‘Fast Company’: Planning for 25 Years
By Elizabeth Greene Planned Parenthood’s effort to develop a 25-year plan should be a model for nonprofit organizations, says Fast Company (February). The effort began in 1998, soon after Gloria Feldt became chief executive of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Ms. Feldt says she worried…
By Ian Wilhelm and Elizabeth Greene
‘New York’: a Major Arts Patron
By Elizabeth Greene Alberto Vilar has probably given more to support classical music than any other donor, but his gifts often come with demands for public acknowledgment and a role in helping to manage the nonprofit groups he supports, says New York magazine (January 21). The 61-year-old…
By Ian Wilhelm and Elizabeth Greene
‘Newsweek’: Giving by the Gateses
By Ian Wilhelm In a cover story on the philanthropy of Bill and Melinda Gates, Newsweek magazine (February 4) reports that the world’s wealthiest man is motivated to give largely by statistics about the problems of developing countries, while his wife is more responsive to problems she has seen in…
By Ian Wilhelm and Elizabeth Greene
Effort to Link Charities Adds Offline Network
A nonprofit organization that has spent the past six years helping charities and individuals connect online is now trying to build a worldwide network to connect them offline as well. The Idealist Web site currently offers a searchable database of more than 25,000 nonprofit organizations around the…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Charity’s Campaign Seeks Used Computers
A San Francisco charity hopes its new press campaign and research project on computer recycling will put more usable donated computers in the hands of nonprofit organizations and schools while keeping older machines out of landfills. For more than five years CompuMentor has maintained a list of…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Seattle Charity Announces 6 Affiliates Nationwide
NPower is going national. The Seattle nonprofit organization, which provides technology assistance to other charities, has announced six new affiliates in cities across the country. The Microsoft Corporation, in Redmond, Wash., made a commitment of $10-million in cash and $15-million in software…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
D.C. United Way Moves to Quell Complaints
Allegations of mismanagement at the nation’s fourth-largest United Way -- including claims of cronyism in a contract for an outgoing executive and improper spending to renovate the chief executive’s office -- have led the board of the United Way of the National Capital Area, in Washington, to…
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor
Making Community Service a Habit: Views of a Key Leader
In an interview with The Chronicle, Leslie Lenkowsky, chief ALSO SEE:An Appeal for Action executive officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service -- the federal agency that administers AmeriCorps and other volunteer programs -- reflected on President Bush’s plans to encourage…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
Bush asks Americans to make a major volunteer commitmentWashington In a move charity leaders hope will lead to a wave of volunteers, President Bush has called on Americans to embrace a ALSO SEE:The Corporation for National and Community Service: Key ProgramsMaking Community Service a Habit: Views…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
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…
American Heart Association (Dallas): Appointed Gordon L. McCullough, ALSO SEE:Sports Fan Repays Her Idols by Advising Them on Giving executive vice president of field operations and development, to be chief operating officer of field operations. American ORT (New York): Appointed Paul B.…
Lining Up Free Legal Help for Your Nonprofit Group
IN THE TRENCHES By Tom Chalkley From drawing up bylaws to hammering out protocols for firing employees, every charity needs legal advice now and then. But with lawyers’ fees routinely running into hundreds of dollars per hour, small to midsize nonprofit organizations need affordable alternatives.…
By Tom Chalkley
Contributor
IN THE TRENCHES The Internet offers several ways to look for pro bono legal services in a given state or region. Two good starting places are: National Center for Nonprofit Organizations. Under the heading “state associations,” this Web site provides links and full contact information for umbrella…
Recession Drives a Surge of Job Seekers to Nonprofit World
JOB MARKET By Mary E. Medland With an economic recession causing massive layoffs in the business world and the tragedies of September 11 realigning many Americans’ personal priorities, more and more people are seeking work at nonprofit organizations, according to charity executives and recruiters.…
By Mary E. Medland
Contributor
Examining Education in a New Era
What Works in Education: Facing the New Century, by Rosa-Maria Torres, analyzes current trends in education and the basic learning needs of young people, and discusses signs of change in this new era. The publication also discusses myths in educational approaches -- the “usual gap between adult…
By Katy Marquardt
Contributor
Teaching the “Culture of Work”: Profiles of Four Job-Training Programs
Hard Work on Soft Skills: Creating a “Culture of Work” in Workforce Development, by Ted Houghton and Tony Proscio, presents case studies of four job-training programs run by nonprofit organizations in Boston, San Francisco, and Brooklyn, N.Y., and a community college in Watsonville, Calif. The…
By Laura Hruby
Contributor