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Glossary
| Books | Web Sites
GLOSSARY
OF TERMS
501(c) (3) and 501(c) (4) organizations are
nonprofit entities to which contributions are tax-deductible
to the extent permitted by law. 501c(4) organizations are
community or fraternal organizations that are not solely charitable.
590(a) is a designation that 501(c)(3) organizations
must have to qualify them as a public charity.
990/Form is an Internal Revenue Service form that
public charities must file each year (Private foundations
file 990-PF) to prove compliance with tax laws.
AGI (Adjusted Gross Income) includes income from salary
and wages, investments, and capital gains.
Annual Reports are issued each year by a growing number
of charities to provide donors and prospective donors with
information about their income, expenditures, programs, and
progress.
Community Foundation is a tax-exempt organization
serving a specific geographic area and enabling residents
of that area to establish endowed funds for charitable giving
without the costs of establishing separate private foundations.
Endowment refers to money donated with the intention
that it be invested to generate income. The donor may require
that the principal remain intact for a specific period of
time or in perpetuity.
Giving Circles are organizations of people who meet
regularly to make joint giving decisions and share information.
Social Venture Funds are charitable funds whose donors
invest their expertise as well as their money, providing support
and requiring accountability of nonprofit organizations just
as venture capitalists do in business enterprises.
Trust is a legal device used to set aside assets of
one individual for the benefit of one or more persons or organizations.
BOOKS & OTHER
READING
Don't Just Give It Away: How to Make the Most of your
Charitable Giving, by Renata J. Rafferty (Chandler House
Press, 800-642-6657)
Rafferty's book urges donors to investigate charities as carefully
as they would companies in which they invest and offers advice
on how to do it.
Wealthy and Wise: How You and America Can Get the Most
Out of Your Giving, by Claude Rosenberg (Little, Brown
and Company)
Wealthy and Wise gives a complete exploration of Rosenberg's
ideas and calculations for basing philanthropy on wealth rather
than income. (A synopsis is available at the Newtithing Web
site.)
For Richer Not Poorer: The Money Book for Couples,
by Ruth L. Hayden
Hayden, a frequent guest on Sound Money, offers instruction
for couples who need help in joint giving.
Robin Hood Was Right: A Guide to Giving Your Money for
Social Change
www.robinhoodwasright.org
Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr., by Ron
Chernow (Random House).
A terrific biography of a difficult man who was a ruthless
businessman and a great philanthropist.
Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community,
by Robert D. Putnam (Simon & Schuster)
A controversial theme about civic culture in America, but
a wealth of data, a passionate perspective, and a nice chapter
on the philanthropic impulse at the turn of the previous century.
Welcome to Philanthropy: A Guide for Individuals and Families,
by Christopher Mogil and Anne Slepian
A map of what's out there in the world of philanthropy - and
how to get involved. Available from More
than Money.
"The
Modern Medici: Patterns, Motivations, and giving Strategies
of the Wealthy," Paul G. Schervish
In this March 10, 2000, paper, Professor Schervish lays out
the analysis behind the estimated $41 trillion transfer of
wealth in coming years, and why he believes we are on the
verge of a golden age of philanthropy.
Are
We Ready? Social Change Philanthropy and the Coming $10 Trillion
Transfer of Wealth, National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy
from the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy
"Venture
Philanthropy: Landscape and Expectations", by C.
Quinn Hanchette of the Morino Institute
This paper offer an explanation of why some experts urge donors
to scrutinize nonprofits the way venture capitalists scrutinize
companies before they invest in them.
"Engaging Diverse Communities For and Through Philanthropy"
A guidebook discussing the experiences of philanthropic entities
marketing their services and programs to diverse sectors of
their communities. It was commissioned by and is available
through the Forum of Regional
Associations of Grantmakers.
Cultures
of Caring: Philanthropy in Diverse American Communities
Produced by the Council on Foundations, Cultures of Caring
examines potential ways to expand the use of institutional
philanthropy in four population groups: African Americans,
Asian Americans, Latinos and Native Americans.
WEB SITES:
Foundation Information | General Resources
| News | Institutional
Programs | Charity
Reviews | Web Philanthropy
Foundation
Information
Association
of Small Foundations
Information for foundations with little or no staff.
