants. Foundations’ willingness to offer general support has been declining…
By Caroline Preston
Contributor
Guide to Services Available for Hurricane Survivors
Gulf Coast Recovery Resource Guide, provides individuals and nonprofit organizations in the Gulf Coast region with advice on where to seek support in recovering from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The guide currently lists 66 charities, government agencies, and other groups that are providing aid,…
By Caroline Preston
Contributor
Unsatisfied Lawyer Finds Fulfillment Helping Interfaith Families
I wasn’t one of those people who knew early on what they wanted to be when they grew up. I’d majored in political philosophy at Yale University. Unfortunately, the job market for philosophy professors when I graduated in the early 1970s was really bad. I couldn’t think of what else I wanted to do.…
‘Barron’s’: The Pros and Cons of Giving
In a special report on philanthropy, Barron’s (November 28) says that the number of U.S. family foundations has burgeoned by more than 60 percent in the past six years, with approximately 33,000 now in operation, although most are modest in size. While family foundations often require a greater…
By Marty Michaels
Contributor
‘Worth’: Preserving Guggenheim’s Legacy
Although his name may not be well-known outside well-heeled circles, Peter Lawson-Johnston has played a quiet but powerful role as heir to the Guggenheim “museum dynasty,” writes Worth magazine (December). In an interview, Mr. Lawson-Johnston, honorary chairman of the Solomon R. Guggenheim…
By Marty Michaels
Contributor
‘Mother Jones’: The Gospel of Giving
Terry Parker didn’t invent donor-advised funds, but he was among the first to realize their potential for Christian fund raising when he founded the National Christian Foundation in 1982, writes Michael Reynolds in Mother Jones magazine (December). The fund appeals to Christian donors by promising…
By Marty Michaels
Contributor
‘BusinessWeek’: America’s Top Donors
Gordon and Betty Moore have “achieved the unthinkable,” says BusinessWeek: They have supplanted Bill and Melinda Gates in the No. 1 position on the magazine’s annual ranking of the 50 most-generous Americans (November 28). In its fourth special report on philanthropy, BusinessWeek estimates that…
By Marty Michaels
Contributor
The following awards have been presented for work in advocacy, fund raising, nonprofit leadership, philanthropy, and other areas. Arts and humanities. President Bush has awarded the 2005 National Humanities Medal to 10 Americans and U.S. institutions for their contributions to the humanities. The…
Teenagers Volunteer at Double the Rate of Adults, Government Study Finds
An estimated 15.5 million teenagers, or 55 percent of young Americans, volunteered last year through religious organizations, youth-leadership groups, schools, or other organizations, a new government report says. That is nearly double the share of adults who volunteer. The report, “Youth Helping…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
Improved Bond Ratings Indicate Financial Stability in Nonprofit World
Bolstered by an improving economy, the financial outlook for nonprofit organizations has improved, according to a new report by Moody’s Investors Service. In 2005, Moody’s elevated the bond ratings for three of the 85 nonprofit groups it evaluates, while not downgrading any. That contrasts with its…
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor
American Charities Protest Plan to Restrict Foreign Nonprofit Groups in Russia
American nonprofit and advocacy groups are putting pressure on Russian lawmakers — including enlisting help from Congress — to persuade them to back down from legislation that would increase state control over nongovernmental organizations. The legislation was introduced by Russian deputies who…
By SUZANNE PERRY
Contributor
Senate’s Effort to Change Charity Tax Breaks Provokes Controversy
Washington Congress has moved a step closer to passing a comprehensive tax bill with provisions — long sought by many nonprofit organizations — that are designed to encourage charitable giving and to cut down on abuses of charity tax laws. But the measure, which was passed by the U.S. Senate,…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
Multiple Missions and a Thousand Ideas
Determined New Jersey homemaker has spent 3 decades building one of the nation’s biggest food banksHillside, N.J. A few minutes before 9 a.m., Kathleen F. DiChiara parks her Volvo station wagon outside the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, a building near Newark’s airport that is the size of seven…
By nicole lewis
Contributor