The following awards have been presented for work in advocacy, fund raising, nonprofit leadership, philanthropy, and other areas. Arts. Americans for the Arts (Washington) has presented its Philanthropy in the Arts award to Raymond D. Nasher, who established the Dallas Business Committee for the…
IRS Denies Deduction for Gift by Estate
An estate cannot take a charitable deduction for making a gift that was first made to the deceased person’s sister, who is a nun, and then to the religious order of which the nun is a member, the Internal Revenue Service has ruled in a case in which it did not identify the people involved. At issue…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
Teresa Heinz Kerry Provides Charitable-Giving Figures
The campaign of the Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry said in a statement that the candidate’s wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, was responsible for more than $4.6-million in charitable contributions that were distributed last year, primarily through grants made by the Heinz Family Foundation.…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
IRS Seeks Penalties for Church Politicking
The national office of the Internal Revenue Service has ruled that penalties should be imposed on a church that the tax agency says has engaged in politicking. But the government has stopped short of revoking the church’s tax exemption. At issue was whether the church should lose its charity status…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
Watchdog Watch: Alley Cat Allies and More
Following are summaries of recent reports by the BBB Wise Giving Alliance. This private group reports on whether charities meet standards for fund raising, governance, financial management, and public information. The alliance does not approve or disapprove of charities, and urges potential donors…
Study on How Museums Facilitate Learning
Listening In on Museum Conversations, by Gaea Leinhardt and Karen Knutson, discusses the findings of the Museum Learning Collaborative, a six-year project that asked scholars to evaluate how much education people receive at museums. The study combined sociocultural theories with the recorded…
By Caroline Preston
Contributor
Survey Examines Pay in the Nonprofit Field
Compensation in Nonprofit Organizations, 17th Edition, by Steven Langer, reports on a survey of more than 2,300 nonprofit organizations and the pay they offer their employees. Steven Langer, a benefits consultant, in Crete, Ill., finds that the best-paid nonprofit employees are chief executive…
By Caroline Preston
Contributor
Report Urges Forward-Looking Approach to Combating HIV/AIDS Abroad
Addressing the HIV/AIDS Pandemic: A U.S. Global AIDS Strategy for the Long Term, edited by Princeton N. Lyman and Daniel M. Fox, is a report on a project by the Council on Foreign Relations and the Milbank Memorial Fund, in collaboration with the Open Society Institute, that evaluated the…
By Caroline Preston
Contributor
Bits: Project Alchemy To Shutter
At the end of the year, Ed Batista plans to step down as executive director of the Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network, in San Francisco, a national organization for individuals, charities, and businesses that provide technology assistance to nonprofit groups. The organization’s board of…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Online Guide Offers Advice on Disaster Recovery
A new guide from the Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York helps charities develop a plan to get their operations back to work quickly after a disaster. The manual, which is available free online, discusses issues nonprofit groups should think through to develop a disaster-recovery plan,…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Web Site Helps Needy Get Discounts on Drugs
A coalition of more than 90 national nonprofit organizations is helping low-income people who receive Medicare benefits enroll in programs to reduce the cost of their prescription medications. Central to the campaign is a Web site, BenefitsCheckUpRx, that alerts potential applicants to the…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Federal Technology Program Awards $14.4-Million
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Technology Opportunities Program has awarded grants totaling $14.4-million to 27 nonprofit organizations and state and local governments. Since 1994, the program has awarded grants for innovative technology projects in education, health care, economic development,…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Charity Leader Helps Disparate Groups Resolve Conflicts Through Talking
Baltimore By Mary E. Medland It is a few minutes before 7 a.m. on a Thursday, and Lauren Abramson, executive director of the Community Conferencing Center, is already on her cellphone chatting with a staff member while meandering back and forth between her living room and front porch. Her home is…
By Mary E. Medland
Contributor
Preventing Violence: Resources for Charities
By Rebecca Gardyn Critical Incident and Violence Intervention League. Intended for employees of the National Institutes ALSO SEE:Keeping Workers Safe of Health, this Web site (http://civil.nih.gov) includes practical information for supervisors on the topic of violence on the job. National Center…
Security measures have become a priority at some organizationsAs she prepared to leave her charity’s New York headquarters for a conference in Washington this summer, Denalerie ALSO SEE:Preventing Violence: Resources for Charities Johnson-Mullen placed a notice on the front door informing the…
By Rebecca Gardyn
Contributor