Session 1 Tax-Exempt StatusJeopardizing 501(c)(3) Status Distinction between "tax-exempt" and "nonprofit" Major types of exempt organizations – charitable/educational/religious; public charity/private foundation; (c)(3) / (c)(4) / … Benefits of tax-exempt status – income tax exemption; possible exemption from state income, sales and property taxes; reduced postal rates offered to some...
Philanthropy Forum – May 10, 2005
The May 10, 2005 Philanthropy Forum featured guest speakers from the Council on Foundations: Janne Gallagher, Vice President and General Counsel, and Diane Canova, Vice President, Government Relations and Public Policy. The topic and a current Council initiative: Building Strong and Ethical Foundations. Ms. Gallagher opened by identifying the...
13th Annual Planned Giving Conference – May 9, 2005
Over 400 planned giving professionals attended the 13th Annual Planned Giving Conference presented by The Northern California Planned Giving Council in San Francisco. Erik Dryburgh was honored with the Phil Hoffmire Service Award for his professional accomplishments, which have made a significant and lasting impact on the field of...
Contemplated Legislation May Hurt Donor-Advised Funds
The Chronicle of Philanthropy (April 28, 2005) reported the results of its sixth annual survey of gift funds and suggested that proposed rules could reduce the popularity of donor-advised funds. 88 organizations, collectively holding more than 80,000 donor-advised funds, participated in the survey. Currently, no legal definition of "donor-advised...
Hearing of the House Ways and Means Committee – April 20, 2005
The hearing of the House Ways and Means Committee raised questions about the types of groups deserving of tax-exempt status. The Chronicle of Philanthropy (April 20, 2005) reported that according to the chair of the Committee, Rep. William M. Thomas, (R-CA), and legal scholars who testified at the hearing,...
Starting a Planned Giving Program
In the PNNOnline (April 19, 2005) article, "Nonprofit Professionals Turn to Planned Giving to Raise Critical Funding," results of a survey by Blackbaud, Inc., a leading provider of software designed for nonprofit organizations, showed that 37% of those who registered for Blackbaud’s free online seminar "How to Make Planned...
A Conversation with California Attorney General Bill Lockyer – April 22, 2005
California Attorney General Bill Lockyer addressed the public at an event hosted by The USF Institute of Nonprofit Management. Notice for the event stated that Mr. Lockyer would address the future of the California nonprofit sector, the growing focus on ethics and accountability, and trends in the regulatory environment. ...
House Committee on Ways and Means Hearing on Tax-Exempt Sector Scheduled for April 20, 2005
Even more evidence of the increased government scrutiny on the nonprofit sector: The Committee on Ways and Means will hold a hearing titled "An Overview of the Tax-Exempt Sector" on April 20, 2005. According to the Committee’s Advisory, the focus of the hearing is to "examine the legal history...
House of Representatives Passes Bill to Repeal Estate Tax
On April 13, 2005, the House of Representatives passed a bill to permanently repeal the estate tax. the House rejected the alternative offered by Rep. Earl Pomerory (D-ND) to immediately increase the estate tax exemption level to $3 million and to raise the exemption level to $3.5 million after...
Why All This Attention on the Senate Finance Committee?
I have posted a number of times on recent activities of The Senate Finance Committee and the Panel on the Nonprofit Sector. If you are involved with a nonprofit organization, you should scan some of these posts and their links. As The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports (April 14, 2005),...