Iowa

December 8, 2009, The Wall Street Journal - A senior senator asked 33 nonprofit medical groups, including the American Medical Association and American Cancer Society, for information on the financial support they receive from corporations.

SEATTLE, April 14, 2009, Associated Press — The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged $5 million to help libraries serve more people during the economic downturn, starting with communities in Iowa and Georgia.

CHICAGO, April 14, 2009 — For the second time this year, U.S. Cellular is putting up $1 million to help schools across the country. The company's new CALLING ALL TEACHERS campaign will funnel the funds directly into the hands of thousands of teachers to subsidize classroom materials and educational experiences for students. Between now and Teacher Appreciation Week May 4-8, 2009, the wireless company and its 9,000 associates are encouraging teachers to post projects on DonorsChoose.org, a philanthropic Web site that helps public school educators find money for classroom projects that exceed their limited budgets.

Over and above the tens of millions for D.C. schools, courts, infrastructure and the Metrorail system found in the massive federal spending bill is more than $10 million earmarked by Congress for District-based organizations.

Over the past few years, Washington, D.C., has witnessed two explosive nonprofit scandals. In 2005, the board of American University received a letter from an anonymous whistle-blower alleging that the university’s president, Ben Ladner, was abusing his university expense account. A subsequent audit found that Ladner had indeed spent more than $500,000 of university funds on lavish personal expenses, including a $5,000 vacation in London and a $15,000 engagement party for his son. Already concerned about Ladner’s compensation—which was higher than those of all Ivy League college presidents—the board split over whether to reduce Ladner’s pay. The fracas filled newspaper gossip columns for months, sparked a congressional inquiry, and eventually led to Ladner’s termination. The board then required two years to rebuild itself and to name a new president.

In a webinar last month titled "Positioning for Wealth Transfer," Campbell & Company Vice President Bruce Matthews talked about the need for organizations to prepare programs that take full advantage of this boon.