Service Has No Plans to Increase Fees
The IRS has announced that it will not increase the fees that it charges charities to apply for tax-exempt status or to receive published advice this year (Revenue Procedure 2003-8, Internal Revenue Bulletin 2003-1). Tax-exempt organizations seeking private-letter rulings from the government on how…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
IRS Releases Directions on Credit-Repair Groups
The IRS has published directions it will give auditors in examining nonprofit credit-counseling organizations, a prelude to its focus on such organizations. The revenue service notes that credit-counseling organizations can provide a valuable service by educating consumers about managing money and…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
Foundations Receive Advice on Transferring Assets
The Internal Revenue Service has published guidelines for foundations that want to transfer assets to another organization without incurring taxes. Until now, the only way a foundation could be sure it was complying with the law would be to ask the IRS for a special ruling, known as a…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
Charity Tax Breaks May Languish in Congress
President Bush’s effort to persuade Congress to pass tax cuts to stimulate the economy may steal attention from long-sought charitable tax incentives, charity representatives say. Among the tax incentives that charities had hoped would pass this year: a plan to allow people who do not itemize their…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
‘Town & Country’: Rockefeller Philanthropy
The Rockefellers are America’s first family of philanthropy, declares the novelist Ben Cheever, in an article in Town & Country, which devotes its January issue to things it considers “best.” Mr. Cheever says the family’s generosity has three “outstanding characteristics": “They gave away more than…
‘Business 2.0′: Companies and Breast Cancer
Companies have helped raise millions of dollars for breast-cancer research and treatment in recent years, largely by promising to give a percentage of a product’s purchase price to charity, notes Business 2.0 (February). The cause, often symbolized by a pink ribbon or pink products -- including a…
New House Rules Let Charities Pick Up the Tab for Trips
Charities may now pay for travel and lodging for members of the House of Representatives who attend their events, under changes to ethics rules enacted by the House of Representatives this month. In addition, lobbyists are now permitted to send food, including pizza and catered meals, to congressional offices. The changes apply only to the House; the Senate’s ethics rules, which do not allow charities to pay for trips, are unchanged.
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
Median Pay at Foundations Increased 5%, Report Says
Median salaries at most types of foundations rose less than 5 percent last year, according to a new survey by ALSO SEE:Salaries and Benefits at Foundations the Council on Foundations. The raises were smaller than those reported in the council’s previous two annual surveys, but higher than the 2002…
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor
Bits: Discussion on Spam; a Human-Rights Course; and an Online Journal
TechSoup will hold an online discussion, “Scammers and Spammers,” on its Web site January 27-31. Among the topics to be discussed: ways to curb unsolicited e-mail, the difference between e-mail marketing and spam, Internet scams, and credit-card fraud. TechSoup is a Web site that provides…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
New Tech Foundation Offers Computer Gear
A new foundation hopes to expand access to technology by giving away $350-million worth of computers and other equipment by the end of 2006. The Beaumont Foundation of America, in Texas, was created with money that was left unclaimed from the settlement of a class-action suit against the Toshiba…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Charities Tally Year-End Online Gifts
Several nonprofit organizations tried new approaches to online fund raising during the year-end giving season, and some saw Internet contributions increase compared with the same period last year. The American Red Cross, in Washington, added a feature to its site -- in time for the holiday giving…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Key Jewish Group Shuts Unit, Citing ‘Budgetary Constraints’
United Jewish Communities is shutting down the Trust for Jewish Philanthropy, citing “budgetary constraints.” The trust was founded in 2000, shortly after UJC was created through the merger of the United Jewish Appeal, the Council of Jewish Federations, and the United Israel Appeal. The trust’s…
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor
Boston minister promotes vision for expanding faith-based charity Indianapolis In a United Methodist church here, nearly 1,000 miles from his home in Boston, the Rev. Eugene F. Rivers 3rd delivers a rousing speech to a group of several dozen ministers, charity leaders, and law-enforcement…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
Afterschool Alliance (Washington): Appointed Jen Rinehart, project officer for the 21st Century Community ALSO SEE:One-Time Activist Vows to Spark ‘Sense of Urgency’ at San Francisco Fund Learning Centers program at the U.S. Department of Education (Washington), to be associate director. American…
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…
JOB MARKET By Lara L. McDavit Minority women who head charities are more likely to have had management experience in government or business compared with nonprofit leaders overall, according to a new survey by CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, a group in San Francisco that offers management…
By Lara L. McDavit
Contributor