Accountability

Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) has received a lot of attention about its spending, which has caused some donors to abandon their support of the charity and its board to fire its CEO and chief operating officer, even after the board defended its past expenditures that some deemed excessive. Now, U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, who serves as chairman for the Senate Judiciary Committee, has asked Anthony Odierno, WWP's board chair and interim CEO, to provide spending data not available in tax filings...

We’re told transparency creates trust between our organization and its supporters. For far too long, we’re told, nonprofits have operated in a sort of vague existential “never zone” of “we’re doing good, so you don’t have to worry.” The fundraising pundits tell us that’s what donors demand, these days. “Be transparent. You need to share everything. Donors want to verify before they give.” Do they?...

Georgia's proposed "religious liberty" legislation has an unlikely opponent: the NFL. Last Wednesday, the Georgia General Assembly approved House Bill 757, a measure that is, in essence, a barely concealed assault on gay rights. Asked for its stance on the bill, the league told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that it would consider the legislation when evaluating sites for future Super Bowl hosting duties...

The scandal surrounding convicted child sexual abuser Jerry Sandusky and the charity he founded, The Second Mile, began in late 2011 when allegations first came to light. Shortly thereafter, in 2012, operations at The Second Mile ceased. The key remaining questions: would there be a successor nonprofit, and would there be any assets left to…

Charity Defense Council, the nonprofit-advocacy organization founded by Dan Pallotta, on Thursday issued an 11-page media advisory detailing the preliminary findings of its investigation into the allegations CBS News and The New York Times made against Wounded Warrior Project. The organization found "major errors" in the two news outlets' reporting, including "significant factual errors" and "the possibility of material bias."...

A South Dakota couple who died in a murder-suicide last year stole hundreds of thousands of dollars intended to be used to help improve Native Americans' college readiness, among other things, state Attorney General Marty Jackley said Wednesday. Investigators believe the total amount that Scott and Nicole Westerhuis stole exceeded $1 million, based on a…

When I talk to others about time, talent and treasure, I ask them how they were affected by philanthropy. Most of the time they will mention a story about when they were young and the philanthropic seed was planted. We all know if you start early in life, roots may grow strong. Philanthropy training must begin with our youth...

Providing quality services. Raising funds. Promoting public awareness. Regardless of your nonprofit’s core mission, tasks like these are never far from your ever-growing list of things to do. But there’s one more thing you need to add to your list if you haven’t already, and that’s obtaining federal trademark registration for your name...

On Thursday, Wounded Warrior Project announced that it had fired two top executives and established an office of the CEO, led by board chairman Anthony Odierno, to head up the search for a new leader. Within a day, a familiar face had volunteered. John A. Melia, who founded Wounded Warrior Project in 2003 and led the organization until his departure in 2009, on Friday told The Associated Press that he had requested an "immediate" meeting with the organization's board of directors. And he has a 10-point plan to fix the organization...

Other than Leonardo DiCaprio finally winning an Oscar, the most talked-about moment at last month's 88th Academy Awards was Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles (GSGLA), with host Chris Rock as pitchman, raising $65,243 through cookie sales to hungry A-list celebrities at the event. But it's been more than two weeks since the awards ceremony, and GSGLA still hasn't received the funds. Oh, and up until Friday, no one even knew where the money was...