Philanthropy Today - Philanthropy.com

These are items on other Web sites that are of interest to the nonprofit world. The Chronicle has no control over their content or availability. To reach the Philanthropy Today staff, send an e-mail message to daily.news@philanthropy.com

Compiled by Noelle Barton, Caroline Bermudez, Maria Di Mento, Audrey Hill, and Anne W. Howard.

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July 03, 2008

Obama Calls for Expanded National Service

Sen. Barack Obama has made several speeches this week calling on Americans to volunteer to serve their country, reports The Washington Post.

Promising a wide array of expanded opportunities, Senator Obama said on Wednesday that “government depends not just on the consent of the governed but on the service of citizens.”

Senator Obama’s service plan, first detailed in December and expanded slightly on Wednesday, would cost an estimated $3.5-billion annually. It would increase AmeriCorps members by 250,000, double the Peace Corps by 2011, create an Energy Corps for renewable-energy and environmental projects, and expand the Foreign Service. Additionally, a Social Investment Fund Network would support the nonprofit world, and veterans would be tapped to help other veterans find jobs.

Referring to his own experience working as a community organizer, Senator Obama said, “Through service, I found a community that embraced me, citizenship that was meaningful, the direction I’d been seeking.”

For more about the candidates’ views on national service and other topics, see the Campaign 2008 section of The Chronicle’s Web site. In addition, see an article on the public-service group that is a key influence in the campaign.

(Free registration is required to view the Washington Post article.)

Some Jewish Nonprofit Groups Lay Off Employees and Trim Programs

In these tough economic times, some Jewish nonprofit organizations are reducing the size of their staffs and programs, reports The Jewish Week, in New York.

The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, an international relief agency, and the Jewish federation umbrella group United Jewish Communities recently cut dozens of jobs, and several Jewish groups and programs have closed.

The bad economy has caused some donors to pull back, leaders of Jewish charities said.

“It hasn’t been easy fund raising in the last 90 days. People are feeling like each dollar has to go further in their charitable giving,” says Simon Greer, chief executive of the Jewish Funds for Justice, in New York.

At least one observer said the cutbacks are not so much the result of the economic slump as other factors.

“I don’t think the fact that some number of Jewish organizations are having financial problems is a function of the economy, hard times, or some general wave in Jewish organizational life. It’s about those organizations.” says Gary Tobin, president of the Institute for Jewish & Community Research, in San Francisco.

Catholic Bishop Apologizes for Charity's Aid in Va. Abortion Case

Catholic leaders in Richmond, Va., are apologizing after a teenage immigrant in a Catholic charity’s care obtained an abortion with help from charity staff members, reports the Associated Press.

The unidentified 16-year-old Guatemalan was being cared for by Commonwealth Catholic Charities through a program that provides foster care for illegal-immigrant children in the United States without their parents.

Four of the charity’s staff members were fired for helping the girl travel to and from the procedure and signing a parental consent form, required by law in Virginia, according to the news service.

N.Y. Child-Care Providers Accused of Misusing Government Funds

An audit of New York City contractors hired by the state to provide child care to low-income families found many incidents of misspent funds, with 19 centers referred to local prosecutors for possible prosecution, reports The New York Times.

The state comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli said the audit found that “a lack of effective monitoring contributed to ineffective results and misuse of funds.”

The audit examined 205 contracts to New York City child-care centers, spanning 1999 to 2006, which totaled $10.7-million.

One part of the audit analyzed 55 contracts worth $2.9-million and found that misspending in 39 reached nearly $1.6-million.

In one incident, a contractor received $95,000 to create 30 child-care slots; instead, some of the money went into a personal checking account, and the slots never materialized.

(Free registration is required to view this article.)

Opinion: America’s Wealthiest Are Giving More to Charity

America’s slowing economy has inspired some of the richest in the nation to increase their donations to charitable causes this year, writes Andrew Farrell, a columnist for Forbes magazine.

A survey by Prince & Associates, a research firm, found that six in ten Americans with wealth surpassing $30-million intend to give more to charity this year than last year. And of those intending to donate more, 87 percent cited greater need as a motivation.

See The Chronicle’s database showing all the gifts of $1-million or more that have been announced in 2008, plus you can see who has publicly announced the biggest donations to charity this year.

Online Discussion Next Week: Corporate Marketing Deals

Join us on Tuesday, July 8, at noon U.S. Eastern time for a live online discussion about corporate-marketing deals that benefit charity.

How can your charity make the most of its corporate-marketing partnerships? What are the pitfalls? And what are some examples of deals that are good models for other charities?

Join these experts to answer your questions:

Katrina McGhee is vice president of marketing for Susan G. Komen for the Cure, in Dallas, where she oversees more than 100 deals that benefit the breast-cancer charity.

Michal Ann Strahilevitz is an associate professor of marketing at Golden Gate University, in San Francisco. She has studied marketing deals between companies and charities for more than 12 years.

These discussions are free and open to everyone. People who ask questions in advance have a better chance of getting answers.

Prospecting: New Law on Annuities

New York has passed a new law to regulate charitable gift annuities, reports Prospecting, The Chronicle’s column on fund raising.

Give and Take: Promoting the Arts

A contest is under way to spur creative ideas for promoting the arts, reports a new post in Give and Take, The Chronicle’s summary of the best blogs about the nonprofit world.

Correction: Leona Helmsley's Charitable Foundation

A summary in Wednesday’s Philanthropy Today incorrectly described some details of a New York Times article about Leona Helmsley’s instructions for the charitable foundation that will benefit from her estate’s assets. The Times reported on a mission statement drafted by Ms. Helmsley, not on the will itself, which is public. In addition, the newspaper reported simply that a spokesman wouldn’t comment while the estate’s executors were determining the direction of her charitable trust; the article said the trustees of the charitable trust had hired a philanthropic advisory service to determine if there was a way to stick to Ms. Helmsley’s desires and also pursue broader goals.

Holiday Notice

Because of the Independence Day holiday, we will not be sending you Philanthropy Today on Friday. We will be back in your mailbox on Monday.