Mr. Trump, Let’s End the Hypocrisy and Deny Tax Breaks to Churches
A push to allow religious groups and other charities to get involved in partisan politics is really a back-door way to promote Christian conservative causes.
By Doug White
Contributor
Trump’s Mixing of Politics, Religion, and Charity Spell Trouble
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee’s proposal to lift the ban on partisan lobbying by religious groups would tarnish the neutral stance that sets nonprofits apart.
By Doug White
Contributor
Charity Navigator Must Grow Up or Shut Down
As demonstrated by this week’s flap over administrative expenses at the Wounded Warrior Project, the watchdog group has misled the public about what matters in evaluating performance.
By Doug White
Contributor
Showtime’s ‘Billions’ Offers a Cynical View of Big Giving
A thinly veiled version of the David Geffen-Lincoln Center naming rights deal gets the spotlight in a popular new television show.
By Doug White
Contributor
No Gift Should Be a Suicide Pact — So Drop the Perpetuity Idea
Joan Weill’s insistence that her $20-million gift allow her to rename Paul Smith’s College is a reminder of the limits of naming restrictions.
By Doug White
Contributor
Is Charity Status Becoming Irrelevant?
If groups like the ones promoting the Rapture or manhandling NPR are gaining tax-exempt status—no matter how little they do to advance society—then perhaps IRS approval now signals nothing.
By Doug White
Contributor
NPR Debacle Raises Questions for All Nonprofits
The embarrassing comments risked eroding Americans’ trust in fund raisers and raise big concerns about governance and management, writes the head of NYU’s fund-raising program.
By Doug White
Contributor
Red Cross’s Tough-Guy Approach in Licensing Lawsuit Is Unwise
At first blush, the decision by Johnson & Johnson to sue the American Red Cross seems utterly wrongheaded, a clear case of the bad guys against the good guys. After all, a commercial health-care behemoth is suing the far smaller Red Cross over the use of the red-cross symbol. The company argues…
By Doug White
Contributor
Charities Need Fairer Ways to Count Deferred Gifts in Capital Drives
As capital campaigns are practically perennial activities these days, charities should be savvier about how they count deferred gifts toward the amount they tell the world they plan to raise. Too many charities exaggerate their totals by including gifts that will not materialize for several years,…
By Doug White
Contributor
New York’s Top Charity Regulator Doesn’t Understand Charities
New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer was in the news frequently after the September 11 attacks as he led a public charge to push charities to do more to help the victims. He got even more attention through his quest to clean up Wall Street after Enron and other corporate scandals. Now, the…
By Doug White
Contributor