The Council on Foundations
A national association of private, public, and corporate foundations
that serves as a resource for news in philanthropy and as
an advocate for charitable giving.
Forum of Regional Associations
of Grantmakers
The Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers can provide
information on your region's philanthropy, help you or your
advisor explore many giving options, and connect you to other
donors in your area.
The Foundation Center
A nonprofit information clearinghouse, established in 1956,
whose mission is to foster public understanding of the foundation
field by collecting, organizing, analyzing, and disseminating
information on foundations, corporate giving, and related
subjects.
Guidestar
Much like the Foundation Center, Guidestar provides information
regarding foundations and charitable trusts, including provides
basic financial information on more than 600,000 nonprofits.
Minnesota Council on Foundations
Founded in 1969, the Minnesota Council on Foundations is a
regional membership association of grantmakers, including
family and other private foundations, community and other
public foundations, and corporate foundations and giving programs.
They offer an excellent toolkit
on giving.
The Minnesota Council of
Nonprofits
A statewide membership association of nonprofit organizations
sharing information, services, and research to educate their
members and the community.
General Resources
in Philanthropy
About.com
Taking information on philanthropy in general as well as discussions
on working in the nonprofit world, About.com's site is an
extensive research tool for newcomers to the world of charitable
organizations.
The American Association of
Fund-Raising Council
publishes annual statistics on giving.
Charities Aid Foundation
CAF is a tax-exempt organization which supports and promotes
global philanthropy. Through communication, CAF attempts to
remove the obstacles to international giving by bringing together
U.S. donors and non-U.S. charitable organizations.
Fidelity
If you're wondering whether it's better to give stock or cash,
Fidelity has an easy-to-use calculator.
Giveback Day
Started by Minnesotans, Giveback Day will be launched in October
2000 with a series of public events to address the benefits
of giving. The Web site provides specific tools to help the
next generation of givers accomplish their charitable goals.
Habits
of the Heart
Young people and adults from different youth organizations
around Indiana have been working with Community Partnerships
with Youth and Habits of the Heart - the end result is a curriculum
to help programs encouraging philanthropy in youth.
Helping.org
An online resource of information that is designed to help
people find volunteer and giving opportunities in their own
communities and the larger communities beyond.
Independent Sector
A national leadership forum that works to encourage philanthropy,
volunteerism, and citizen action by conducting research and
inquiries into who gives and why.
Kellogg Foundation
Contains a good review of nearly 140 nonprofit Internet sites.
Click on "programming interests," scroll down to the U.S.,
go to Philanthropy and Voluntarism, and, under resources,
you can download the report "E-philanthropy, Voluntarism,
and Social Changemaking." It's a useful first review of a
philanthropic revolution in the making.
More than Money
A national network of people in the wealthiest 5%, exploring
the personal impact of wealth in our lives and creative philanthropy.
National Center for Charitable
Statistics
Check here to learn more about the nonprofit sector and the
role of civil society in the American economy.
National Center for Family
Philanthropy
is dedicated to encouraging family giving.
National Charities Information Bureau
An organization that collects and maintains information regarding
charitable organizations so that donors are equipped to make
sound giving decisions.
The Newtithing Group
With a new philosophy of giving, the Newtithing group describes
how individuals can give a certain percentage of their net
worth and still have their assets grow. The site includes
a table of how
states rank on the charitable givng scale.
The Philanthropy
Center
The Center for Venture Philanthropy created this site to help
foundations and venture philanthropists research the nonprofit
sector. With this information, they assess whether or not
a program is worthy of money from venture philanthropists.
Charles Schwab
Good source of information on charitable giving.
Social Welfare Research
Institute
The SWRI specializes in the study of wealth, philanthropy,
spirituality, the motivations of giving and volunteering,
and has produced the recent new projections of wealth transfer.
The Women's Funding Network
The Network promotes the development and growth of women's
funds that empower women and girls by fostering strategic
alliances among women, donors, communities and institutions.
The Women's Philanthropy
Institute
This organization actively promotes philanthropy among women;
among the site's contents is a quick guide providing eight
ways to improve personal philanthropic giving.
