About Gifts and Giving

TED TURNER'S PHILANTHROPY has been as ambitious as his business ventures, embracing environmentalism, population issues, and — most visibly — the United Nations.

THE UNITED NATIONS FOUNDATION, established by Ted Turner in 1997, was only supposed to be around for 10 years, but it is now in for the long haul, enlisting powerful partners in the effort to combat global problems.

AUTOMOBILE DONATIONS to charity have dropped off sharply as a result of a 2005 law intended to keep donors from inflating the value of such gifts on their tax returns (Tax Watch).

IN EUROPE, giving across borders is frequently hampered by tax barriers that many people consider outdated and are working to overcome.

CONGRESS HAS PASSED A LAW that includes a provision extending a generous tax incentive for donations of land and historically important properties (Tax Watch).

A STUDY BY THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE shows that people who leave larger estates are more likely to make charitable bequests and to leave a larger share of their wealth to charity (Tax Watch).

PRIVATE GIVING to poor countries by organizations and individuals in the United States in 2006 amounted to more than four times the aid provided by the U.S. government, according to a new study.

THE FACE OF PHILANTHROPY: Boundless Playgrounds has raised more than $10-million to help build spaces around the country where kids with and without disabilities can play side by side.

SUMMARIES OF ANNUAL REPORTS from the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the Houston Endowment.

RECENT GRANTS by foundations, corporations, and other grant makers.

About Grant Makers

CORPORATE GIVING grew 5.6 percent last year, according to preliminary findings from a survey of 155 companies.

THE PRESIDENT of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and descendants of the organization's founder are being sued by employees of a sugar company in Florida effectively controlled by the Mott family.

THE GOVERNOR OF MISSOURI is pressing the Missouri Foundation for Health to devote a major portion of its giving to the support of state programs, a move many consider politically charged.

A MOCK TRIAL, staged in a hotel ballroom, helped participants at a meeting of the European Foundation Centre debate whether grant makers in Europe are doing all they should to fight problems like poverty and environmental degradation.

NEW GRANT PROGRAMS announced by foundations and corporations.

About Fund Raising

ONLINE FUND RAISING is bringing in more and more in charitable gifts, according to the latest Chronicle survey, but the rate of growth at many organizations appears to be tapering off.

THE INTERNET used to be the preserve of donors who gave modest amounts, but now many charities are starting to seek big gifts online.

E-MAIL ADDRESSES ARE GOLD to fund raisers, as Defenders of Wildlife learned when it saw that messages sent to supporters by e-mail could prompt larger gifts offline as well.

THE HEIFER FOUNDATION, in Little Rock, Ark., has set up a new Web site specifically designed to open up endowment giving to more than just the "mega-wealthy."

THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS could teach charity fund raisers a thing or two about online appeals, which have been notably successful in attracting not just money for the candidates, but supporters as well.

THE COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN, the annual charity drive for federal-government workers, raised $273.1-million in pledges last year, only slightly more than the year before.

BLACKBAUD, the largest U.S. provider of fund-raising software, announced it would purchase Kintera, a company that has been struggling for several years, for $46-million.

INTEREST RATES for planned gifts, issued by the Internal Revenue Service.

UPDATE ON CAMPAIGNS for endowments, capital improvements, and other needs.

About Managing Nonprofit Groups

A GROWING NUMBER OF STUDENTS are taking part in business-school programs that place them on charity boards for a semester or more.

THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE has made public the advice it received from nonprofit groups and others on how to refine the draft instructions for the redesigned Form 990 (Tax Watch).

THE BOY SCOUTS COUNCIL in Philadelphia has sued the city over a threat to evict the organization from city-owned property if it does not change its policy of banning gays and atheists from its ranks.

PENNSYLVANIA LAWMAKERS, in an effort spearheaded by nonprofit groups in the state, have formed a legislative caucus to discuss charity-related issues.

BY GREYHOUND BUS, two young men are traveling the country for 60 days, getting AmeriCorps volunteers to pressure politicians to expand national service (Dispatches).

FOUNDATION INVESTMENTS grew by nearly 10 percent last year, a new study has found.

About Technology

VIDEO GAMES as tools to help people live healthier, more-active lives are the focus of a $2-million research-grant program at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

TECHNOLOGY BITS: A workshop in June will focus on mobilizing grass-roots forces in the 2008 election, and two organizations have donated money to provide online learning and other training to help low-income people get skilled jobs.

About Careers in the Nonprofit World

THE ASPEN INSTITUTE has created a new position focused on philanthropy and society, and it chose the founder of an organization that advises donors to fill it (New on the Job).

TIPS on writing grant proposals and other career advice is available in our regular advice column (Hotline).

PEOPLE: Appointments and promotions in the nonprofit world.

AWARDS: Honors for people and organizations in philanthropy.

Also in This Issue

OPINION: Rick Cohen offers pointers to foundations on responding to the subprime-mortgage crisis, and Leslie Lenkowsky argues that capitalism has a lot to offer philanthropy.

PRESS CLIPPINGS: Town & Country examines why women give, as part of its annual philanthropy issue, and The New Yorker takes a look at a Manhattan soup kitchen and its writing program.

LETTERS: on the best use of communications in philanthropy, the virtues of business in the charity world, and the wisdom — or folly — of financing efforts to combat structural racism.

NEW BOOKS: A guide on using new technology tools to mobilize young people, a handbook on the laws affecting religious organizations,a case for getting nonprofit groups more involved in aiding the poor around the world, plus summaries of other books on effective after-school programs, how grant makers and grant seekers are affected by reporting rules, and how foundations operate.