Where Most Needed

Cattaca: Genetics for Cats

A small foundation supports some fascinating research into the origins of cat varieties.  But their IRS reporting is quite a bit less enlightening. 

Fearful Symmetry in San Francisco

Christmas Day tiger escape is a grim reminder of the risks of nonprofit mismanagement and the flaccid oversight that comes with self-regulation.  No one is keeping an eye on the tiger, or its keeper. 

Rescuing Animals from the Animal Rescuer

Good intentions lead to bad results for some animals in the care of a fund-strapped southern California animal rescue operation. 

School Tase Challenge to Student Government & Campus Police

The University of Florida taser incident should lead to a broader review of protocols for speakers forum, both for the student group that sponsors them and for the campus police, which prides itself on its adherence to professional standards.  But all universities—public and private—should be on notice.

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. 

USAID Kicks Associates & Takes Names

The USAID Partner Vetting Program wants specifics on who is receiving aid using their funds, but just in the West Bank and Gaza—for now.  The proposal highlights the curious variability in the expectations of transparency—one organization advocating for vetting doesn't turn up in databases of registered nonprofit organizations. 

College Accrediting Bodies Want to Cut the Corporate Claptrap

At least one group of watchdog organizations are looking past the arbitrary divisions between for-profit, nonprofit, faith-based, and governmental  organizations. 

Night Out Leader Says Salary Caps Can't Touch Him

Senator Arlen Specter questions Matt Peskin's pay, which exceeds his own as a US Senator, in the face of caps set on  salaries paid under Federal grants.  But Mr. Peskin says it's none of the government's business, because it's paid for by T-shirt sales, not government grants.