Philanthropy
News
The
Philanthropy Roundtable
The Roundtable is founded on the principle that a vibrant
private sector is critical to creating the wealth that makes
philanthropy possible. They conduct research with these values
in mind and publish research findings, articles, and new events
in philanthropy.
The Chronicle of
Philanthropy
One of the most comprehensive periodicals about charitable
giving, the Chronicle relates pertinent information
from the nonprofit sector to its readers, and also includes
a detailed look at the history
of American philanthropic giving.
Nonportal
a daily updateby the Gilbert Center concerning philanthropic
news, events, and more.
Philanthropy News Network
Online
Another comprehensive news site dedicated to funds, grantmakers,
nonprofits and government legislation on giving; contains
a useful meta-index of related sites.
The NonProfit Times
Focusing mainly on nonprofit management, the NonProfit
Times provides valuable information on maintaining funding,
volunteers and staff. This newspaper also is known for its
semi-annual specials on financial management.
Grants
Information Center
This Web site provides a very basic starting point for Internet
research on foundations, researchers, and those interested
in software aimed at helping philanthropic organizations.
Educations
Institutions with Programs in Philanthropy
City University
of New York
An exploration of hundreds of resources of interest and importance
to researchers and nonprofit professionals, CUNY's Center
for the Study of Philanthropy maintains a large collection
of links and is a great spot to check for multiculturalism
in philanthropy and charitable giving.
University of
Massachusetts
The University of Massachusetts' Foundation Relations has
an extensive list of resources for charitable giving, including
a guide for finding the right foundation for different types
of givers.
University
of Indiana
The U of I's Center for Philanthropy is an extremely thorough
site that provides news, information on philanthropic policy,
and opinion pieces by the faculty at the philanthropy school
at the University of Indiana.
New York University
School of Law
The National Center on Philanthropy and the Law examines in
what ways legal issues (estate taxes, federal rates, and more)
affect charitable giving.
University
of Michigan
The legacy of renowned researcher Ann Castle is posted at
this site. Her work focused largely on the role of women in
philanthropy.
Charity Reviews
American
Institute of Philanthropy
A private watchdog organization that rates charities based
on how much they spend on program expenses versus fund raising
and administration. The institute's Web site lists the more
than 360 nonprofit groups that have been rated and names the
charities that have received "excellent" ratings
in various areas, such as cancer groups, environmental organizations,
and charities that serve the elderly.
Charitable Choices
A listing and detailed review of more than 240 charities,
organized by category. Each charity is part of the federal
government's Combined Federal Campaign, which means it has
met 10 accountability standards, including low overhead.
Charities Review Council
This private watchdog organization evaluates the effectiveness
of Minnesota charities. The web site lists the charities they've
reviewed and whether or not they meet the council's standards
for fund raising, governance, financial management, and public
accountability.
Better
Business Bureau Philanthropic Advisory Service Reports
The business world's watchdog takes a look at philanthropic
endeavors. This site primarily lists charities about which
givers should be wary.
The
Newtithing Group Charitable Giving Table
According to the Newtithing Group's calculations, this site
shows how each American state ranks on scales of charitable
giving.
The Center for Responsive
Politics
Maintaining a database that tracks political contributions
by candidate, Open Secrets helps users locate where political
candidates give their money. Additionally, the site provides
a general source of information on the issue of campaign contributions.
Web Philanthropy
Charity
Frogs
Thanks to Venture Frogs, an Internet investment company, clicking
the "ribbit" button once a day will donate one dollar
to the American Red Cross.
eBay Charity
Similar to eBay auctions, certain items are donated to a charitable
auction. All proceeds go to a user-specified charity.
The Greater Good
Through this shopping village, 15% of purchases made on the
Internet can be donated to the World Food Programme. Once
logged on to greatergood.com, users can shop at many popular
online retailers.
The Hunger Site
Sponsored by a number of Internet companies, a single mouse
click donates 1 1/2 cups of staple
food for hungry people throughout the world.
The Virtual Foundation
An information exchange where groups can post a proposal and
foundations can browse through them, deciding whether or not
to give funding.
Web Charity
Modeled after the popular eBay auction sites, Web Charity
asks users to donate items for auctions, and then the final
bidding price goes to the donor's choice of charity.
Where to Give
Based on personal selections, Where to Give helps each donor
select the type of charity to which his/her money should go.
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