Where Most Needed

Virginia Pastor Ministers with an Iron Hand—and Hot Cars

Leading the same congregation for over 30 years, Pastor Star R. Scott left the Assemblies of God, dismissed the church board, and brooks no dissent among his shrunken but still substantial fellowship.

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. 

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. 

Roger Clemens Foundation Could Use Some Juice

The pitcher's charity foundation stages a golf event and sells memorabilia, and a significant amount of grants go to places that aren't mentioned in the organization's web site.

Doors Closing for Small Scale Advocacy Organizations

Changing priorities at two foundations affect funding for hundreds of small scale advocacy groups across the US.  It looks as though free lance advocacy is losing out to the broader strategic objectives of political campaigning.

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. 

American Red Cross: The CEO Model Has Failed

New CEO Mark Everson has resigned after six months on the job for having relations with a chapter executive in Mississippi (giving new meaning to Katrina relief).  But the Red Cross has made its greatest strides under interim leadership over the last decade, calling into question whether the organization really needs a high profile chief—and whether they can find one.

Turkey Rescue a Thankless Task

Amid national feasting, a few charities look out for a handful of birds that escape the annual massacre.

Independent Sector Releases Watered Down Principles for Nonprofits

The IS-sponsored Panel on the Nonprofit Sector announces principles that aren't that different from ones that other nonprofit groups adopted decades ago.  And they still don't address over-indulgent executive compensation—much less fundraising phone calls and junk mail.