For decades, the Chicana Service Action Center received millions of dollars in taxpayer money to help some of the county's most disadvantaged residents: the homeless, the unemployed, victims of domestic violence, foster youth looking for work. The nonprofit organization also played a pivotal role in launching the political career of former County Supervisor Gloria Molina,…
Would-be president and billionaire businessman Donald Trump’s derogatory comments about Mexico and Mexicans cost him another business deal on Monday as the world’s largest sports broadcaster scratched his golf course for a charity match. ESPN, the sports channel which is majority-owned by Disney, on Monday said it would pull a charity golf event from a…
Skimming cash, purchasing schemes and financial statement fraud—three very different types of fraud that nonprofits must prevent, detect and insure against. Still, behind each of them—and every variety of deliberate, deceptive acts against nonprofits—there’s a fundamental and shared dynamic at play. Fraud isn’t just an operational or financial risk. It’s inherently a human risk, meaning it often…
If any one of these traits are yours, either you need to change something or decide that perhaps you are in the wrong position. Look, we are all on a journey. But why continue on the path that is making you miserable? Doing it just for the money is not fair to you or your organization’s donors.
More than a dozen community groups filed a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service Monday alleging that the Walmart Foundation violated its tax-exempt status by using charitable funds to advance the retailer’s entrance into urban markets including Washington. The 22-page complaint, addressed to IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, details the retailer’s marketing and lobbying activities as…
I recognize the inherent risks associated with letting go of tight financial controls. I see the awkwardness of talking to donors about the cost of raising a dollar. I see our industry playing Twister—Semantic Version with expense allocation, coming out with legal structures that allow us to say, "100 precent of your donation goes to the cause." We all know that offices, desks, computers, employees, etc., are not free. We know a marketing-minded visionary donor agreed to "0 percent of your donation goes to the cause" to allow us to make that other statement legally, though not logically.
View for a thorough primer on all of the laws, technologies and best practices you need to know to reach your supporters by email.
Those of us in the nonprofit arena have a responsibility—and an accountability—to build things that outlast us. It's not about us as CEO, or chief development officer, or board chair, or board member. It's about building an organization that is sustainable and can grow in support of a worthy mission.
It is up to the thousands of honest and ethical fundraising professionals to look out for potential fraud and abuse in our profession.
Ted Hart speaks with Art Taylor, president and CEO of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance; Jacob Harold, president and CEO of GuideStar; and Ken Berger, president and CEO of Charity Navigator, about the overhead myth on his Nonprofit Coach radio show.
