Boston Nonprofits Post Spotty Performance in PILOT Program

massnonprofit news ::: " Voluntary payments from nonprofits to the City of Boston in lieu of taxes are lagging, three years after the city initiated an effort to boost payments from its 49 largest nonprofit landowners.

Three years ago, Boston launched a program, the first of its kind in the country, in which nonprofits that own property valued at $15 million or greater were asked to pay up to 25% of what they would owe if their property were not tax-exempt.
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Virtual sorority’s tax-exempt status denied | Albuquerque Journal News

Virtual sorority’s tax-exempt status denied | Albuquerque Journal News: "Well, it seems that the IRS is made up of a lot more of us “mature” people and a lot less of our children’s generation. Two months ago the IRS Exempt Organization folks (yes, those people) denied tax-exempt status to a virtual sorority.

I had never heard of a virtual sorority. But no matter; I have not heard of most virtual things. I’m not in the right age bracket, either for virtual or for sororities.

The tax law allows a club organized for pleasure, recreation, or other nonprofitable purposes to be exempt from tax."



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Technology Evolves Fundraising, But Charleston Principles Remain Unchanged - The NonProfit TimesThe NonProfit Times

Technology Evolves Fundraising, But Charleston Principles Remain Unchanged - The NonProfit TimesThe NonProfit Times: "magine that the attorney general in California declares that the ad constitutes a targeted solicitation, and notes that the charity mentioned in the ad has not registered with the state. The attorney general cites the charity for being in violation of The Charleston Principles, a set of guidelines issued in 2001 by the National Association of State Charity Officials (NASCO), which 39 states and the District of Columbia rely on, to varying degrees, when governing online charitable solicitations.

Millions of consumers recently lined-up for the latest iPhone that will be out of date within six months, yet the Charleston Principles, which target technology, have not been updated since being drafted in 1999 and issued in 2001."



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Vote "yes" for raffle amendment - Post and Courier

Vote "yes" for raffle amendment - Post and Courier: "Buying raffle tickets has, for years, been an easy way to support charities. Easy, but illegal.

That's right. The dollar you spent for a chance to win a new blender? Illegal.

One of the best ways you can help non-profits is at the polls on Nov. 4. You can vote "yes" to changing the S.C. Constitution so that raffles for charitable purposes are no longer illegal. Presently, the Constitution allows only the state to conduct lotteries."



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National Insurance 'should be an eligible tax for gift aid purposes'

National Insurance 'should be an eligible tax for gift aid purposes': " report released today by nfpSynergy has called for National Insurance to be treated as a tax for gift aid purposes, so that more people will eligible for gift aid.
The report Give and let give: A briefing on gift aid and how it can be made better, released today by nfpSynergy, looks at the history of gift aid and makes four key recommendations for its future. It states that including National Insurance as an eligible tax for gift aid purposes would help tackle the impact of the raising of income tax thresholds to over £10,000 per year. The impact on charities is that donors who were previously eligible for gift aid are no longer, meaning that gift aid will be reaching fewer people, not more."



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Mass. AG’s Suit Meshed With Aims of Backer’s Nonprofit – Philanthropy Today - Blogs - The Chronicle of Philanthropy

Mass. AG’s Suit Meshed With Aims of Backer’s Nonprofit – Philanthropy Today - Blogs - The Chronicle of Philanthropy: "A lawsuit filed by Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley over federal mortgage agencies’ refusal to sell foreclosed homes to nonprofits that want to return them to the original owners appears to be in sync with the interests of an organization run by the co-chair of her campaign-finance committee, according to The Boston Globe."



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Legal challenge over charity donations creates controversy at co - Tucson News Now

Legal challenge over charity donations creates controversy at co - Tucson News Now: "The issue revolves around how some tax dollars are spent. The board voted unanimously on Tuesday to release a county attorney's opinion whether supervisors can give excess money from their office budgets, tax dollars, to nonprofit organizations of their choice.

The attorney's conclusion was supervisors may legally make small monetary awards under certain conditions. Each supervisor gets just under $400,000 a year to manage his or her office."



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The Public Wants Clear Rules About Campaign Giving Through Tax-Exempts. Is It Possible?

The Public Wants Clear Rules About Campaign Giving Through Tax-Exempts. Is It Possible?: " poll released today by the conservative Hudson Institute and the liberal group Public Citizen finds that nearly 9 in 10 voters surveyed favor clear rules that define political activities by non-profit tax-exempt organizations. The public’s desire for clarity is not surprising, given the amount of undisclosed campaign money that is flooding through tax-exempt 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations and the seeming inability of the IRS to regulate political tax-exempts."



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Charity shop growth at the lowest level for years

Charity shop growth at the lowest level for years: "The charity shops sector is still growing, but more slowly than before, according to the Charity Shops Survey 2014, published today by Charity Finance and Fundraising magazines.

The report shows the number of shops was up 1.7 per cent, while profit was up 3.2 per cent and income was up 7.8 per cent."



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Department Of Finance Releases Draft Legislation To Implement Changes To Charitable Bequests - Corporate/Commercial Law - Canada

Department Of Finance Releases Draft Legislation To Implement Changes To Charitable Bequests - Corporate/Commercial Law - Canada: "On August 29th, the Department of Finance released draft legislation to implement changes proposed in the 2014 Budget with respect to charitable bequests.  Other changes proposed in the 2014 Budget were introduced in legislation released earlier this year.

Current rules

Under the current rules, there are three categories of gifts that can be made upon an individual's death:"



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