A New York man has pleaded guilty to criminal charges of acting as a professional fund raiser without registering with state authorities as required by New York law. Dominic J. D’Alfonso, of North Syracuse, acknowledged that his company, Upstate Telemarketing, had solicited donations for at least…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
9/11 Disaster Fund Set to Award Grants
The American Red Cross plans to solicit proposals from nonprofit organizations nationwide for a $50-million program to help people affected by the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The effort will draw upon funds from the Red Cross’s Liberty Disaster Fund, which was established after the…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
United States Ranks Below the Netherlands and Norway on New Civil-Society Index
The world’s most highly developed voluntary sectors are in the Netherlands and Norway, according to a new index ALSO SEE: Ranking of Countries by Health of Nonprofit Groups that ranks 34 countries according to the scope and influence of their nonprofit institutions and organizations. The United…
By Stephen G. Greene
Contributor
Charity Watchdog Group Unveils Plan to Bring Evaluation Process Online
Next month the BBB Wise Giving Alliance, a charity watchdog group, will start using a new online system to collect and evaluate charity data -- a move that the organization hopes will allow it to increase significantly the number of charity reports it issues. The alliance evaluates charities based…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Foundation Endowments Grew 17% in 2003, New Study Finds
Foundation endowments grew by 17 percent last year, according to a new study by the Commonfund Institute. The study, ALSO SEE: » Related tables: Foundation Endowments based on data from 272 private, community, and public foundations, said foundations had average losses of 8.7 percent in 2002.…
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor
Charities Say Congressional Plans Could Put the Brakes on Car Donations
Washington Nonprofit groups that benefit from car-donation programs are scrambling to preserve what has become a small but steady source of income while responding to Congressional concern that donors are claiming inflated deductions and that charities are getting too little financial benefit.…
By Lauren Kafka
Contributor
Overhauling Oversight of Charities and Foundations: Key Ideas Offered by Senate Aides
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST:Ideas raised by Senate aides: Laws designed to prevent conflicts of interest and “self-dealing” among foundations would also apply to charities. Penalty fees for those found guilty of legal abuses would be increased. Current law: Although charities are covered by provisions to…
Senate panel offers 200 ideas for revising nonprofit regulationWashington In one of the most sweeping Congressional discussions of nonprofit groups in the past two decades, key senators ALSO SEE:Overhauling Oversight of Charities and Foundations: Key Ideas Offered by Senate Aides and nonprofit…
By Brad Wolverton
Contributor
Groups Once Tied to Nader Now Steer Clear of Controversial Candidate
Ralph Nader has founded dozens of civic-action groups in his career, including Clean Water Action and ALSO SEE:» Related articles: about Charities and Elections the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. But most of the organizations he helped to start make no mention of Mr. Nader or his presidential…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
Charities’ Election Defections
The contentious presidential race has prompted many donors to redirect their contributions to politicsJanine Kraus, a fund raiser at the Coral Reef Alliance, thought she was about to pull off a major coup this ALSO SEE:» Related articles: about Charities and Elections spring by securing a $35,000…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
What charities can learn from political campaigns about raising funds and rallying supporters onlineEach month, 5,000 to 10,000 people who regularly read the Heritage Foundation’s news and opinion Web site ALSO SEE:» Related articles: about Charities and Elections meet in person in 150 cities to…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Cost of Door-to-Door Canvassing is $19 Per Vote, Research Finds
A new book financed in part by the Pew Charitable Trusts is helping foundations and charities figure ALSO SEE:» Related articles: about Charities and Elections out how best to spend money to persuade a higher percentage of Americans to vote this November. Donald P. Green and Alan S. Gerber, two…
By Stephen G. Greene
Contributor
Nonprofit Group Turns the Tables on ‘Election Monitoring’
For many Americans, the phrase “election monitoring” conjures images of former President Jimmy Carter ALSO SEE:» Related articles: about Charities and Elections traveling abroad to observe the first vote of a fledgling democracy. But a project headed by a human-rights organization in California is…
By Ben Gose
Senior Editor
Grant makers and others step up registration effortsWith memories of the razor-thin 2000 presidential election still fresh in their minds, many grant makers ALSO SEE:» Related articles: about Charities and Elections and other donors are supporting efforts to bring more Americans to the polls in…
By Ben Gose
Senior Editor
Advancing Women Professionals and the Jewish Community (New York): Appointed Audra P. Berg, director of individual giving at the 92nd Street Y (New York), to be program director. AFS International (New York): Appointed Leslie E. Bains, senior vice president at HSBC North America (New York), to be…