Taking Stock — but Not Cashing It In
New economy prompts charities to rethink policies on gift securities Most charities that receive gifts of stock traditionally sell the shares right away and convert them into cash. But spurred by donors and by the prospect of tapping new sources of gifts, some organizations are now rethinking that…
By Holly Hall and Anthony Giorgianni
American Philanthropic Realty Trust (Chicago): Appointed Ethel R. Kaplan, director of gift planning at the American Heart Association–Midwest Affiliate (Chicago), to be executive director. This newly created group uses donations of real estate to establish donor-advised accounts. Christmas in April…
Honoring Grant Makers for Communicating About Their Work
The Council on Foundations will present 55 awards this week to honor grant makers ALSO SEE:Foundations That Won Awards for Excellence in Communications that have created exceptional materials aimed at educating the public about their work. The 17th annual Wilmer Shields Rich Awards for Excellence…
Write-Offs: IRS Publishes Guidelines; Allegations of Improper Political Activity
* The I.R.S. has published guidelines for charities to follow when they report and pay penalties for participating in so-called charitable split-dollar plans (Notice 2000-24, Internal Revenue Bulletin 2000-17). Congress recently cracked down on the controversial giving techniques (The Chronicle,…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
IRS, Charity Settle Long-Standing Dispute
A high-profile, nine-year battle between the Internal Revenue Service and the United Cancer Council -- a small Indianapolis charity with ties to a controversial fund-raising company -- has ended with an out-of-court settlement. The agreement requires the organization to donate its assets only to…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
Clinton, Gore, Bush Release Charitable-Giving Records
President Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton, Al and Tipper Gore, and George W. and Laura Bush have released information about their 1999 charitable giving. President and Mrs. Clinton gave a total of $39,200 to charity last year, while Vice President and Mrs. Gore gave $15,000. Those figures were…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
‘George’: Celebrities and Charity Activism
The magazine George (April) has announced its first Save the World Awards honoring 10 celebrities “who are fighting for their causes -- no matter what.” The article ranks Bono, lead singer of the rock group U2, as the “most persuasive.” He has been working on a campaign called Jubilee 2000, which…
By Constance Casey
Contributor
‘Forbes’: Reinventing Traditional Giving
Pierre Omidyar, who started the online auction site eBay, is pouring his money into philanthropy -- but not before trying to reinvent it, says Forbes magazine (May 1). Mr. Omidyar and his wife, Pamela, are trying to use the principles of venture capitalism to “demolish” traditional models of grant…
By Thomas J. Billitteri
Contributor
Report on New Health-Conversion Foundations
Philanthropy’s Newest Members: Findings From the 1999 Survey of New Health Foundations ALSO SEE:Health-Conversion Funds Hold $16-Billion in Assets provides asset figures and other data for 122 foundations created in the wake of non-profit hospitals’ or health systems’ conversion to for-profit…
By C. Quinn Hanchette
Contributor
Report on 3 Welfare-to-Work Programs That Offer Cash Incentives
Encouraging Work, Reducing Poverty: The Impact of Work Incentive Programs, by Gordon L. Berlin, reports encouraging results for three programs designed to keep former welfare recipients working. The Minnesota Family Investment Program, the Canadian Self-Sufficiency Project, and Milwaukee’s New Hope…
By C. Quinn Hanchette
Contributor
Tight Job Market Lifts Pay at New York Area Charities
A tight job market is forcing many non-profit organizations to raise salaries for mid-level staff members, ALSO SEE:Non-Profit Pay: Salary Ranges at Social-Services and Arts Groups says a new report on compensation in the New York metropolitan area. The salary survey, based on 1999 data from 600…
By Stephen G. Greene
Contributor
California Charity Looks Beyond Getting Schools Wired
Netday, which has led a nationwide volunteer effort to wire elementary and secondary schools for the Internet, is refocusing its energies on bridging the digital divide and helping teachers use technology in their classrooms. As part of an assessment of its mission last fall, the Irvine, Calif.,…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Online Campaign Promotes Safe Childbirth in Rwanda
An online campaign developed by the editors of Time magazine is raising money to create safer, more-sanitary conditions for women giving birth in Rwanda. Time started the Mother and Baby Survival Project -- administered by NetAid.org, the International Rescue Committee, and the Rwandan Ministry of…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Museum Sites Feature Art Possibly Looted by Nazis
Museums across the country -- and around the world -- are using the Internet to post information about artworks in their collections that have incomplete ownership records for the years 1933 to 1945 and may have been looted by the Nazis. In June 1998, the Association of Art Museum Directors adopted…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Two Food Charities Join Forces in One of Biggest Non-Profit Mergers
When Deborah Leff was interviewing for the job of president of Second Harvest two years ago, she couldn’t resist asking a question: Would the nation’s largest network of food banks consider working with Foodchain, its biggest competitor in hunger relief? “It was so obvious to me, even on the…
By DOMENICA MARCHETTI
Contributor
High Court Hears Case of Gay Scout
At issue: can government limit how non-profit leaders are selected? The U.S. Supreme Court last week heard arguments in a case that could determine what limits the government can place on the rights of non-profit organizations to choose their leaders. At issue: Whether the Boy Scouts of America…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor