Help for Charities in Putting Their Tax Forms on the Web
Numerous organizations are working to help charities make their informational tax returns, known as Forms 990, accessible via the Internet. Among them: ALSO SEE:Return of the FutureFor Charities’ Form 990, Final Destination Is an IRS Warehouse in UtahA Sampling of Common Errors on Forms 990 AIDS…
For Charities’ Form 990, Final Destination Is an IRS Warehouse in Utah
Hundreds of thousands of federal informational tax returns line the shelves of the Internal Revenue Service’s warehouse here near the shore of the Great Salt Lake, just south of Ogden. ALSO SEE:Return of the FutureA Sampling of Common Errors on Forms 990Help for Charities in Putting Their Tax Forms…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
A Sampling of Common Errors on Forms 990
More than 600,000 tax-exempt organizations file informational tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service each year. The agency says that it cannot estimate how many of the returns contain mistakes, but that a sampling of the forms found the following errors that could not be resolved without…
Disclosure law and Internet access spur new focus on charity tax forms Charities nationwide are gearing up for a new era of public scrutiny. ALSO SEE:For Charities’ Form 990, Final Destination Is an IRS Warehouse in UtahA Sampling of Common Errors on Forms 990Help for Charities in Putting Their Tax…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
Albany College of Pharmacy of Union U. (N.Y.): Appointed Cathy Chazen Stone, a staff member at New York State Department of Health (Albany), to be coordinator of educational grants. Case Western Reserve U. (Cleveland): Appointed Carrie Higginbotham, director of alumni affairs and friends programs,…
Following are summaries of recent reports by the Council of Better Business Bureaus’ Philanthropic Advisory Service and the National Charities Information Bureau. Those two private organizations report on whether charities meet standards for fund raising, governance, financial management, and…
Prison Sentence Is Upheld for Founder of New Era Fund
A federal appeals court has upheld the 12-year prison sentence given to John G. Bennett, Jr., who defrauded hundreds of charities and donors through his Foundation for New Era Philanthropy. Mr. Bennett pleaded no contest last year after he was charged with 82 counts of fraud, money laundering, and…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
Report Criticizes Environmental Protection Agency Grants to Non-Profit Organizations
Citizens Against Government Waste, a watchdog group based in Washington, has fired its latest salvo at government spending: a report on Environmental Protection Agency grants to non-profit groups. The report, called “Phony Philanthropy: How Government Grants are Subverting the Missions of Nonprofit…
By Debra E. Blum
Contributor
Texas Group Sues to Get Religious Tax Exemption
A Texas court is being asked to decide whether the state can require organizations to proclaim a belief in a “supreme being” in order to qualify for the state’s tax exemption for religious groups. The Texas chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union believes the answer is No. In a lawsuit it…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
Watchdog Group Urges IRS to Review Clinton Visit
Americans United for Separation of Church and State has asked the I.R.S. to investigate the New Psalmist Baptist Church in Baltimore after the church hosted what the watchdog group said appeared to be a “Democratic Party rally” during a Sunday worship service attended by President Clinton just…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
IRS Seeks Charity Advice on Plan to Reorganize
The I.R.S. is asking for help as it restructures. Earlier this year, Commissioner of Internal Revenue Charles O. Rossotti announced plans to modernize the service, in part by consolidating much of its bureaucracy into four “operating units,” one of which will include the “tax-exempt sector” of…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
Soaring Assets and Revenues May Invite Look by Congress
The Internal Revenue Service will soon issue a report showing that from 1975 to 1995 the assets and revenues of tax-exempt organizations tripled -- to $1.9-trillion and $899-billion respectively. “During that same 20-year period, the gross domestic product increased by 74 per cent,” said Marc…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
‘American Benefactor’ to Cease Publication
The American Benefactor, a quarterly philanthropy magazine sold to charities for free distribution to donors, is ceasing publication after its Winter 1998 issue. The move marks the end of a two-year experiment that charity executives both lauded and criticized. W. Randall Jones, chief executive of…
By Thomas J. Billitteri
Contributor
‘Editor & Publisher’: On-Line Charity Drives
Many newspapers are putting their traditional holiday charity drives on line, reports Editor & Publisher magazine, in a November 16 column on its Web site. Some of the sites are trying to bolster donations by accepting gifts via the Internet. Among them: * The Boston Globe has created “Globe…
By Thomas J. Billitteri
Contributor
‘Town & Country’: Persuasive Women
Behind every charity is “at least one persuasive woman,” declares Town & Country magazine (December), and the publication profiles seven of them. All are well-known members of the social set, women whom Town & Country calls some of “the nation’s most effective volunteer fund raisers.” The issue…
By Thomas J. Billitteri
Contributor
‘Worth’: Include Charity in Financial Planning
Giving to charity is a smart financial-planning strategy, says Worth magazine (December-January 1999). “If you’re not making charitable giving part of your financial plan, you may be missing out,” Worth says. “The deduction for charitable contributions can now provide tax breaks for up to 50 per…
By Thomas J. Billitteri
Contributor