Undocumented Students Turn to Tuition-Free Online University
About a quarter of the American students enrolled in University of the People, a nonprofit online university, are undocumented, NPR reports. About 2,500 students are enrolled in the low-cost university; roughly half of them live in the United States.
Comedian Jon Stewart and Wife, Tracey, to Open Animal Sanctuary
The sanctuary will be on the couple’s 12-acre farm in New Jersey and will be affiliated with the nonprofit Farm Sanctuary, The New York Times and Huffington Post report.
International Volunteers Flock to Aid Refugees in Greece
NPR reporter Joanna Kakissis meets three Swedish friends who traveled to the island of Lesbos to help after seeing the widely distributed photo of a drowned Syrian child.
Bias and Funding Struggles Stall Plan for Calif. Mental-Health Residence
A nonprofit raised $600,000 to build a residential treatment center in Contra Costa County, but neighbors worried that the patients would pose danger and that property values would decline, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Texas Investigators Demand Planned Parenthood Clinic Records
Three days after taking steps to cut off government funding for Texas Planned Parenthood affiliates, state health investigators served orders Thursday for years of patient records, staff addresses, and other documents from the women’s health organization, The Washington Post and the Austin American-Statesman report.
Gates and Slim Funds Step Up Mesoamerica Health Effort
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Carlos Slim Foundation are preparing to launch the second phase of a cooperative, $170-million program to improve newborn and maternal health in Mexico and Central America, Reuters writes.
U.K. Muslim Group and Charity Watchdog Settle Donations Case
Human rights group Cage withdrew its legal case against Britain’s Charity Commission after the regulatory body agreed not to restrict nonprofits’ ability to donate to the controversial Islamic organization, The Guardian and the BBC report.
A 1-Month Plan to Fine-Tune Your Website
Set and meet goals for improving your website with this four-week plan and accompanying interactive chart that helps track and assess the most effective changes.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor
Campaign Watchdog Targets Nonprofit’s Ads Featuring Rubio
In a complaint filed Tuesday with the Internal Revenue Service, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington accuses the Conservative Solutions Project, a 501(c)(4) group, of violating restrictions regarding nonprofits explicitly backing political candidates, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Make Your Website More Donor Friendly
On “Be Your Donor Day,” assess your website with the fresh perspective of a first-time donor.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor
Texas Moves to Strip Planned Parenthood Medicaid Funding
Citing secretly shot videos purporting to show that Planned Parenthood traffics in fetal organs, Texas officials moved Monday to cut off state-administered Medicaid funds to the women’s-health group, The Dallas Morning News and USA Today report.
Judge: La. Must Pay Planned Parenthood at Least 2 More Weeks
A federal judge in Baton Rouge ordered Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration to delay its planned cutoff of Medicaid money for the women’s-health group and cast doubt on state officials’ legal rationales for the move, reports Bloomberg Business.
Book Details the Hardships of Living on $2 a Day
A dearth of nonprofits in some parts of the country means the poorest of the poor get little or no help.
By Heather Joslyn
Contributor
Medical Charity’s Head Says Hospital Strike Was No Mistake
Christopher Stokes, the general director of Doctors Without Borders, tells the Associated Press he does not believe a U.S. warplane bombed the global medical charity’s hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, by mistake on October 3, as the Pentagon asserts.
Clinton Foundation in Rwanda: Human Progress, Messy Politics
The New York Times takes a close look at the Clinton Foundation’s deep ties to postgenocide Rwanda, a relationship the newspaper says represents a microcosm of the charity’s global presence and the delicate politics that accompany its cooperation with foreign leaders.
Red Light, Green Light: Fundraising Edition
Public broadcasting stations across the country formed a group to share and analyze their fundraising data and then identify and share best practices in the field. A centerpiece of the effort is the quarterly Revenue Opportunity and Action Report.
By Debra E. Blum
Contributor