Philanthropy Today - Philanthropy.com

These are items on other Web sites that are of interest to the nonprofit world. The Chronicle has no control over their content or availability. To reach the Philanthropy Today staff, send an e-mail message to daily.news@philanthropy.com

Compiled by Andy Markowitz.

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November 06, 2009

Big Layoffs Made at Health-Care Charity

The fund-raising arm of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital announced Thursday that it will cut 70 jobs, reports The Commercial Appeal, in Memphis.

The American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities cited the problems caused by the bad economy as the reason for the layoffs and “across-the-board” cuts.

The charity ranked No. 19 on The Chronicle’s new list of the 400 American organizations that raise the most from private sources.

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Global Health Group Raises Alarm on AIDS

Leaders of the global health-care charity Doctors Without Borders issued a warning Thursday that the battle against AIDS in Africa is being undercut by the recession and pressure in the aid community to divert resources to other health crises, the Associated Press reports.

Officials of the organization said at a Johannesburg news conference that donors are increasingly devoting their attention to diseases that are easier and less expensive to treat.

“The donors are getting cold feet about commitment to long-term, chronic disease,” said Tido von Schoen-Angerer, who heads the organization’s campaign to provide essential medicines. He called the current situation “a very dangerous turning point” for AIDS treatment.

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Women Fare Less Well Than Men in Top Jobs at Jewish Charities

Women hold the top job at fewer than 15 percent of major U.S. Jewish charities and make 61 cents for every dollar their male counterparts earn, according to a survey by the Forward.

Eleven of 75 organizations surveyed by the weekly Jewish newspaper have female leaders, whose median salary of $175,211, compared with $287,702 for male chief executives. That comes at a time when women make up about three-quarters of the overall work force for Jewish federations and advocacy and social-service groups as well as for religious and educational institutions.

Shulamit Bahat, chief executive of Beit Hatfutsot of America, said she was “rather stunned” by the statistics, adding. “I thought greater gains had been made.”

See The Chronicle’s new study of diversity in leadership at America’s biggest charities.

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Pennsylvania County Backs Bill to Charge Nonprofit Service Fees

The Allegheny County Council — which governs Pittsburgh and surrounding regions — approved a plan this week to charge local nonprofit institutions a fee to finance the costs of police, fire, and other services, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

The measure proposes a $200 fee for every 1,000 square feet of property owned by tax-exempt organizations and is expected to raise as much as $13-million a year for county coffers.

Dan Onorato, a county executive, had been working on his own plan to negotiate a voluntary contribution plan for nonprofit groups, according to a spokesman, who declined to say whether Mr. Onorato intended to sign the council measure.

Kentucky Youth Group Did Not Notice Missing Money

Leaders of a Kentucky chapter of Big Brothers Big Sisters say that amid dealing with deficits and job cuts, they did not notice hundreds of thousands of dollars disappearing from its coffers over the past year as part of an alleged embezzlement scheme, reports the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bluegrass this week sued a former office manager accused of embezzling $435,837 since October 2008 by forging the signatures of two board members on scores of checks. The losses, amounting to more than a third of the charity’s assets, were detected by its bank.

“I can’t speak to what happened. I have no idea,” said Dale Suttles, who was recently promoted from director of development to chief executive officer. “There are checks and balances that had been in place for years. They did not let us down until we employed certain people.”

Read an article from The Chronicle’s archive on ways to detect fraud.

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Africa-Born Football Star Endows U. of Maryland Global Health Center

Madieu Williams, a player for the Minnesota Vikings who achieved football success after emigrating from Sierra Leone to the Washington, D.C., area, has endowed an institute to pursue health improvements in his native country and in his adopted home, The Washington Post reports.

The former University of Maryland star provided $2-million to establish the Madieu Williams Center for Global Health Initiatives at his alma mater’s School of Public Health. The center will focus its efforts on Sierra Leone and Prince George’s County, Md., where Mr. Williams grew up.

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Malawian Villagers Block Construction of Madonna Charity's School

Malawi is threatening to arrest villagers demanding higher compensation for land the government is leasing to Madonna’s Raising Malawi charity to build an academy for girls, reports Reuters.

Protesters in Chinkhota, about 10 miles from the capital of Lilongwe, are blocking construction of the planned school, saying the government has not provided enough money for them to relocate and farm elsewhere. Regional officials said Thursday they would call in police if they cannot reach an agreement with village representatives.

Madonna, who has adopted two children from Malawi, personally broke ground last month for the $15-million school, which is slated to be built in two years and enroll 500 girls from all over the small southern African country.

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Prospecting: Fund-Raising Stress

CNN has told job seekers fund raising is one of the most stressful occupations in America, notes Prospecting, The Chronicle’s fund-raising column.

Plus: Capital and endowment gifts are suffering more than donations for operating expenses, a new study finds.

Social Good: Building Ties With Supporters

In our new edition of Social Good, a Chronicle podcast, you can learn how to use social-networking tools to build meaningful relationships with potential donors.

Allison Fine, the host of Social Good, talks with Morgan Richards, who oversees online communications at the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Colorado, and Shirley Sexton, director of interactive marketing and fund raising for See3 Communications, about how they hold conversations with their donors online.

Give and Take: Congress Urged to Force Charities to Prove Their Value

An Iowa newspaper is urging Congress to require charities to prove the contributions they are making to society, notes Give and Take, The Chronicle’s roundup of the most interesting opinions about the nonprofit world.

Plus:

Concerns about business-charity fund-raising promotions

Charity effort withdraws from MySpace

Thoughts about a new book on the art of grant making