|
|
|
In This Issue
Information from Guidestar's Bob Ottenhoff SDG hosted Guidestar President & CEO Bob Ottenhoff at an event last month, where he shared the following:
An Internal Revenue Service advisory committee is seeking comments from charity lawyers and other officials on whether the tax agency should create a self-regulation program, The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports. The effort would give tax-exempt organizations a formal way to disclose errors or instances of wrongdoing with the hopes of receiving a lesser punishment for the offense than if the IRS had discovered the problems. Comments are due by the end of February. Click here for the survey. IRS Announces Changes to 2006 Forms 990 and 990-EZ Instructions for the 2006 Forms 990 and 990-EZ, released this week by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), include significant revisions to address the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA or H.R. 4). These changes will require supporting organizations and organizations that maintain donor-advised funds to provide additional information on the forms. Other changes affect how the following information is reported: officer, trustee, and key employee compensation; family and business relationships; travel expenses for government officials; and conservation easements. Read the IRS notice below to review the specific changes.
Using Your 990 to Communicate Effectively How can your foundation use its 990 to tell the story of your good work, be more transparent, cut down on inappropriate grant requests, and more? Although foundations’ 990-PFs and 990s are being read increasingly by the media, government officials, nonprofits and other key stakeholders, foundations are often missing key opportunities to maximize their use of the form as a communications vehicle. Click here for a great article, made possible by the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers, that details many steps your foundation can take to use your 990-PF or 990 to communicate more effectively and advance your transparency. The article gives suggestions for content, formatting, and accessibility, as well as additional resources. 990 Resources:
IRS Resources for Exempt Organizations The IRS has taken its workshops and resources for small and mid-sized charitable organizations to cyberspace. The new on-line workshops and materials are free and anonymous; no registration is required. Although the resources focus on issues related to 501(c)(3) organizations' compliance with the tax code, anyone can view them at www.stayexempt.org. (This information could be of interest to both you and your grantees.) For the IRS press release about the site, click here. Topics include:
Scrutiny of Donor-Advised Funds According to The Wall Street Journal, The Internal Revenue Service is scrutinizing the use and potential abuse of donor-advised funds. In general, a donor-advised fund is a charitable fund maintained by a third party, which collects charitable contributions then distributes them as directed by the donors. Most donor-advised funds charge an administrative fee for managing these accounts. Previous to the passage of the Pension Protection Act in August 2006, donor-advised funds were minimally regulated. As the number of donor-advised funds and the amount of money placed in them grew, lawmakers and government charity regulators became concerned about several issues. First, there was no legal definition of donor-advised fund. Second, there were only minimal restrictions on the types of organizations that could receive grants from the funds. Third, there was no required payout from a donor-advised fund. Fourth, a donor who placed money in a donor-advised fund often could declare that amount as a charitable tax deduction immediately, even if the contribution had not been distributed from the fund to a charity. The Pension Protection Act addresses some of these concerns. Some fear that this legislation will decrease contributions to donor-advised funds, while others argue that minimal changes will result.
SDG Homelessness Working Group This working group meeting will feature a representative of the City of Escondido, who will speak about a countywide effort to address homelessness. California Foundations: An Examination of Recent Trends and Future Prospects Did you know that San Diego private foundation giving grew 47% between 1999 and 2004? That's the good news. Now here is the bad news: there is 18% less foundation giving in San Diego compared to Orange County, and 88% less than Los Angeles. As the recent USD study identified, the nonprofit sector in San Diego is growing. So, one question is-- how can we as a small philanthropic community effectively fund our community needs? Let's talk about this and other implications of the San Diego data with Dr. Jim Ferris, Director of The Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy, USC, and author of the study, California Foundations 2004: Trends and Patterns. A facilitated discussion will follow. Redefining Public Safety: This program will build upon the work begun in 2006. The meeting has two key agenda items- the tour of the jail followed by a debriefing. The comprehensive tour of the San Diego Central Jail will take approximately two hours and includes viewing such areas as the intake processing, medical floor and housing. Following the tour, the group will reconvene at The California Endowment for a debriefing. Space is limited to 25 people so registration is on a first come, first serve basis. San Diego Neighborhood Funders Meeting General Operating Support: Funders’ Perspectives, Policies, and Practice Ask a nonprofit what types of funding are the hardest to get and the most needed, and the answer is likely to be general operating support. This is no secret to foundations. Many foundations are exploring this funding possibility but wonder how to select grantees, how much to give and how to evaluate grant results. Carol. J. Silverman, Research Director of the Institute for Nonprofit Organization Management at the University of San Francisco will report findings from a recent statewide survey and focus group discussions on operating support. A panel will respond and offer their experiences with this kind of funding. The Family Foundation Exchange serves as a vehicle to explore new avenues of grantmaking, gain skills and knowledge, and find support and encouragment among peers. American Marketing Association Cause Marketing Conference
For questions or comments about SDGrantmakers or to submit articles for our online publications, visit www.SDGrantmakers.org or contact Nancy Jamison, 619/744.2180 or Nancy@SDGrantmakers.org. This online update is a service to San Diego Grantmakers members. Copies of past editions are archived here: News You Can Use. If you do not wish to receive these emails, send an email to nancy@SDGrantmakers.org requesting to unsubscribe in the body of the email. |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Copyright 2006 — SD Grantmakers — All Rights Reserved |
