3 February 2010, 6:00 pm
Accelerated Deductions for Haiti Giving

Call this the charitable deduction acceleration legislation. In late January President Obama signed into law legislation designed to encourage more giving to the relief effort in Haiti. This isn't unprecedented. After the Southeast Asian tsunami in 2004 similar legislation was passed. Increasing charitable aid to Haiti is a noble goal, but is an accelerated charitable deduction for donations to earthquake relief efforts good public policy?

1 February 2010, 3:00 am
The Small Business Tax Credit and Nonprofits

President Obama unveiled a $3.8 trillion budget today including $100 billion earmarked for job creation as the nation struggles with the worst recession in decades. Among the president's planned programs is the small business tax credit proposed in his State of the Union address last Wednesday. So what's in the proposal for nonprofits?

28 January 2010, 3:00 am
Text and Subtext: The State of the Union

Presidential State of the Union addresses, even when delivered by a speaker as skilled as Barack Obama, tend to be compilations of big statements with relatively few specifics. The specifics of a President's policy initiatives are in his (or her) proposed federal budget, not in a speech, even one as highly touted as the State of the Union. Without overreading one 7,335-word speech, we take note of the following key points.

18 December 2009, 2:25 pm
The State We're In: How Bad is it Out There?

The daily news reports of state government budget impasses, deficits, and cuts hit nonprofits right where it hurts: that is, in their ability to deliver on the programs and services relied on by their constituents and communities across the nation.

20 September 2009, 7:00 pm
Nonprofits and Journalism: An Interview with Mark Jurkowitz

In the United States, there is a long-standing conceptual and practical interconnection between the news media and nonprofits. Both are considered essential to a healthy democracy and an informed citizenry. But journalism as we have known it is now widely considered at risk because its business model is failing. Some would like to see journalism be more fully “owned” by the nonprofit sector, for instance. Mark Jurkowitz, associate director of Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism, talks with the Nonprofit Quarterly about where the media industry stands and where it is likely to go.

20 September 2009, 7:00 pm
Foundations Invest in For-Profits

Trend Alert: An increasing number of foundations have made large program-related investments from their asset bases. But these charitable dollars can favor business ventures. In tracking the behavior of the nation’s larger foundations, the Nonprofit Quarterly has identified a growing willingness to invest charitable dollars through program-related investments (PRIs) and mission-related investments (MRIs) in for-profit organizations. 

13 September 2009, 8:00 pm
United Ways 2009: A Confusing Mix of Missed and Missing Goals

In the Nonprofit Quarterly’s Nonprofits in the Age of Obama project, we have committed to following significant trends in and around nonprofits as our economic and political environment re-calibrates. This has led us to follow news reports of the traditional goal setting of the nation’s United Ways. We noticed some interesting trends and wanted to get your input on what you see happening in your locale.

20 December 2008, 6:00 pm
Nonprofits and Philanthropy: Scenario II -- An Interview with Ralph Smith

The relationship between nonprofits and foundation philanthropists was once mutually exclusive, but not anymore says Ralph Smith, executive vice president of the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the chairman of the board of the Council on Foundations.

20 September 2005, 7:00 pm
Your Promise is Your Brand: How to Work It

20 September 2005, 7:00 pm
Making Our Communications Strategic