Items relevant to more than one category may appear more than once in this summary. From the issue dated August 4, 2005 About Gifts and Giving THANKS TO INCREASED EARNINGS, corporate giving is up again after two slow years, according to a Chronicle survey of the largest American companies. COMPANIES ARE INCREASINGLY OFFERING their employees paid stints at charities, as a way to both make their philanthropy more effective and develop corporate leaders with a global vision. A WHITE HOUSE EFFORT to encourage corporations and foundations to give more to religious groups has attracted mixed reactions. AMERICAN BUSINESSES are going about their charitable work in the wrong way, say more than 4 in 10 respondents in a survey on corporate citizenship. GIVING BY THE MOST-AFFLUENT AMERICANS dropped 70 percent after the stock market plunged in 2000, and has not significantly picked up since the market's recovery, a new survey has found. SALT LAKE COMMUNITY COLLEGE, in Salt Lake City, has received a pledge of $22.6-million for a police-training center; other recent gifts to nonprofit organizations and institutions. FACE OF PHILANTHROPY: Paws to Read, in Pleasanton, Calif., pairs young readers with specially trained dogs. About Fund Raising CAR DONATIONS have been sluggish since January, when the new law tightening tax deductions for such gifts went into effect. But not everyone believes the law is to blame. THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES passed a sweeping overhaul of the postal system that, if enacted, could save charities that raise money by mail many thousands of dollars. THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE has been asked to review new regulations governing charitable trusts set up by married couples (Tax Watch). UPDATE ON CAMPAIGNS for endowments, capital improvements, and other needs. INTEREST RATES for planned gifts, issued by the Internal Revenue Service. About Managing Nonprofit Groups MEMBERSHIP NUMBERS can be important to an advocacy group's credibility and clout, but some observers fear that some groups are not as careful about keeping an accurate count as they should be. CITIZEN ACADEMY, with programs in 10 cities, prepares volunteers to take on larger roles as community activists. UNITED WAYS have been warned to avoid imposing their own antiterrorism rules on organizations that participate in the annual charity drive for federal workers. A FLORIDA THEME PARK operated by a Christian charity is closely linked to the group's mission and does not have to pay property taxes, a judge has ruled (Tax Watch). RUNNING CATHOLIC CHARITIES USA is a long way from being a parish priest, but it's something the Rev. Larry Snyder was called to do (New on the Job). A RELUCTANT CAMPER AS A KID, Jerry Silverman came to see the value of the experience and now runs the Foundation for Jewish Camping (Entry Level). WASHINGTON'S TOP CHEFS pooled their skills and recipes for a benefit held to help a colleague's son -- and to show organizers of charity dinners how the kitchen staff should be treated (Dispatches). WRITE-OFFS: The IRS revokes the tax status of four credit-counseling groups, new rules on charitable deductions for multinational corporations have been issued, and charities get guidance on the role they can play in lobbying for or against a Supreme Court nominee (Tax Watch). REPORTS ON CHARITIES by the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance. About Grant Makers THE LARGEST PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS together spent 7 percent of their charitable distributions on administrative costs in 2001, according to a comprehensive study of foundation expenses. RECENT GRANTS by foundations, corporations, and other grant makers. About Technology FINALISTS FOR THE AMAZON.COM AWARD recognizing innovative solutions to social problems are competing to raise the most money on the retailer's Web site. CHARITIES PLANNING A FOR-PROFIT VENTURE have two new technology tools to turn to for help in designing a business blueprint. THE ONLINE SALE OF TREES to be planted in Israel has proved a fund-raising boon for the Jewish National Fund. TECHNOLOGY BITS: GuideStar expands the types of documents that charities can post online through its Web site, a new report examines Internet access at public libraries, and a library of volunteer resources gets an update. Also in This Issue OPINION: David Eisner on the role governments, businesses, and donors play in ensuring charities have the resources they need to manage volunteers; and Mark R. Kramer on grant makers' mistaken notions about achieving a lasting impact. LETTERS: for and against efforts to beef up federal regulation of nonprofit groups, and questioning a watchdog group's standard on accumulating assets. PRESS CLIPPINGS: Black Enterprise ranks the top black donors, and Vanity Fair details the story behind the resignation of the Guggenheim Museum's chairman. BOOKS: A handbook on nonprofit law, a proposal for a "civil republic" that gives charities a central role, and a guide to running special events, plus summaries of other publications on colleges and community service, evaluating nonprofit boards, citizen advocacy and schools, and arts groups and public accountability. PEOPLE: Appointments and promotions in the nonprofit world. AWARDS: Honors for people and organizations in philanthropy.