Research on Charities Falls Short
Leaders of non-profit groups point to work they can’t use Mary Jo Buchanan, who runs a New Jersey charity that provides social services to the poor, is searching for ways to cope with new trends that could revolutionize how her organization operates. Ms. Buchanan, executive director of Family…
By Thomas J. Billitteri
Contributor
As baby boomers begin to retire, charities learn to take advantage of their skills and motivation Jack McConnell, a retired physician in Hilton Head Island, S.C., has a prescription for the nation’s health-care ills. Looking ahead to the retirement in the next two decades of millions of baby…
By Holly Hall
Contributor
Bill Would Encourage Gifts From Retirement Funds
New legislation introduced in Congress would provide an incentive to donors who want to give funds to charity from their individual retirement accounts. Under federal law, Americans may withdraw funds without penalty from I.R.A.'s when they reach age 591/2. But people are subject to income tax on…
By Grant Williams
Contributor
Following are summaries of recent reports by the National Charities Information Bureau. That private organization reports on whether charities meet standards for fund raising, governance, financial management, and public information. The organization does not approve or disapprove of charities, and…
American Farmland Trust (Washington): Appointed Kevin Schmidt, a research assistant at the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy (Queenstown, Md.), to be field representative in its new Ohio office, based in Columbus. American Red Cross (Washington): Appointed Jacqueline D’Alessio, senior science analyst…
Kentucky Blue Cross Is Sued Over Assets
Kentucky’s Attorney General has sued Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield to recover what he says are millions of dollars in charitable assets that were lost when it converted to a for-profit company in 1993. Attorney General A. B. Chandler III said that at least $230-million accumulated by the…
Hospital Conversions Lose Favor in Poll
Displeasure over the conversion of non-profit hospitals to for-profit status is rising among Americans, a new survey has found. Commissioned by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation in Menlo Park, Cal., the telephone survey of 1,000 adults found that 45 per cent said the hospital conversions were a…
Charity Regulators Brace for Cuts in Staff
The I.R.S., already strapped for resources to monitor tax-exempt groups, could find itself stretched even thinner in coming years. Marc Owens, director of the agency’s Exempt Organizations Division, said government projections call for a 20-per-cent cut in total I.R.S. staff levels through 2002,…
By Thomas J. Billitteri
Contributor
IRS Rulings on Politics Stir Controversy
A small number of non-profit groups have found a controversial way to get around the strict limitations on electioneering that the federal government places on charities and advocacy organizations. The organizations are relying on a pair of Internal Revenue Service rulings (Letter rulings 9725036…
By Thomas J. Billitteri
Contributor
Deterioration of Church Facilities Said to Endanger Social Services
The physical deterioration of churches and synagogues could imperil many important social-services programs -- just at a time when governments are shifting many of their social-welfare duties to religious organizations, says a new report. The report, “Sacred Places at Risk,” was based on a study of…
By Thomas J. Billitteri
Contributor
Bits: Giving USA and Mott Fund On Line
* Excerpts of Giving USA, an annual report on philanthropy by the American Association of Fund-Raising Counsel, are now available on the group’s World-Wide Web site (http://www.aafrc.org). This year’s study found that donations totaled more than $150-billion in 1996, an increase of 7.3 per cent…
By Jennifer Moore
Contributor
Non-Profit Statistics Posted on the Internet
The National Center for Charitable Statistics now offers a glimpse of the size and scope of the non-profit world through its World-Wide Web site. The center, which is a project of the Urban Institute’s Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy, located in Washington, provides a state-by-state…
By Jennifer Moore
Contributor
Hunger Charity Creates a Resource Guide
World Hunger Year, a charity in New York, has put on the Internet a resource guide for groups that work to alleviate hunger and poverty. The charity’s World-Wide Web site now offers a searchable index of more than 100 non-profit groups that work with the poor. Each organization’s listing includes…
By Jennifer Moore
Contributor
On-Line Charity Auction Nets Promising Results
Operation USA, an international relief group based in Los Angeles, took its annual fund-raising auction to the Internet this year -- a move that paid off in several ways. For two weeks, the charity accepted bids on about 20 luxury travel packages that it advertised on a World-Wide Web site. During…
By Jennifer Moore
Contributor
At a Glance: National 4-H Council
History and purpose: Established in 1976 as a fund-raising arm for 4-H clubs and programs across the country. The National 4-H Council’s original purpose was to raise money and sponsor the annual National 4-H Congress. In recent years, it has turned its attention to designing and raising money for…
4-H’s focus on solving social ills and reaching a new generation is sowing some seeds of discontent The 4-H program to which Jocelyn Norman belongs is not teaching her how to raise livestock. Nor is she learning how to bake or sew or do any of the other activities that for decades have typified 4-H…
By DOMENICA MARCHETTI
Contributor