Where Most Needed

St. Louis Bishop Reins in Catholic Charities

A takeover of the charity's development office by the archdiocese leads to resignation of the board chair and at least three other board members. 

Acorn and Wall Street Have the Same Problem

The Wall Street Journal accidentally connects the dots between two current scandals making it plain that compensation issues are at the heart of management problems with US organizations: non-profit and for-profit, small and large. 

Acorn: Where's the Oak?

Pulled down by an embezzlement scandal and a lightning rod for right-wing attacks, the deeper tragedy at Acorn is how Wade Rathke turned community organizing into a personality cult that prevented the emergence of a new generation of leadership. 

Indicted Orange County Sheriff's Charity Fiasco

His foundation's inability to keep up with annual filing requirements turned out to be symptomatic of larger troubles. 

Philadelphians Dare to Question WHYY Executive Salaries

Staff, a newspaper columnist, and a local magazine take on the CEO of the local public broadcasting outlet for excessive compensation and poor performance. 

The Coinstar Conundrum and Other Mysteries of Paid Fundraising

Hawaii's charity solicitation report demonstrates why large scale charities continue to rely on contract fundraising.  It works for them.

Honolulu Newspaper Presses Case for Charity Registration

Although the vast majority of Hawai'i's 5,000 public charities follow the rules and have financial safeguards in place, the Honolulu Advertiser thinks they should have to pay for the misdeeds of a few.  There is no evidence offered to demonstrate that registration reduces fraud in other states. 

Sidebar: Cambridge College and the Risks of Governance

A successful school for working adults provides an example of why legal compliance doesn't eliminate risks in charity governance.

Be Wary of Lawyers Bearing Best Practices

Some in the legal profession seem to be stuck in an obsolete paradigm of compliance, transparency, and good board governance for nonprofits—while the accounting profession (and Sarbanes-Oxley) advocates a holistic approach with an integrated system of internal controls as its centerpiece.