Following are summaries of recent reports by the BBB Wise Giving Alliance. This private organization reports on whether charities meet standards for fund raising, governance, financial management, and public information. The service does not approve or disapprove of charities, and urges potential…
Africa Foundation (Johannesburg): Appointed Wendy Wood, relations manager, to be U.S. representative, based in San Francisco. (For more on Ms. Wood, see New on the Job.) Arts Council Silicon Valley (San Jose, Calif.): Appointed Lisa Cole, public-relations and communications specialist for the…
New Figures Released on Charity Deductions
Using statistics from the Internal Revenue Service, RIA -- a tax information publisher -- has calculated the average deductions for charitable contributions taken by taxpayers in 1999 in six tax brackets: Income Average contribution 1999 0-$14,999 $1,350 $15,000-29,999 $1,619 $30,000-49,999 $1,774…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
Following are summaries of recent reports by the BBB Wise Giving Alliance. This private organization reports on whether charities meet standards for fund raising, governance, financial management, and public information. The service does not approve or disapprove of charities, and urges potential…
Tax-Exempt Organizations Registered With the IRS
More than 770,000 charities and private foundations were registered with the Internal Revenue Service as of September 30, 1999, according to figures just released by the tax agency. ALSO SEE: A Breakdown of Tax-Exempt Categories The number of groups classified under Section 501(c)(3) of the…
Adventist Development and Relief Agency International (Silver Spring, Md.): Appointed Thierry Van Bignoot, country director in Guinea, to be associate director of the Asia region, based in Bangkok. ALSO SEE:An Entrepreneur and Explorer to Lead Outward Bound Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay…
The Nonprofit World: a Statistical Portrait
The revenue generated by nonprofit groups increased $156.3-billion from 1992 to 1997, according to a new report. ALSO SEE:The Nonprofit World: a Statistical PortraitWhere Nonprofit Groups Get Their MoneyDistribution of Nonprofit Revenue, by CausePercentage of American Workers Employed by Nonprofit…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
IRS Denies Deduction for Donated News Footage
Broadcasting companies may be less interested in donating old news footage to charity now that the I.R.S. has ruled that one company’s donations do not qualify for a charitable deduction. The case involved a broadcasting company that periodically passed on clips of local news stories to a charity.…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
Income-Tax Judgment Ends Battle with Church
A federal judge has imposed tax penalties on a former Baptist pastor, putting an end to a $5.9-million tax case against his Indianapolis church. U.S. District Judge Sarah Evans Barker ordered the Rev. Gregory J. Dixon, pastor emeritus of the Indianapolis Baptist Temple, to pay the government…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
Charitable Tax Break Bill Heads to Senate
A bill containing several charitable tax incentives affecting charities and foundations faces an uncertain future in the Senate after it was passed last month by the House of Representatives. By a vote of 233 to 198, the House approved the tax incentives as part of President Bush’s effort to help…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
An Entrepreneur and Explorer to Lead Outward Bound
Inspired by the teachings of Outward Bound USA, a nonprofit organization that was a pioneer in wilderness education, Richard Bangs started a for-profit business leading people on river-rafting trips. Now, 28 years later, the entrepreneur and international explorer who founded a company that has…
By Debra E. Blum
Contributor
Income Gaps Cause Decline in Volunteering, Study Finds
Americans are less likely to volunteer today than in years past, in part because the disparity in incomes has grown and because so many women now hold full-time jobs, according to a new study. Economists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Tufts University have estimated that people ages…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Midsize Performing-Arts Organizations Face Financial Threats, Pew Trusts’ Study Finds
Midsize theaters, symphonies, and opera and dance companies are struggling to survive in the face of rising costs, shrinking audiences, and declining revenue, a new report says. ALSO SEE:Performing-Arts Organizations and Their Finances Large and small arts groups, however, are managing to succeed,…
By nicole lewis
Contributor
Bits: A Discussion List for Women in Technology; a Volunteer Group Gets Noticed
Women in Nonprofits, Technology Assistance Providers --or WIN-TAP -- is a new e-mail discussion list for women who help nonprofit groups deal with technology, either as an employee or as a volunteer. The list grew out of discussions at a conference of nonprofit technology experts. To subscribe: Go…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Web Sites Urge Taxpayers to Donate Their Rebates
A growing number of Web sites have sprung up to urge Americans to donate FROM THE ARCHIVES:Nonvirtual Reality Hits Giving Sites (6/14/2001)Online Companies Merge Operations (3/22/2001)Online-Giving Company to Cease Operations (3/8/2001)Financial Turbulence Hits Charity Sites (1/11/2001)A Hunger for…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Financial Woes Continue to Dog Charity Sites
Several companies that run major charity sites are facing financial troubles. GreaterGood.com, one of the first charity online shopping malls, has shut down after its board of directors voted last month to halt further investment in the company and put it up for sale. The online site raised about…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor