Guidelines on the Informational Tax Forms for Private Foundations
What You Should Know Before Signing Your Organization’s 990-PF: A Guide for Foundation Officers, by John Edie, offers advice designed to help foundation employees review their institution’s tax returns. The report suggests it is particularly important to scrutinize tax forms because of increased…
By Jessica Kronstadt
Contributor
Pitfalls for Corporate Foundations to Avoid
Top 10 Ways Corporate Foundations Get Into Trouble, by Ellen Bryson and Andrew Schulz, describes some common missteps that corporate foundations make and gives advice for avoiding them. Ms. Bryson, director of governing-board programs, and Mr. Schulz, deputy general counsel, both at the Council on…
By Jessica Kronstadt
Contributor
Ensuring Smooth Transitions in Organizational Leadership
Capturing the Power of Leadership Change: Using Executive Transition Management to Strengthen Organizational Capacity, by Tom Adams, discusses the challenges and opportunities associated with the departure of a current and the hiring of a new executive director. Mr. Adams, president and senior…
By Jessica Kronstadt
Contributor
IRS Issues Ruling on Joint Ventures
The IRS has issued a revenue ruling that explains how charities should structure their business partnerships to maintain their tax exemptions. Revenue rulings from the IRS are designed to help the public by stating the government’s official position on aspects of tax law. The ruling offers the…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
Treasury Asks Charities for Antiterror Advice
After meeting with representatives of about 30 nonprofit groups last month, the U.S. Department of the Treasury has asked the participants to work together to propose ways for the department to crack down on nonprofit efforts to finance terrorists without hurting legitimate charitable activities.…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Senate Passes Limits on Charity Write-Offs
The Senate has passed legislation intended to prevent individuals and companies from taking overly generous deductions for their donations of cars, intellectual property, and other noncash items, and to encourage people to report those who make such inflated claims to the Internal Revenue Service.…
By Brad Wolverton
Contributor
Patience Turns Mother’s Quest for Information Into $2.5-Million Charity
I’m the oldest of eight children, and since my parents worked outside the home, I was often left in charge. One of the things I quickly discovered is that if I didn’t get my brothers and sisters to see my position and to come to a
Watchdog Group Criticizes Charity
A charity watchdog organization has accused the Christian Children’s Fund, an international child-sponsorship group in Richmond, Va., of misleading donors, saying that despite its name the group is actually a secular organization. In a “Donor Alert” sent by e-mail to about 2,500 subscribers and…
In a decision that won praise from nonprofit groups, the Federal Election Commission voted this month to delay action on a proposed regulation that could have subjected charities and other nonprofit organizations to the fund-raising restrictions of federal campaign-finance law (The Chronicle, April…
Ex-United Way CEO Gets Jail Sentence
A federal judge has ordered Oral Suer, former chief executive of the United Way of the National Capital Area, in Washington, to serve 27 months in jail -- the maximum sentence -- for his role in a financial scandal that rocked the charity. In March, Mr. Suer pleaded guilty to two felony charges…
A Disaster Movie About Global Warming Prompts Flurry of Nonprofit Promotions
In the span of five days, an abrupt freeze causes New York City to be covered in a sheet of ice while Los Angeles is razed by tornadoes. As those disasters unfold in The Day After Tomorrow, a 20th Century Fox movie that opens in theaters on Memorial Day weekend, environmental groups will be trying…
By Leah Kerkman
Contributor
Nonprofit Business Ventures Often Must Overcome Obstacles
New York Starting a nonprofit business venture isn’t easy -- even with $100,000 in seed capital ALSO SEE:Turning Music Into MoneyWinners of Yale Business-Plan Contest for Charities and expert consulting help. That was the message that the more than 460 participants heard at the second National…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Critical acclaim has yet to translate into commercial success for a charity’s for-profit record labelPittsburgh Shortly after the nonprofit Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild started its own for-profit record label, its ALSO SEE:Nonprofit Business Ventures Often Must Overcome ObstaclesWinners of Yale…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
American Diabetes Association (Alexandria, Va.): Appointed Lynn B. Nicholas, president and chief executive officer of the Louisiana Hospital Association (Baton Rouge), to be chief executive officer, effective July 1. She will succeed Caroline A. Stevens, who has served as interim chief executive…
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…
Winners of Yale Business-Plan Contest for Charities
Following are winners and finalists in the business-plan competition organized by the Yale School of Management-Goldman Sachs Foundation Partnership on Nonprofit Ventures: TOP WINNERS: $100,000 EACH Coastal Enterprises Inc. (Portland, Me.) Dakota Area Resources and Transportation for Seniors (West…