IRS Plan to Reorganize Could Aid Charity Regulators
The Internal Revenue Service’s new plan to reorganize itself could strengthen charity regulation. Charles O. Rossotti, the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, announced that he intends to modernize the service in part by consolidating much of its sprawling bureaucracy into four “operating units,” one…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
Charities Ask Congress to Pass Incentives for Giving
As the 1998 Congressional season begins in earnest, non-profit officials are pressing lawmakers to pass several proposals to increase charitable giving. Here’s a look at the key items on the agenda: Gifts to foundations. A tax break that encourages people to make gifts of appreciated stock to…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
Former Official Sues Easter Seal Chapter
A former finance director at the Colorado Easter Seal Society has sued the charity, saying he was forced out of his job after disclosing information about sexual harassment at the organization. A lawyer for the charity says the allegations are “ridiculous.” Larry Norby, the former director, filed…
Colorado Demands Creation of Fund
Colorado Blue Cross and Blue Shield, which plans to convert from non-profit to for-profit status, has been ordered by the State of Colorado to create a foundation with proceeds from the conversion. The order, issued last month by the Colorado Commissioner of Insurance, also calls for the…
Many Provisions in President’s Budget Could Affect Philanthropy
Tucked into President Clinton’s proposed budget for the coming fiscal year were numerous provisions that could affect philanthropy. The President asked Congress for increased spending for education and social-welfare, and for an extension of a tax break for people who donate stock to their…
By Jennifer Moore
Contributor
New Web Directory Aimed at Donors
Charitable Choices is hoping that its new Web site will encourage people to contribute to its 234 member charities and that it will help donors make informed choices about which groups to support. All charities listed on the Web site participate in the Combined Federal Campaign, the government’s…
By Paul Demko
Contributor
Index Helps Track Down Articles on Non-Profit Issues
The Foundation Center has created an on-line version of its publication Literature of the Nonprofit Sector. The searchable data base contains more than 15,000 bibliographic citations for books, periodicals, CD-ROM’s, and other information resources. Citations from almost 100 publications are…
By Paul Demko
Contributor
Charities to Cash In Through On-Line Book Sales
Barnes & Noble, the big bookstore chain, is enlisting charities to help it peddle books via the Internet -- and offering them a cut of the profits. Charities that want to participate in the deal must showcase books on their Web sites. If people are interested in purchasing a book, they can click on…
By Paul Demko
Contributor
Bitter Legal Dispute Pits National Diabetes Group Against a State Affiliate
A federal courtroom in Providence, R.I., is the arena for an angrily contested breakup involving the American Diabetes Association and its Rhode Island affiliate. The Rhode Island group split off from its institutional parent rather than give up its autonomy, which it would have had to do under a…
By Stephen G. Greene
Contributor
IRS Is Urged to Make Some Revisions in Plan to Enforce Disclosure Law
The Internal Revenue Service is being encouraged to think more about the day-to-day pressures that face non-profit groups as it drafts new rules to explain how organizations must comply with a new information-disclosure law. In comment letters it received from charity officials and others, the…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
Goodwill Looting: California Scam Yields Lessons for Charity Managers
Big-time embezzlement and fraud at a well-known charity. Millions of dollars in cash stashed in office drawers, closets, and secret accounts. Family ties forged in poverty, tempered by crime, and sundered by revelations made during a bitter divorce. Money laundering. Suicide. It sounds like a…
By Thomas J. Billitteri
Contributor
Following are summaries of recent reports by the Council of Better Business Bureaus’ Philanthropic Advisory Service. The service reports on whether charities meet standards for fund raising, governance, financial management, and public information. The service cautions that it does not approve or…
Albright College (Reading, Pa.): Appointed Patricia M. Clark, a member of the development staff at the Ephrata Hospital (Pa.), to be director of alumni relations. American Cancer Society-Essex County Unit (West Orange, N.J.): Appointed Dana Anselmo, assistant manager for media relations at the…
IRS Clarifies Designation on Filing Rules Idea
The I.R.S. has clarified the identification number of its recent announcement on a proposed change in the threshold above which tax-exempt groups are required to file informational tax returns that detail their finances (The Chronicle, November 27). Non-profit organizations must provide such a…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
Hospital Deals Made in Secrecy, Agency Says
The General Accounting Office has examined the way non-profit hospitals in six states have been sold to -- or have established joint ventures with -- for-profit companies in recent years. One conclusion: The public is often left in the dark about the deals. “These conversions are not routinely…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
Trust Officials Given More Options
The I.R.S. has authorized independent trustees of charitable remainder trusts to purchase deferred annuities. Trustees who buy such annuities can pick a year when they want the proceeds to be paid to the trust’s income beneficiary. The ruling, delivered in a technical-advice memorandum, is…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor