Most N.Y., Washington Charities Plan to Hire in 2010, New Surveys Find

Despite tough times for charities, a trio of new surveys of charities in New York, New Jersey, and Washington shows that most plan to hire in the year ahead—and that the overwhelming majority plan to raise staff salaries in 2010 or at least hold them steady. Charities are most likely to fill fund-raising and program staff positions this year, according to the reports by Professionals for Nonprofits, a staffing organization with offices in New York and Washington.

Full text article by Heather Joslyn is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 3/1/10.

Pioneering L.A. nonprofit is saving lives in Afghanistan

The International Medical Corps’ longstanding relief work in Afghanistan and other war zones is the subject of an article in the Los Angeles Times. The Los Angeles organization, founded in 1984 to shore up an Afghan health-care system devastated by the Soviet invasion, has forged deep ties in Afghan communities, winning protection from village councils and facing relatively little threat from the Taliban. It has sought to help Afghans build their own abilities to provide health services by hiring native-born doctors, midwives, pharmacists, and other medical experts to operate its clinics.

Full text article by Alexandra Zavis is available via the Los Angeles Times, 1/5/10.

Key L.A. Unified staff positions are funded privately

More than a dozen senior staff jobs in the Los Angeles school district are financed by philanthropists, including Eli Broad and the Wasserman and Walton foundations. Mr. Broad, who has taken a leading role in L.A. education-overhaul efforts, pays the salary of Matt Hill, a product of a Broad-paid training academy for school administrators who manages a high-profile program to turn over new and underperforming schools to other organizations. The district and Mr. Broad’s foundation, which has spent millions in support of charter schools, said there is a firewall between the salary money for Mr. Hill and his work.
Full text article by Howard Blume is available via the Los Angeles Times, 12/16/09.

In 2010, Expect Charitable Donors to Keep Giving Through Long-Term Pledges: AHP Study Concludes

In a sign of what to expect in 2010, businesses and individuals hit hardest by the economy's slide have shifted charitable giving patterns to longer-term pledges and gift commitments rather than ceasing to give altogether, according to a study of benchmarking data and effective philanthropic fundraising techniques released today by the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy.

Full text article is available via the Sunherald, 12/21/09.

Charities Rise, Costing U.S. Billions in Tax Breaks

The number of U.S. organizations able to offer donors a charitable tax break has grown by more than 60 percent in the past decade, with the Internal Revenue Service now approving applications for charity status at a rate of one every 10 to 15 minutes. There are now 1.1 million such groups, and the IRS approved 99 percent of charity applications last year, according to the Stanford study. Tax-deductible donations reduced federal coffers by $50-billion last year, the article said.

Full text article by Stephanie Strom is available via The New York Times, 12/5/09.

Tweeting for $10: new appeals for holiday giving in tough times

With the lingering recession expected to cut into holiday giving, charities are soliciting smaller donations and increasingly using free social media to publicize their efforts. The King County, Wash., United Way has begun a campaign seeking $10 donations for struggling families and offering online donors an option to forward an appeal to 10 friends. Mercy Corps, in Portland, Ore., has introduced an online tool allowing families and groups of friends to make collective contributions.

Full text article by Kristi Heim is available via The Seattle Times, 11/20/09.

Card clubs and other special interests give to Jerry Brown charities

In the nearly three years since he took office, California Attorney General Jerry Brown has raised nearly $10-million for charities he oversees, including more than $100,000 from gambling establishments regulated by his office. Five Los Angeles-area “card clubs” have donated to two Bay Area charter schools that Mr. Brown founded during his tenure as mayor of Oakland. Corporate giants such as Pacific Gas & Electric, AT&T, and Wal-Mart have given $50,000 or more to the schools. Mr. Brown, a two-time Democratic presidential candidate and former California governor who is viewed as a leading candidate to reclaim his old job in next year’s state elections, said the donations have no effect on his public work, asserting, “I have an unimpeachable record of integrity.”

Full text of this article by Shane Goldmacher is available via the Los Angeles Times, 11/3/09.

A Brooklyn of Wealth and Needs Gets a Major Charity All Its Own

The Independence Community Foundation, by changing its tax status so it can raise money rather than simply rely on income from its roughly $50 million endowment, is now concentrating most of its fund-raising and all of its grant-giving on its Brooklyn neighborhood. The charity, to be renamed the Brooklyn Community Foundation, will be the first community foundation devoted to a single New York borough, as well as a potential rival to other groups that raise and disperse money in Brooklyn and other parts of the city.
Full-text post by Diane Cardwell is available via The New York Times, 9/28/09.

Nonprofits Paying Price for Gamble on Finances

The New York Times reports on the wide range of nonprofit organizations struggling with debt, largely from issuing tax-exempt bonds during fatter times. More than twice as many charities issued such bonds in 2006 as in 1993, mostly to finance property and construction projects. Debt linked to those bonds rose from $98-billion to $311-billion during that period, adjusted for inflation, weighing down organizations ranging from major universities and arts institutions to tiny social-service providers.

Full-text post by Stephanie Strom is available via The New York Times, 9/23/09.

Business-Charity Hybrid

Social-enterprise leaders gathered in Boston this week are seeking a new legal structure — the low-profit, limited liability company, or L3C — as a way to encourage investments by foundations and others in businesses with a social mission, The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports.

Full-text article by Nicole Wallace is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 3.12.08. [Subscription required.]

Freakonomics in the Times Magazine: Bottom-Line Philanthropy

In their March 9, 2008, column in the Times Magazine, Dubner and Levitt ask: why can’t a charity be run more like a business? They look at two philanthropies that have adopted unorthodox business models.

Full-text article available via The New York Times, 3.8.08.