EBay Will Donate Some Auction Fees
Ebay, the popular online auction site where people can buy or sell a John Deere tractor, a Prada handbag, and just about anything else, has announced that it will donate the fees it charges on auctions that benefit charity. For example, if a camera listed on eBay’s Giving Works section sold for…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Charity and foundation leaders sidestep thorniest issues in a report to Senate, critics sayWashington Be bold. Those were the words that Diana Aviv, president of Independent Sector, says she kept in mind over the past few months as she oversaw the work of a national ALSO SEE:TEXT: Encouraging…
By Brad Wolverton
Contributor
Conservation groups move to protect South Asia from future damage -- natural and manmadeThe South Asian tsunamis not only killed more than 200,000 people, but also severely damaged coral reefs, forests, beaches, and marine life. Now many conservation groups ALSO SEE:ARTICLE: $990-Million Raised in…
By SUZANNE PERRY
Contributor
Tobacco Road Block: The Impact of a Grant to Stop Kids From Smoking
In 1999, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation gave $50-million to the National Center for Tobacco-Free Kids -- one of the largest grants made by any foundation ALSO SEE:DATABASE: Giving trends at big foundationsARTICLE: Foundations Inch Up GivingARTICLE: Big Foundations Spent 16 Cents on Overhead for…
By Rebecca Gardyn
Contributor
The following awards have been presented for work in advocacy, fund raising, nonprofit leadership, philanthropy, and other areas. Direct marketing. The Direct Marketing Association Nonprofit Federation (Washington) has given its 2005 Max Hart Achievement Award to Raymond J. Grace, chairman of…
Self-Proclaimed Nerd Uses Her Passion for Research to Nurture Others
I grew up in Black Rock, a suburb of Bridgeport, Conn., and I was one of those nerds who loved science. I didn’t have the slide rule, but I did have the big glasses. When I was 17, I can remember an insurance agent coming to the house and saying, “What do you want to
IRS Reaffirms Grants to Charities That Lobby
The Internal Revenue Service is reassuring private foundations that grants they make to charitable organizations that lobby are permissible under the federal tax code. The tax agency answers 16 questions about foundation grants in a letter to Charity Lobbying in the Public Interest, a nonprofit…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
IRS Audits Not Political, Treasury Report Says
The Internal Revenue Service showed no political bias when it decided last year to audit dozens of charities to see whether they had illegally participated in political campaigns, according to a report by the Treasury Department. But starting the audits just months before Election Day contributed…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
Improving Health Through Marketing
Selling Healthy Lifestyles: Using Social Marketing to Promote Change and Prevent Disease shows grant makers how they can use commercial marketing techniques to encourage healthy living. The report, the product of a meeting last year of grant makers, researchers, and health-care workers coordinated…
By Caroline Preston
Contributor
Guide to Laws and Legal Issues That Affect Nonprofit Groups
The Nonprofit Legal Landscape, edited by Thomas K. Hyatt, is an overview of legal topics relevant to the work of nonprofit directors and managers. Written by lawyers at the firm of Ober/Kaler and produced by BoardSource, the book is intended to help nonprofit leaders avoid legal problems and…
By Caroline Preston
Contributor
Report Calls 2006 Budget ‘Frighteningly Bleak’ for Nonprofit Groups
The Bush FY 2006 Budget From a Nonprofit Perspective argues that cuts in discretionary spending and entitlements, the consolidation of programs, and other cost-trimming measures in the president’s budget will hinder charities’ efforts to help needy people. The report estimates that, after adjusting…
By Caroline Preston
Contributor
Lawsuit Accuses Pa. Charity of Misusing Federal Money
In a challenge to President Bush’s effort to allow more religious groups to gain access to government funds, two civil-liberties organizations have sued a Christian charity in Pennsylvania. Americans United for Separation of Church and State, in Washington, and the American Civil Liberties Union of…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Frustrated by State Budget Cuts, a Longtime Charity Leader Moves On
After 25 years as a nonprofit leader, Eric Stevens decided it was time to shift gears. At 57, he was not ready to retire. But he wanted to pursue his longtime interest in strategic planning and coaching executives in a way that also left time for a healthy personal life. That led him to resign this…
By SUZANNE PERRY
Contributor
Bits: MIT To Host “Grassroots Use of Technology” Conference
A conference called “Grassroots Use of Technology” will be held April 16 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge. The meeting is sponsored by the Organizers’ Collaborative, a group that promotes the use of computers and the Internet as tools for activism. For more information: Go…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Domestic-Abuse Advocates Receive Technology Training
The same technology that can help a woman in a violent relationship seek help -- such as cell phones, e-mail, and the Internet -- can also be misused by abusers and aid their attempts to harass and terrorize their victims. To help decrease the harm women suffer from such harassment, the Wireless…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Online Retailer Offers Charity Innovation Award
Amazon.com has announced a new award to honor nonprofit organizations that are taking innovative approaches to solving problems. Charities will be evaluated on the urgency and relevancy of the problem they seek to solve, the creativity of the strategies they employ, and their record of results.…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor