Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Kansas City Star | 07/19/2006 | Fundraiser to lead PAC

Kansas City Star | 07/19/2006 | Fundraiser to lead PAC: "Fundraiser to lead PAC

By PAUL HORSLEY
The Kansas City Star
TAMMY LJUNGBLAD | THE KANSAS CITY STAR
On Tuesday, Jane Chu was named CEO of the Metropolitan Performing Arts Center.

The Metropolitan Kansas City Performing Arts Center has hired a local fundraiser with a background in music and art to be its first president and chief executive officer.

Jane Chu, 48, will lead the development, strategy, programming and community initiatives for the facility, both before its opening in late 2009 and afterward, the"

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

'I get paid to make kids happy'

'I get paid to make kids happy': "I get paid to make kids happy'
Mattel Children's Foundation coordinator finds it's a job that can make you cry.
By Muhammed El-Hasan
DAILY BREEZE

Don't let Deborah Dicochea's crying fool you.

She loves her job.


The Redondo Beach resident serves as senior coordinator of the Mattel Children's Foundation and corporate philanthropy for the El Segundo-based toy maker."

Monday, July 17, 2006

Hundreds Sock It To Em For Charity (from This Is Lancashire)

Hundreds Sock It To Em For Charity (from This Is Lancashire): "Hundreds sock it to 'em for charity
By Jane Lavender
From the Bolton Evening News
# From the Bolton Evening News

HUNDREDS of people donned a single red sock and headed to the Bolton Lads and Girls Club to run a mile for charity.

Almost 500 runners, aged between three and 90, braved the heat and took part in Sport Relief on Saturday.

Some were in fancy dress, others cycled or kicked a football round the course.

Jerry Glover, chief executive of the Lads and Girls Club, said: 'It was an absolutely fantastic day and the turnout couldn't have been better.
continued...

'We had a wide age range taking part, and a Dalmatian dog even joined in!"

Buffett's $31 billion gift to Gates puts spotlight on charities

Buffett's $31 billion gift to Gates puts spotlight on charities: "Buffett's $31 billion gift to Gates puts spotlight on charities
Questions are raised about how well money is spent

By CHARLES POPE
P-I WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT

WASHINGTON -- Warren Buffett's $31 billion gift to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation ignited a boomlet of praise and public curiosity about the work and aspirations of charities worldwide.

But as the euphoria of Buffett's record-breaking act recedes, his gift has triggered another, entirely different result -- intensifying questions in Congress and elsewhere about how well charities spend their money, how accountable they are to donors and government and the general condition of 'civil society"

The Chronicle, 7/20/2006: Contribution to History

The Chronicle, 7/20/2006: Contribution to History: "Contribution to History
Investor's mega-pledge signals new era for philanthropy

By Ian Wilhelm

When the billionaire investor Warren Buffett announced his plans to donate 85 percent of his vast fortune to charity,



the nonprofit world reacted with near euphoria. But almost before the ink could dry on the deal, the applause faded and questions arose."

Employee of 50 years becomes president, chief executive of MDA | www.azstarnet.com ®

Employee of 50 years becomes president, chief executive of MDA | www.azstarnet.com ®: "mployee of 50 years becomes president, chief executive of MDA
By Becky Pallack
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 07.15.2006

The Tucson-based Muscular Dystrophy Association on Friday named a 50-year employee as president and CEO of the nonprofit group.
Gerald Weinberg, formerly MDA's chief operating officer, succeeds the organization's longtime chief executive, Robert Ross, who died June 5.
Weinberg was named CEO at the association's annual meeting in Los Angeles. The group is headquartered at 3300 E. Sunrise Drive in Tucson."

2theadvocate.com | Opinion | Our Views: Local nonprofits answered storms

You can read more about Disaster Relief on our Disaster Relief Blog

2theadvocate.com | Opinion | Our Views: Local nonprofits answered storms: "Our Views: Local nonprofits answered storms

Published: Jul 17, 2006


Since hurricanes Katrina and Rita, many of the policy reviews in the wake of the storms have focused on ways to improve the disaster response plans of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, state and local governments and, to a lesser extent, the American Red Cross.

But scores of small, local nonprofits also provided crucial safety nets. Recognizing what these groups did correctly — and acknowledging ways in which they might have performed better — also must be a part of planning for future disasters.

That is why we welcome a recent national report on the role of local nonprofit organizations in the aftermath of the hurricanes of 2005. We hope that local, state and national leaders consider its recommendations, which could be helpful if another disaster strikes here or elsewhere.

The report’s author, Tony Pipa, has extensive experience with various philanthropic organizations and also was in Louisiana shortly after Katrina to help with the recovery. He wrote the report for the Nonprofit Sector and Philanthropy Program of the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan, internationally respected think tank."

APP.COM - BON JOVI COMES HOME | Asbury Park Press Online

APP.COM - BON JOVI COMES HOME | Asbury Park Press Online: "Bon Jovi returns to Giants Stadium for three shows this month — Tuesday, Wednesday and July 29. With this summer being as rainy as it's been, there just might be a sequel to that rainy night.

But Bon Jovi is more concerned with people who find themselves in the elements all the time. He has always been known for his philanthropy, and recently his attention has turned toward urban homelessness and inadequate housing."

Buffet's kids likely to start gifts

Buffet's kids likely to start gifts: "Buffet's kids likely to start gifts

By The Associated Press
[oas:casperstartribune.net/news/business:Middle1]

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- The foundations run by Warren Buffett's three children will likely be the first ones to start handing out the nearly $37 billion the world's second-richest man promised to start giving away next month.

The Oracle of Omaha plans to give the bulk of his nearly $44 billion fortune to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which is run by Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates, who is also Buffett's friend.

But the Gates foundation will likely need some time to determine how to handle Buffett's commitment of roughly $30 billion worth of Berkshire Hathaway stock to the foundation over time. So the foundations run by Susie, Howard and Peter Buffett, which will each receive about $1 billion worth of stock in Warren Buffett's investment company over time, might start reinvesting their father's fortune sooner than the Gates foundation."

thedesertsun.com | Don't let Buffett's donation discourage you

thedesertsun.com | Don't let Buffett's donation discourage you:
snip snip>>

"There are probably many influences on Buffett to give the money over a series of years rather than all at one time, I am sure that one of them is the tax ramifications. Charitable gifts of appreciated stock such as his Berkshire shares can only be deducted when given to a public foundation to the extent of 30 percent of your income. Any amounts over and above the 30 percent are carried forward for five years.

Although I don't know what Buffett's adjusted gross income is, my guess is that the $1.5 billion will probably fit somewhere into that limitation. The Gates Foundation will continue to receive the gifts either directly from Buffett or through his estate, as long as Bill or Melinda Gates are active in the foundation. Here again, this will afford the Buffett estate a deduction for gifts after his death since they go to a charitable foundation.

Based on recent Internal Revenue Service statistics, estates that had over $20 million of taxable assets saw charitable giving actually fall by an average of $2 million or 9 percent from 1995 to 2004. Buffett has gone a long way in reversing this trend. Perhaps other charitable minded individuals will reconsider their charitable bequests. Even if you are not in the multi-million dollar category, there are many ways that you can take advantage of the gifts that you do make during your life or bequests on death."

Commentary: Charity vs. Philanthropy

Commentary: Charity vs. Philanthropy: "Charity vs. Philanthropy

by Karen Woods

Phi-lan-thro-py: goodwill toward one’s fellow men esp. as expressed through active efforts to promote human welfare.

Char-i-ty: the kindly or sympathetic disposition to aid the needy as a result of deep feeling or understanding of their misery or suffering.

Warren E. Buffett’s plan to transfer $31 billion of his wealth to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation carries with it the potential to accomplish many good things, particularly in the health and education fields where Gates is focused. But let’s keep in mind that there are differences between the huge amount of charitable giving as practiced by most Americans every year, and the classic type of big foundation philanthropy that Buffett’s gift represents."

New Straits Times - Malaysia News Online-Comment: Happiness, money and giving it away

New Straits Times - Malaysia News Online: "WOULD you be happier if you were richer? Many people believe that they would be. But research conducted over many years suggests that greater wealth implies greater happiness only at quite low levels of income.

People in the United States, for example, are, on average, richer than New Zealanders, but they are not happier.

More dramatically, people in Austria, France, Japan and Germany appear to be no happier than people in much poorer countries like Brazil, Colombia and the Philippines.

Comparisons between countries with different cultures are difficult, but the same effect appears within countries, except at very low income levels, such as below US$12,000 (RM44,400) annually for the US. "

Saudi ambassador pledges to continue helping New Orleans

You can read more about Disaster Relief on the AFP Disaster Relief Blog

Saudi ambassador pledges to continue helping New Orleans: "NEW ORLEANS -- A Saudi prince pledged Wednesday that his kingdom will keep helping bankroll the relief effort in hurricane-torn Louisiana.

'After the floods have receded, after the ground settled, after the plagues have gone away _ we all feel the same needs,' Prince Turki Al-Faisal, Saudi Arabia's to the United States, said Wednesday during a to New Orleans.

The prince, the youngest son of the Saudi king and the kingdom's former head of intelligence, did not name a dollar figure, citing a Quranic passage which encourages anonymous giving."

The Chronicle, 6/15/2006: Class in Action

The Chronicle, 6/15/2006: Class in Action: "Class in Action
Alternative college in San Francisco lets students put their ideas on social change to work in the real world

By Sandy Asirvatham

When Darrick Smith was an undergraduate at the University of California at Santa Cruz, he found plenty of support from his faculty mentors as he created his own educational program for black boys. Trying to Uplift My Folks, or TryUMF, as it is commonly called, is a series of elective public-high-school courses that combine critical social theory with character development."

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Nonprofits are major force in Muncie area economy, IU studies find

PRESS RELEASE

Nonprofits are major force in Muncie area economy, IU studies find: "

Nonprofits are major force in Muncie area economy, IU studies find

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 11, 2006
Kristen Gronbjerg
Print-Quality Photo

INDIANAPOLIS -- Nonprofit organizations play an important role in the Muncie, Ind., economy, according to two new reports released today (July 11) by the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy and School of Public and Environmental Affairs.

More than one in 10 paid employees (10.4 percent) in the six-county Muncie economic region and more than one in eight (12.4 percent) in Delaware County is employed in the nonprofit sector, according to the Muncie Economic Region Nonprofit Employment: 2005 Report.

By comparison, 8.1 percent of paid employees in the state of Indiana are employe"

Netflix CEO gives $1 million to open charter schools - By Matt King - Sentinel staff writer - July 11, 2006

Netflix CEO gives $1 million to open charter schools - By Matt King - Sentinel staff writer - July 11, 2006: "Netflix CEO gives $1 million to open charter schools
By Matt King
Sentinel staff writer

SANTA CRUZ — The charter school movement in Santa Cruz County is about to take off.

Seeded with $1 million in start-up funds from Santa Cruz resident and Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, founders of the newly formed Beacon Education Network say they want to provide parents with a wide range of public school choice by opening several charter schools in the next few years."

Ellison breaks Harvard pledge / Billionaire reneges on promise to fund health institute

Ellison breaks Harvard pledge / Billionaire reneges on promise to fund health institute: "Ellison breaks Harvard pledge
Billionaire reneges on promise to fund health institute

Benjamin Pimentel, Jessica Guynn, Chronicle Staff Writers

Wednesday, June 28, 2006



It's official: Larry Ellison is walking away from a promise to donate $115 million to Harvard University.

The Oracle Corp. founder and chief executive, the world's 15th-richest person, made headlines in 2005 when, in an interview with The Chronicle, he pledged to make a major donation to Harvard to study world health. But Ellison decided against the donation after Harvard President Lawrence Summers announced his resignation earlier this year. Summers will leave the university on Friday.

'It's official,' said Oracle spokesman Bob Wynne. 'The reason is the relationship he had with Larry Summers, who leaves this week. Larry Summers was the brainchild of this whole concept. With his "

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Columbia Missourian - Lay’s legacy up in the air

Columbia Missourian - Lay’s legacy up in the air:
snip snip>>>

"In 1999, Lay donated $1.1 million to MU to establish the Kenneth Lay Chair in Economics, which remains vacant.

Twice Lay asked MU to return his gift, which is now worth about $1.8 million — first, in October to contribute to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts and again in February to help fund his legal expenses. MU denied both requests, stating in an October letter to Lay that “though the University recognizes the importance of hurricane relief, it also believes that the chair established in (Lay’s) name will promote the University’s mission of providing outstanding education, research and service.”

