The Attorney General of California issued a July 24th press release announcing the lawsuit against Sacramento-based Move America Forward, Inc. beginning in a remarkably understated manner. Xavier Becerra has moved against this nonprofit, formed in 2004, that “sends care packages to combat troops” and describes itself on its website as the “nation’s largest grassroots pro-troop organization dedicated to support the brave men and women” of the Armed Forces. “The lawsuit alleges that Move America Forward’s…

About every two years, BoardSource conducts its “signature study” of the board practices and policies of U.S. charitable organizations. The most recent one, Leading with Intent: 2017 National Index of Nonprofit Board Practices, includes participation by the nation’s museums in cooperation with the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). Leading with Intent prides itself with being the “only survey to gather information from both chief executives and board chairs on their experiences in the nonprofit…

Philanthropy in the United States is at a crossroads. After many decades of fairly static models of charitable giving, there is considerable innovation and change, particularly among the new generation of young tech billionaires. They are moving to alternative structures including donor-advised funds (DAFs) and limited liability companies (LLCs) to support their philanthropic activities.  While DAFs have been in the spotlight recently, the LLC trend is quietly picking up steam, too – all the more…

There’s new information separating fact from myth about where American charitable foundations are making grants these days and for what purposes, courtesy of San Francisco-based Fluxx.  “Fluxx is the cloud platform that powers giving and impact in philanthropy.” Its vision is to “democratize philanthropy.” Through a free app, “givers and doers” are connected. “[H]undreds of the world’s largest foundations and tens of thousands of nonprofits rely on Fluxx to streamline their funding…

In 13 Famous TV Cliffhangers That Still Get Fans Talking, we’re reminded that Hollywood executives take delight in leaving fans over the long hot summer with the agony of worrying about the fate of a beloved (or hated) television-series character.  Perhaps the most sensational cliffhanger in TV history is the final scene of the 1979-80 season of the CBS hit, “Dallas.” J.R. Ewing, played by the late Larry Hagman, was the scion of an…

Recently, the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP), noticed a shift in the focus of many foundations away from a historical reluctance “to embrace advocacy.” Governments have become less willing or able to tackle societal problems because of gridlock and dysfunction, coupled with a policy of budget cuts, so “funders are increasingly turning to policy advocacy as a lever for change.” CEP’s mission is to develop “data and insight” to help foundations better address and solve…

There are desperate, continuing, needs for International humanitarian assistance; the range and scope of causes and priorities is daunting – and growing. Americans are eager to help, directly and indirectly, through existing U.S. charitable organizations or in response to crowdfunding and other emergency appeals. Many 501(c)(3)s already include international operations or reach; others may be considering starting up or expanding to meet overseas needs. But any group that “provides charitable resources to organizations and individuals…