With the Presidential election less than one week away, the Chronicle wants to know what nonprofit leaders think the next occupant of the White House should make his top priority.

If you had a chance to share your thoughts on what the new president should do for the nonprofit world, what would you say?

Click on the comments link below this post to share your advice for the next President.

And to see where Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama stand on key issues for the nonprofit world, check out Campaign 2008, our special report on the election. You also see what your colleagues rated as important in a new study by the Johns Hopkins University.

Charities in Oregon have a joined a campaign to block approval of a state ballot measure that voters will decide on November 4.

The proposal, Measure 64, would ban the collection of money using state resources, including government employee-giving campaigns, for broad political purposes

The Oregon Humane Society, Oregon Food Bank, and others oppose the measure, saying it would jeopardize programs that allow state employees to give directly to nonprofit groups via payroll deductions.

They have joined a coalition to fight the measure.

Such a proposal has been proposed — and defeated — in previous election years, according to an editorial by The Oregonian, whose editorial staff writers oppose the measure as well.

Read an opinion article in The Chronicle about similar state measures that were proposed in 2004.

(A short-term pass or subscription is required to read The...

David Eisner, chief executive of the Corporation for National and Community Service since 2003, said he plans to step down in mid November. Mr. Eisner, who was appointed to the post by President Bush, told his board and staff members that he plans to leave after the November 4 presidential election.

The corporation is the government agency that operates AmeriCorps, Vista, Senior Corps, and other federal national-service and volunteering programs. In a letter to colleagues, Mr. Eisner said Nicky Goren, his chief of staff, will serve as acting head of the agency until the next president appoints his successor.

Mr. Eisner said in the letter that the agency will celebrate its 15th anniversary in 2009 as the momentum around national service is growing.

He cited recent events, including the pledges by presidential nominees John McCain and Barack Obama to support service and...

The Philanthropy Roundtable, a Washington association of grant makers and philanthropists, is strengthening its ability to lobby Capitol Hill, in part to fight potential new federal rules on foundations.

Last month, the organization hired Sue Santa, a former corporate lawyer and aide to a Democratic senator, to fill the new position of senior vice president for public policy.

In a statement, the roundtable said Ms. Santa would seek “to protect philanthropic freedom from threats posed in Washington, D.C., and across the country.”

The roundtable did not name the threats, but the association has opposed, among other proposals, a push by state legislators and others to persuade foundations to disclose information on the diversity of their grant recipients. employees, and boards.

Ms. Santa previously oversaw public and legal affairs for the International Speedway Corporation,...

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the troubled mortgage giants that were recently taken over by the government, are expected to continue donating to charity, the Federal Housing Finance Agency has assured nonprofit groups in the Washington metropolitan area.

The agency — which has been charged with restoring Fannie and Freddie to financial health—said in a letter it is close to finishing a review of the two companies’ charitable activities “to ensure that such activities serve their mission and are appropriate to their conservatorship status.”

The letter, sent earlier this month by James B. Lockhart III, the agency’s director, added: “It is envisioned that the enterprises will continue to make charitable contributions.” It did not specify whether those contributions would match current levels.

Mr. Lockhart was responding to a letter from the Center for Nonprofit Advancement and several...

A public-relations company is promoting an online contest to predict the next president by offering to award $1,000 to the winner’s favorite charity.

Peritus Public Relations, in Louisville, Ky., says it will make the donation to the person who correctly predicts the recipient of the nationwide popular vote and in individual states. He or she will also receive a $225 crystal bowl.

Another Kentucky company offered a charitable contribution as a way to get people involved in the election.

The KFC Corporation promised to donate $20,000 to the United Nations World Food Programme if a participant at the October 7 town hall-style debate between the presidential candidates mentioned global hunger issues.

No one did. Now the company says it will donate the money anyway.

To educate voters and lawmakers during the election season, the Carnegie Corporation of New York has created an Internet clearinghouse for research on the most pressing issues facing America today, including the economy, health care, national security, and foreign policy.

The nonpartisan effort — Advice for the President — does not recommend ideas or say how the presidential candidates stand on a specific issue, but leads visitors to policy information provided by think tanks, universities, and newspapers of different political persuasions.

“How can the role of ideas continue to play an important role in our civic life?” asks Vartan Gregorian, Carnegie’s president, on the Web site. “This site is one attempt to respond to that question. We offer it as a public service and as a celebration of those who work in the spirit of our forefathers to ensure our nation is renewed, energetic, ...

To raise concerns about global hunger, a restaurant chain is trying to influence the presidential debate tomorrow night at Belmont University, in Nashville.

The KFC Corporation, in Louisville, Ky., makers of Kentucky fried chicken, says it will donate $20,000 to the United Nations World Food Programme if a participant at the town hall-style meeting “mentions” hunger issues.

“To spur a serious conversation on world hunger, KFC is offering to donate $20,000 to world hunger-relief efforts if anyone mentions the pressing issue during Tuesday’s nationally televised presidential debate,” the company says in a press statement.

To spur interest in local residents who may be invited to the debate, the company has produced a 30-second television ad for the “donation challenge.” It began appearing on local Tennessee television stations today.

Due to the bailout of financial institutions, Sen. Barack Obama may not be able to increase foreign aid from $25-billion to $50-billion by 2012 if he is elected president, said Mr. Obama’s running mate Sen. Joe Biden during last night’s vice-presidential debate.

“The one thing we might have to slow down is a commitment we made to double foreign assistance. We’ll probably have to slow that down,” Mr. Biden said.

The decision will probably concern antipoverty groups that have sought for overseas aid to be on both presidential candidates’ agendas.

During the debate last night, Republican John McCain’s running mate, Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska, would not identify what policy proposals would be jeopardized by the current financial problems.

Mr. McCain has pledged to support foreign aid, but he has not promised to double it, as Mr. Obama has.

The U.S. Senate attached a package of tax benefits to legislation to rescue the troubled financial sector, increasing the odds that the expired charity tax incentives could be renewed this year.

The package added to the bailout bill would extend for two years a measure allowing donors age 70 1/2 or older to transfer up to $100,000 to charity from their individual retirement accounts each year without paying income taxes on the money.

The Senate-passed legislation would renew the provision retroactive to January 1, 2008, and extend it to the end of 2009.

Additional provisions in the Senate legislation would renew and extend other breaks related to charitable giving, including special deductions that businesses may take for gifts of food and donations of books and computers to schools.

The legislation also creates tax incentives for charitable giving to help victims of summer...