NonProfit Pro

Anger Simmers Over Ouster of Jewish Agency Fundraising Chief
February 23, 2015

The triannual meeting of the board of governors of the Jewish Agency opened on Sunday following days of quiet and not so quiet grumblings regarding the leadership of director-general Alan Hoffmann. The campaign has evidently gained so much traction that agency Chairman Natan Sharansky was forced to draft a letter to employees worldwide to defend the administrator while attending the funeral of slain Jew Dan Uzan in Denmark last week.

Longtime USAID Contractor Embroiled in Scandal Fires Top Managers, Others
February 23, 2015

International Relief and Development Inc., once one of the largest nonprofit contractors working for the U.S. Agency for International Development, has dismissed its board of directors and laid off 21 employees in an effort to stabilize the struggling organization, senior managers said Friday. The managers are trying to lift a Jan. 26 suspension issued by USAID, preventing the nonprofit group from receiving federal work. The agency reported that it had found evidence of “serious misconduct” at IRD, including allegations of unchecked spending and mismanagement in humanitarian and stabilization programs.

Tech's Power to Mobilize Masses Comes at a Cost, Diana Aviv Says
February 23, 2015

Technology’s power to rapidly mobilize swarms of individuals for social causes — bypassing traditional institutions like religious organizations and established charities — poses significant new problems for the nonprofit world, said Diana Aviv, chief executive of Independent Sector.

"When their particular interest has been fulfilled or their passion has diminished, whichever one comes first, they disband and there is no social capital that’s built," Aviv said.

It is one of a number of major challenges facing nonprofits, gleaned from more than a year of Independent Sector-led research, detailed by Aviv Friday.

NPR and ProPublica Reject Red Cross Demand for Corrections to News Reports
February 20, 2015

The feud between the American Red Cross and two news organizations moved into a new phase this week, with ProPublica and NPR rejecting the relief organization’s demand for a correction and each side accusing the other of being "misleading." A joint statement by the news organizations defended their reporting as "scrupulously fair."

Since April 2014, ProPublica and NPR have jointly investigated the American Red Cross’s response to Hurricanes Sandy and Isaac in 2012 and claims about how donation dollars are spent.

Maine Nonprofits Warn Property Tax Proposal Has 'Unintended Consequences'
February 20, 2015

A proposal by Gov. Paul LePage to end property tax exemptions for many nonprofit organizations in Maine has raised deep concern among leaders at southern York County institutions including York Hospital, Berwick Academy and the Museums of Old York. And for good reason. According to assessing records, York Hospital has tax-exempt property valued at $22 million and Berwick Academy, $14 million. The Museums of Old York has property valued at more than $5 million.

Eye on Design: Making Your Nonprofit Direct Mail Pop
February 20, 2015

Adding some well-done visual design is great way to make your mailing stand out. Join NonProfit PRO sister brand Direct Marketing IQ Editorial Assistant Jeremy Zimmerman as he shows you how to take cues from three specific pieces from the California Institute of the Arts, Whitney Museum of American Art and Brilliant Graphics. To see these mailings, as well as thousands of others, login to your account at whosmailingwhat.com. If you're not a member, find out more and signup here.