Executive Issues

When Gail McGovern was picked to head the American Red Cross in 2008, the organization was reeling. Her predecessor had been fired after impregnating a subordinate. The charity was running an annual deficit of hundreds of millions of dollars. A former AT&T executive who had taught marketing at Harvard Business School, McGovern pledged to make…

In the past three years, America’s Charities has been releasing the country’s most incisive and comprehensive series of reports on trends in employee volunteering and giving. This year’s much-anticipated report was just released, and it’s packed with encouraging–even inspiring–data for anyone who cares about employee-centered corporate philanthropy. As a federation that connects public and private…

In late September, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) proposed a new substantiation rule that would allow charities to self-report donations of more than $250. Under current rules, donors wishing to claim a charitable income tax deduction are required to obtain and submit a contemporaneous written acknowledgement (CWA) from the nonprofit receiving the donation. The new proposal would require the reporting charity to collect donors' names, addresses and Social Security numbers. That last item has U.S. nonprofits worried...

I was in a meeting recently with some managers when overhead came up. You would think we had just moved into the ring of a major boxing match. Goodness. Some managers were defensive. Others quietly retreated into their spreadsheets. Still, others moved into some language about “we’re doing the best we can to keep costs down.” So, I stepped into this swamp with the following question: “What do you think donors think about overhead?”...

Zachary DuBow was used to seeing MetroCards strewn all over the city’s subway stations—discarded by tourists or neglected by everyday commuters. He began to wonder how many of the cards contained little bits of leftover money. Probably not enough for a full fare, he thought, but what if he combined the value of all the…

Yesterday, Forbes released the 2015 edition of its annual "Largest U.S. Charities" report, which features the top 50 nonprofits by 2014 private donations (rather than government funding and other revenue sources) The full list is worth a look, but if you don't have time to poke around, don't worry. We did it for you! Here's a deeper look at the stats, trends and interesting tidbits on today's biggest charities...

Folks who work for nonprofit organizations are used to working with shoestring budgets. They understand that every dollar they spend must have a strong return on investment and that because they qualify for a special tax status, their financial documents are open for public inspections. It’s understandable that many conscientious nonprofit leaders hesitate to purchase…

Something about the Council of Senior Centers and Services of New York City Inc. just did not sound right anymore. For one, the council, a nonprofit organization, does not operate senior centers. It advocates against the abuse of older adults, helps them apply for rental and food assistance, and lobbies for affordable housing on their…

The Marine Corps League, organizing the annual "Toys for Tots" toy drive for families in need in the Reno/Sparks area, said local Wal-Mart stores have removed donation boxes from area locations. The group said it had donation boxes set up at area Wal-Mart locations, but has now learned that Wal-Mart has removed those boxes. A…

As the Girl Scouts, Turning Points for Children and countless other nonprofits have shown, crisis comes in ways that are impossible to imagine. It’s up to the organization to be proactive and transparent, to have a plan...