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IRS Should Allow Social-Welfare Groups Unlimited Advocacy
The inspector general's report on the Tea Party scandal teaches an important lesson about the inherent difficulty of trying to regulate an activity that is impossible to...
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Charitable-Deduction Fight Distracts From Battle With Bigger Stakes
As governments seek to narrow tax exemptions, nonprofits need to find new ways to show why they deserve to avoid levies.
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Why the Charitable Deduction Is Unlikely to Change
Nobody is willing to ask the hard questions about why giving gets a tax subsidy from the federal government, and too little is known about what would happen if the break were...
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Realistic Film on Philanthropy Doesn’t Get Box-Office Appeal
"Little Red Wagon" tells an inspiring story, but Americans seem to prefer to see donors as wealthy scoundrels or superheroes who can work wonders with a simple check.
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Stark Choices About the Common Good
Nonprofits should listen hard to how voters (many of them charity donors) grapple with questions about the responsibilities of government and individuals.
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Why Livestrong Will Survive Lance Armstrong’s Struggles
The group's efforts to develop a strong identity beyond its founder are a key reason it isn't facing the problems that have plagued some other celebrity-driven charities.
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Court’s Health-Care Ruling Offers Little-Noticed Threat to Nonprofits
The legal logic in the majority opinion makes it far easier for lawmakers to increase government control of tax-exempt groups and limit write-offs for donors.
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Unlocking Government Aid for Religious Groups
A Supreme Court decision removes the roadblocks that have made it hard for federal dollars to flow to faith organizations.
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New Poverty Figures Offer Lessons for Grant Makers
Nonprofit aid to people who face temporary setbacks, such as loss of a job or an illness, can make a big dent in reducing the number of poor Americans.
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Philanthropy’s Missed Opportunities After 9/11
Little progress has been made in nurturing the civic spirit that emerged after the attacks or improving how Americans interact with the parts of the world where the 2001...
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A Venture Capitalist’s Venture Philanthropy
Peter Thiel, a backer of companies like PayPal, seeks to nurture entrepreneurs by persuading them to drop out of college and learn to build a business.
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Robert Payton’s Legacy: How to Educate Nonprofit Leaders
The former head of the Exxon Education Foundation urged nonprofit leaders to gain a broad education, not just technical skills—and often asked them to ponder whether they...
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Nonprofit Fraud Isn’t Widespread
The Three Cups of Tea controversy is not a sign that abuses are rampant in the nonprofit world, as least as far as the evidence shows, writes Leslie Lenkowsky, a...
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Do Foundations Recognize Their Limits?
A foundation's examination of mistakes it made in an ambitious antipoverty effort raises questions about whether grant makers can really promote big social changes, says a...
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Verdicts on Charity
The Supreme Court session that ended last month protected the basic principle of charity: that Americans can give freely to any cause they choose, write two nonprofit...
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Celebrities Don’t Always Bring Charities Much More Than Glitter
Celebrities have become more prominent in the world of philanthropy, but their involvement is not always helpful to good causes.
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As Charities Grow in China, They Challenge Government’s Dominance
As philanthropy grows in China, the government views it with ambivalence.
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A New Era for Nonprofit Advocacy?
Last week's Supreme Court ruling changed the ground rules for how much businesses can spend to finance political campaigns, notes Leslie Lenkowsky, a Chronicle of...
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Nobel Prize Winner's Work Shines Light on Altruism
The lessons for philanthropy in the research of the new Nobel laureate in economics.
About Leslie Lenkowsky
Leslie Lenkowsky is a professor at Indiana University and a regular Chronicle contributor. His e-mail address is llenkows@iupui.edu.