In a statement released Wednesday morning, UM System President Elson Floyd expressed his condolences to the Lay family and said, “Mr. Lay was a strong supporter of the University of Missouri and the University remains appreciative of that effort.”"

Spirit of Giving Is Alive and Welcome Here in the County

Spirit of Giving Is Alive and Welcome Here in the County: "Spirit of Giving Is Alive and Welcome Here in the County

By Sally Rudney
Thursday, July 6, 2006; Page GZ04

The Montgomery County Community Foundation started a decade ago as a vehicle for charitable giving, and through various funds set up by families and businesses it has donated more than $15 million.

At a time when philanthropy is front-page news, with Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, the world's two richest men, making big plans for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the county foundation also has far-reaching goals."

Buffett doesn't intend to let philanthropy go on forever | Chicago Tribune

Buffett doesn't intend to let philanthropy go on forever | Chicago Tribune: "Buffett doesn't intend to let philanthropy go on forever

By Charles Storch
Tribune staff reporter
Published July 6, 2006

'We're probably a little oversized for Decatur,' said Howard Buffett.

Buffett, 51, wasn't referring to his 840-acre farm in this central Illinois city but to his foundation there -- which is growing far faster than his corn and soybeans. Its cash crop: Berkshire Hathaway Inc. stock.

His $130 million Howard G. Buffett Foundation is receiving more than $1 billion in stock from his late mother, Susan. It also will receive over the next two decades stock currently valued at about $1.1 billion from his father, Warren, Berkshire's chairman and the world's second-richest man.
"

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

newsarticle - Philanthropy Journal-Your online source for news about nonprofits, social issues, and policy change

newsarticle - Philanthropy Journal-Your online source for news about nonprofits, social issues, and policy change: "Plans to create think-tank at Foundation Center scrapped.

07.05.2006 -

By Ret Boney and Todd Cohen

Plans have been dropped to create a new institute at The Foundation Center in New York City that would have merged and expanded philanthropic and nonprofit research previously conducted there and at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

Lester Salamon, who directs Hopkins' Center for Civil Society Studies and was to have headed the new Alexis Institute for Civil Society and Philanthropy at The Foundation Center, has decided to stay at the university.

'We reached the conclusion that our respective expectations and operating procedures were too disparate to come together,' he says.

Sara L. Engelhardt, president of The Foundation Center, says the merger failed because of differences over the process for 'setting of strategic priorities.'"

Posting Chronology

Just a quick note to say that we although we continue to post to the blogs for the First two weeks of July;Due to the holdiday and vacations our posting will be less frequent and less chronological.
Thanks.

SocietyGuardian.co.uk | Voluntary sector | Government turns charities into multimillion-pound businesses

SocietyGuardian.co.uk | Voluntary sector | Government turns charities into multimillion-pound businesses: "Government turns charities into multimillion-pound businesses

· Voluntary sector 'becomes arm of big business'
· Contracting out leaves training groups booming

David Hencke, Westminster correspondent
Monday July 3, 2006
The Guardian

The government is creating a new generation of multimillionaires and turning charities into multimillion-pound businesses by contracting out services provided by the state, a report commissioned by the Whitehall trade union the Public and Commercial Services union, reveals today.

The report, by Steve Davies, senior research fellow at Cardiff University school of social sciences, shows a swath of companies set up to provide training for disabled people, the unemployed on New Deal programmes, and young offenders are now multimillion-pound enterprises."

BCNG Portals Page

BCNG Portals Page: "Local elder lends handiwork to little foreign noggins


By Bill Mickelson
Jul 05 2006

POULSBO — At age 94, Ida Puzon spends a large amount of time in her rocking chair as her legs tend to disagree with the idea of walking. Her hands, however, are completely inline with her ambition of philanthropy.

Since April, Puzon’s knitting needles have been busy at work, stitching all different sizes of youth stocking caps for the kids at Dickey’s Orphanage in Lhasa, Tibet, in the People’s Republic of China.

“I didn’t know who would be getting them, I make them for whoever,” Puzon said. “To me someone can use them, so I will make them.”

Over the years, Puzon has offered the products of her pastime for premature babies at Harrison Hospital in addition to the heads of her 23 great-grandchildren. But the idea of sending a box full of warmth to the Dickey Orphanage came from a group of her friends who visited Tibet in March.

