Good Giving
United Way Worldwide speaks out against using charitable deduction to pay for healthcare reform
A member of the charitable deduction coalition speaks out against Congressional proposals to cap the charitable deduction to pay for health care reform or other purposes. Brian Gallagher, CEO of the United Way Worldwide, reminds Roll Call readers that giving is part of the fabric of American society and has been embodied in our federal tax laws. Capping the deduction is akin to taxing income Americans would use to benefit the common good. As a result, the people served by charities will suffer.
Gallagher notes, “Disconnecting the charitable deduction from the tax rate is a step toward abandoning who we are as a nation — one that lifts up and supports those in need.”
Read the full article here.
A plant scientist fed the world through the support of philanthropy
ACR remembers the great impact Dr. Norman Borlaug made on millions of lives worldwide through his innovative agricultural breeding techniques. More than just giving a man a loaf of bread, Dr. Borlaug taught developing countries that had been food deficient how to become self-sufficient in producing cereal grains. Working with the Rockefeller Foundation, this Nobel Prize-winning farmer from Iowa, was part of an assault on hunger that began in Mexico and spread across South America and to Asia.
Further Reading
Nonprofit report gives a nod to recent Philanthropy Roundtable report
The Reid & Reige Nonprofit Organization Report gives a strong note of approval to the Roundtable’s report How Public is Private Philanthropy? Separating Reality from Myth and recommends it for all in the charitable sector. Reinforcing what it calls the private money principle, this article reminds us that charitable funds are subject to private control (not government). The report draws a clear and thought-provoking analogy when noting, “When you look at your next paycheck ask youself if the take home amount is yours to spend as you please or a government subsidy.”
Further Reading
An exclsuive interview on the state of philanthropy today
The Heritage Foundation’s The Insider probes Mr. Dan Peters, president of the Lovett and Ruth Peters Foundation and member of board at the Philanthropy Roundtable, on current challenges to charitable giving and how ACR is responding to those challenges. As Peters notes, “The focus needs to be on allowing the charitable and philanthropic sector to do the kind of work that it has historically done well. Philanthropy is far more efficient, far more focused, far more creative than the government mindset of just handing out money.”
Further Reading
The Washington Times, William E. Simon, Jr., Co-Chairman, William E. Simon Foundation
Americans are unrivaled in their generosity. In 2007, Americans gave away a staggering $306 billion. That includes more than $100 billion for religious organizations, $43 billion for education, nearly $30 billion for human services and $23 billion for health-related charities.
Further Reading
ACR Press Release on 2009 “Good Giving” platform
Washington, DC - March 18, 2009
The Alliance for Charitable Reform (“ACR”) expressed its concerns today about the Obama Administration’s budget proposal to limit charitable deductions, noting that such action “would have a chilling effect on private donations to America’s charities and nonprofit organizations. We believe the President’s proposal is headed in the wrong direction, particularly during a time of demonstrated hardship,” said Sandra Swirski, Executive Director for ACR. “Instead of discouraging philanthropy, we need to incentivize charitable giving in a responsible way.”
Further Reading
ACR’s 2009 Platform
The Alliance for Charitable Reform’s overarching goals and principles include:
* Increase Philanthropy to Expand Private Resources Available for Charitable Activities
* Enforce and Simplify Existing Laws
* Value and Encourage Effectiveness of the Charitable Sector’s Independence and Innovation
Continue reading...
Further Reading
Statement from Adam Meyerson, President of The Philanthropy Roundtable
“The Philanthropy Roundtable believes that the world of grant-making can benefit from a robust debate about standards of excellence in charitable giving. We therefore applaud the title of a new report by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy: Philanthropy at Its Best: Measurable Benchmarks to Assess and Enhance Grantmaker Impact. Unfortunately, the report does not live up to the title’s promise. NCRP’s standards for excellence are too narrow and arbitrary to be a useful guide for grantmakers seeking to improve their performance, or for media and watchdog groups seeking to assess charitable giving…”
Download the full Roundtable statement below.
For more on ACR and the philanthropic community’s response to the NCRP report click on the NCRP button below.
Further Reading
ALEC Public Policy Forum Report by Sue Santa
While more than 75,000 foundations exist in the United States today, with over 6,500 new foundations having been established in 2008 alone (source: The Foundation Center), when asked, 56 percent of influential Americans were unable to name a single foundation (source: Philanthropy Awareness Initiative). Though responsible for numerous innovations that have improved the lives of every American, the work of private foundations remains largely concealed.
Further Reading
New York Times op-ed by Daniel J. Popeo
In a New York Times op-ed, Daniel Popeo, chairman of the Washington Legal Foundation, makes the case in support of donor intent and against greater government regulation for private philanthropy.
According to a study by The Chronicle of Philanthropy, charitable foundations’ assets declined an average of 28% in 2008. The nonprofit organizations they fund are struggling to survive. Given these dire circumstances, shouldn’t we be empowering citizens to create new charities and helping philanthropists give more? Instead, some ideologues think now is the ideal time to impose additional government regulations and even quotas, on the philanthropic community.
Further Reading
