Accountability

Jon S. Petersen, head of Christian charity World Ambassadors, on Monday admitted to embezzling $475,000 in donations between 2010 and 2014, The Associated Press reported. Petersen, who founded the Iowa-based Christian outreach nonprofit in 1993, said he deposited the money into his personal checking account and used it to pay for his "sex addiction" and credit card debt...

On my high school baseball team, I typically played third base and caught. In an important sectional tournament, I was assigned to play first base. It was the only time I played that position all year. I was excited to play the position and knew I would play it well because I could adapt quickly to changes in scenarios. I apply that same confidence to my nonprofit work...

The most common complaint I hear from people trying to raise money is that they don’t have enough time. “There aren’t enough hours in the day,” “I can’t get everything done,” “I’m just one person,” “How do those other nonprofits get it all done?” Sound familiar? Here’s some good news: You’ll never get it all…

At first glance, the National Vietnam Veterans Foundation is a roaring success. According to its tax filings, the charity has received more than $29 million in donations from generous Americans from 2010 to 2014 for what it calls on its website "aiding, supporting and benefiting America's veterans and their families." But look a little closer…

A former city employee sued Flint, Mich., and its mayor after being fired, alleging the city's head directed water-crisis donations to a campaign fund. The lawsuit, filed last week, claimed Maxine Murray, an assistant to Mayor Karen Weaver, came to city administrator Natasha Henderson "in tears" and confided that "she feared going to jail."...

For-profit companies have often sought to generate goodwill through charitable donations and a combination of environmental and social advocacy. For some companies, however, the occasional goodwill gesture isn’t enough. That’s what B Corporations are for: These for-profit companies intend to make money, of course, but doing good also is one of their goals...

Just days after it fired its executive director and chief financial officer amid controversy over $750,000 in embezzled funds, New York arts charity Healing Arts Initiative said it will shut down. The charity has been at the center of an increasingly bizarre series of events dating back to last year. In August, the organization's executive director, D. Alexandra Dyer, was attacked with drain cleaner, leaving her disfigured...

The Clinton Foundation's critics may soon have less ammunition to suggest the organization lacks transparency. The charity has taken initial steps toward regaining a rating by Charity Navigator, a major charity watchdog that assesses more than 8,000 organizations on a scale of zero to four stars. The Clinton Foundation, headed by former President Bill Clinton,…

It's quick and easy to donate money to charities online, and one website in particular is ready to accept donations and distribute them to various Maryland charities. So why is one of the charities upset? Online giving is as easy as search, click and type in credit card information. The hard part is knowing where…

All of us constantly are interacting with representatives from foundations, corporations, associations, organizations and families. Each contact is different, and long-term success depends on initial interactions and subsequent personal activities. Have you ever taken the time to look at your prospects and match them with your staff based upon personality and potential fit? If not, and if possible, I strongly suggest you look at these linkages...