A Veteran Direct-Marketing Fund Raiser’s Bright View of the Future
When Max Hart began work at the Disabled American Veterans in 1969, the organization was best known for the gifts it included in its mailed fund-raising appeals -- miniature license plates for motorists’ key rings that were personalized to match the tags on each recipient’s car. The I-dento Tags,…
By Debra E. Blum
Contributor
Congressman Seeks Hearings on Nonprofit Groups
The chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means, Rep. Bill Thomas, wants to hold hearings on the activities of nonprofit organizations to determine if certain groups deserve to keep their tax-exempt status. Mr. Thomas, Republican of California, told a recent gathering of the Federation of…
By Brad Wolverton
Contributor
Charity Measure Gets New Life in Congress
A major charity measure that had stalled in Congress has breathed new life, as two U.S. senators announced that they would add the legislation to a jobs bill that is almost certain to pass the House and Senate. Sen. Rick Santorum, Republican of Pennsylvania, and Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, Democrat…
By Brad Wolverton
Contributor
The following awards have been presented for work in advocacy, fund raising, nonprofit leadership, philanthropy, and other areas. Fund raising. The Association of Fundraising Professionals (Alexandria, Va.) has announced the following recipients of its 2004 Awards for Philanthropy: -- Excellence in…
Internet Search Company Plans Foundation
Google, the operator of the popular search engine, has announced plans to create a Google Foundation. The foundation is expected to expand on the charitable programs currently run by the company, including efforts to encourage employee volunteerism and to match employee donations. Google has also…
By Cassie J. Moore
Contributor
‘Schindler’s List’ DVD Includes Charity Extras
The DVD of Schindler’s List, which hit stores this week, includes more than the typical director’s commentary and cast biographies: It also features a 77-minute documentary produced by Steven Spielberg’s charity, Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. The documentary, Voices From the…
By Cassie J. Moore
Contributor
Creative Approaches to Spreading Charities’ Messages
Two years ago, when Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa, in Des Moines, moved to a new building, Sheree Clark, a board member of the charity and co-owner of Sayles Graphic Design, suggested that it might be a good time for the organization to get an image makeover. The charity would have to…
By Cassie J. Moore
Contributor
Environmental Group Makes Changes in Board Policies
Responding to continuing investigations of its financial dealings by the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Senate, the Nature Conservancy, in Arlington, Va., has announced that it will restructure its governing board to improve oversight of the organization. The changes include creating board…
By Brad Wolverton
Contributor
U.S. Supreme Court Won’t Consider Scout Case
The U.S. Supreme Court last week refused to consider an appeal from the Boy Scouts of America, which unsuccessfully sued the State of Connecticut for excluding it from a state-run fund-raising campaign. The state’s action came after a 2000 Supreme Court ruling recognized the Boy Scouts of America’s…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
D.C. United Way Leader Pleads Guilty toFraud
Alexandria, Va. Oral Suer, former chief executive of the United Way of the National Capital Area, in Washington, pleaded guilty in federal court this month to two felony charges that he stole nearly $500,000 from the organization during his 27-year tenure. The felony counts carry a maximum prison…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Better Press Skills Could Help Relief Groups
A lack of training in how to work with reporters often prevents relief groups from getting the kind of favorable news coverage they depend upon to draw public attention -- and attract donations -- to humanitarian emergencies, according to a new report. The report, commissioned by the Fritz…
By Stephen G. Greene
Contributor
College Career Offices Provide Little Information on Nonprofit Jobs, Study Finds
By Cassie Moore The nonprofit field is underrepresented in most college and university career-services offices, according to a study released by the Initiative for Nonprofit Sector Careers at New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. The findings are based on data…
By Cassie J. Moore
Contributor
President Bush Makes Changes in Operations of National-Service Agency
Washington President Bush has made changes to AmeriCorps and other national-service programs by signing an executive order that requires the programs to work more closely with religious groups and urges recipients of federal aid to step up their fund raising from private sources. Executive orders…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Charities Debate Best Ways to Serve Society and Create New Sources of Revenue
San Francisco For significant social change to occur, charities and businesses need to become more each other, Gary Hirshberg, president of Stonyfield Farm, in Londonderry, N.H., and a former nonprofit executive, told more than 600 participants here at a conference on social enterprise. The meeting…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
More charities offer benefits to employees’ unmarried partners After 13 years, Anne Wright and Eric Segal had been together longer than many married couples. Despite their commitment, they had decided not to tie the knot in solidarity with their gay and lesbian friends, who have long been legally…
By Jeffrey Klineman
Contributor
Study Shows Which Charities People Trust
Doctors Without Borders, Habitat for Humanity, and the Salvation Army earned the highest scores among 20 charities graded on their trustworthiness, according to a new survey by Harris Interactive, a research company in Rochester, N.Y. Among those 20, Global Exchange, an international human-rights…
By Brad Wolverton
Contributor