Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Government snubs civil society group on lobbying bill

Government snubs civil society group on lobbying bill: A group of civil society organisations working to address concerns on the lobbying bill has said it is disappointed that Deputy Leader of the House Tom Brake was prevented by Leader of the House Andrew Lansley from giving evidence for its new report.

The Commission on Civil Society and Democratic Engagement, chaired by Lord Harries of Pentregrath, has published its final report on the lobbying bill, which will be presented to peers in the House of Lords today, one week before the controversial bill returns to the floor of the Lords for committee stage.

Monday, October 28, 2013

Vermont Supreme Court rules church camp must pay taxes | Burlington Free Press | burlingtonfreepress.com

Vermont Supreme Court rules church camp must pay taxes | Burlington Free Press | burlingtonfreepress.com: The Vermont Supreme Court affirmed a lower court order that a church group must pay property taxes to the town of Brownington for an overnight camp it owns in that town.

Monday, October 21, 2013

The end of charity poker rooms in Michigan? State regulators eye even stricter rules | MLive.com

The end of charity poker rooms in Michigan? State regulators eye even stricter rules | MLive.com: Michigan's charity gaming industry grew from less than $8 million in chip sales in fiscal year 2004 to more than $197 million in fiscal year 2011. Chip sales dipped to $184 million in fiscal 2012. The games have raised $103 million for charities in the past nine years, while poker rooms raked in $86 million and players won more than $680 million.

But much of that could come to a halt early next year if the Michigan Gaming Control Board goes through with proposed rule changes that would effectively eliminate permanent charity poker rooms. Officials say the rule changes address problems with gaming violations and crimes at some poker rooms while making sure charities' best interests are protected.

Friday, October 18, 2013

Time for not-for-profits to pay up? - Stowe Reporter | The hometown newspaper for Stowe,Vermont.: News

Time for not-for-profits to pay up? - Stowe Reporter | The hometown newspaper for Stowe,Vermont.: News: Should Vermont’s many not-for-profit organizations have to kick in some money toward state property taxes?

That’s one of the central questions a legislative study committee will attempt to answer as it looks at Vermont’s hodgepodge of property tax exemption statute

Melt the “charity chill” - Information, research and resources for fundraisers and their leaders

Melt the “charity chill” - Information, research and resources for fundraisers and their leaders: "Say “advocacy” around activists, and many people will picture confrontational stunts rather than strategic alliance-building behind the scenes. But the latter is one of the most effective tactics charities have adopted to tackle huge problems like passing laws against drunk driving, restricting smoking and toughening laws for equity.

Ken Wyman believes that charities must advocate. Charities represent millions of people whose expertise and voices belong in public policy discussions, he says."

'via Blog this'

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Foundations Should Work to Fix a Broken Washington - Opinion - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Foundations Should Work to Fix a Broken Washington - Opinion - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas:Robert Gallucci, president of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, suggests in an eloquent op-ed for this newspaper that foundations must step up to help make the case. It’s time, Mr. Gallucci argues, for foundations to do more to help create a “political system that is credible, transparent, and responsive to the needs of ordinary people.”

Will foundations accept Mr. Gallucci’s challenge?

A Nonpartisan Open Letter to Elected Officials - The AFP Blog

The AFP Blog: One of the challenges about being nonpartisan is keeping focused on your ultimate goals and not getting sidetracked on short-term issues and partisan fighting.

The latest challenge in a long line of economic challenges is the government shutdown. I’ve written about the shutdown here on the AFP blog. We’re working with Congress and the White House to collect stories about the impact of the government shutdown on charitable programs and services.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Shawcross says sector is happy with lobbying bill changes

Shawcross says sector is happy with lobbying bill changes: Charity Commission chair William Shawcross told an audience of charity lawyers yesterday that most of the voluntary sector was happy with the changes to the lobbying bill that have been proposed by the government.

Tuesday, October 08, 2013

New Jersey charities still can't sell raffle tickets online - pressofAtlanticCity.com: Breaking News

New Jersey charities still can't sell raffle tickets online - pressofAtlanticCity.com: Breaking News: New Jersey residents could begin gambling on the Internet this year. But they still won't be able to buy a raffle ticket online to support a local charity.

Nonprofit groups hoping to boost their fundraising dollars by adding an online component to annual raffles are being told by the state commission that regulates charity gambling that online ticket sales are illegal.

Friday, October 04, 2013

Lobbying bill amendments don’t go far enough, say umbrella bodies

Lobbying bill amendments don’t go far enough, say umbrella bodies: NCVO and Acevo issued a joint statement criticising the government's amendments to the controversial lobbying bill for not going far enough to protect charities' campaigning activity.

Thursday, October 03, 2013

Tax Deductions for Charitable Contributions Getting Cut in Some States

Tax Deductions for Charitable Contributions Getting Cut in Some States: States that have tinkered with one of the most sacrosanct of all tax write-offs – state income tax deductions and credits for charitable contributions – have seen their local charities suffer the backlash. Their decisions offer insight for other states and for federal officials who are contemplating reducing or eliminating tax incentives for charitable giving.

Hospitals must be denied nonprofit status | The Kennebec Journal, Augusta, ME

Hospitals must be denied nonprofit status | The Kennebec Journal, Augusta, ME: Mark Eves, D-North Berwick, is leading a series of roundtable talks with "lawmakers and other public officials" to solve upcoming problems in Maine caused by "powerful demographic forces."