“It was very poor,” Nita Johnson, one of the idea purveyors, said of the orphanage’s condition. “The rooms were probably no more than 10 feet by 10 feet, if that big. There were really no toys, no windows and no heat.”"

The Seattle Times: Editorials & Opinion: Redefining philanthropy for Seattle schools

The Seattle Times: Editorials & Opinion: Redefining philanthropy for Seattle schools: "Editorial
Redefining philanthropy for Seattle schools

THE approaching retirement of Robin Pasquarella, founding president and CEO of the nonprofit Alliance for Education, should force a rethinking of the role of philanthropy in the Seattle Public Schools.

The role of nongovernmental money in the public system is more vital than ever. Our city school system regularly tilts between solvency and financial ruin. A key understanding of the role the Alliance plays in the complexity of the district's $490 million budget is key to taking philanthropy in a new direction."

Philanthropy Heads In New Direction, Gates Foundation Marks The Dawn Of A New Era Of Philanthropy - CBS News

Philanthropy Heads In New Direction, Gates Foundation Marks The Dawn Of A New Era Of Philanthropy - CBS News: "Philanthropy Heads In New Direction
Gates Foundation Marks The Dawn Of A New Era Of Philanthropy


(Christian Science Monitor) This article was written by Mark Trumbull.

In 2001, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation launched an ambitious program to remake high school education, and help more kids go to college, in their home state of Washington.

After pouring $134 million into the effort, the foundation has achieved results but also learned hard lessons. Twelve test-bed high schools have redesigned themselves into 'small learning communities.' About 2,500 low-income students are in college on foundatio"

Sunday, July 02, 2006

Church-goers lead way when it comes to charity - National - theage.com.au

Church-goers lead way when it comes to charity - National - theage.com.au: "Church-goers lead way when it comes to charity

Barney Zwartz
July 3, 2006

CHURCH-GOERS give about twice as much to charity as non-believers, with people aged 25 to 44 the most generous, according to research on donations in Australia.

But they are more likely to support specific programs such as aid projects than simply to put money in a collection, which is why many individual churches are struggling financially, according to researcher Philip Hughes of the Christian Research Association. The association has just published its findings about giving money, based on a government report into philanthropy published in October, the National Church Life Survey, and other research. Donations by individual Australians nearly doubled between 1997 and 2004."

The Tide Online-Sourcing funds for cultural activities

If you find this story interesting you may want to take a look at the AFP International News Blog.

The Tide Online: "Sourcing funds for cultural activities
• Sunday, Jul 2, 2006

Not even the best informed and most enlightened cultural policy can be implemented unless there are sufficient funds to do so. But the lack thereof is a challenge everywhere as national cultural budgets stagnate and even decline. The situation is especially serious in the former socialist countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and in developing countries coping with the rigours of structural and economic adjustment. Scarce resources for culture have led everywhere to greater rigour in evaluating the benefits of cultural expenditures and greater emphasis on setting stricter priorities. The situation has bolstered arguments for the tighter management of cultural institutions,"

Philanthropy Made Easy

Philanthropy Made Easy: "MY POINT OF VIEW
Philanthropy Made Easy
You don't have to have billions, like Warren Buffett or Bill Gates, to improve the world through philanthropy. Millions of Americans do it on a smaller scale each year, and a lot of them are creating their own mini foundations with no legal hassle.
By Knight Kiplinger
July 2006

=Like most Americans, I get great joy from charitable giving -- sharing my material blessings with organizations that make this a better world. But a few years ago, as my list of charities grew longer

St. Paul Pioneer Press | 07/02/2006 | Even Buffett gift shows investment savvy

St. Paul Pioneer Press | 07/02/2006 | Even Buffett gift shows investment savvy: "Even Buffett gift shows investment savvy

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett's pledge to give most of his money to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has experts predicting it could energize the nonprofit sector and possibly spawn a new wave of philanthropy.

'It might draw in new philanthropists, new people who are wealthy who haven't given their money yet,' said Diana Aviv, president and CEO of Independent Sector, a nonprofit coalition of about 550 charities, foundations and corporate giving programs. The Gates Foundation is a member of the group, which is based in Washington, D.C."