Tag Archive for Barak Obama

Are “American Friends of” Organizations a Thing of the Past?

International organizations have been highly successful in raising funds from the United States through U.S. based charities commonly referred to as “Friends of” organizations. These charities are registered in the States and have 501(c)3 tax-exempt status and, thus, allowing these donations to these essentially foreign organizations to be tax-deductible.

As you can imagine, many international causes consider a “Friends of” organization as a crucial step in their fundraising strategy.

Hence, recent conversations I have had are causing me to worry.

Nonprofits' War of Independence

America has a long history of positive social change affected through the initiatives of private individuals and foundations. These nongovernmental institutions have been succesful because of their greatest weapon, independence. An article that was recently forwarded to me in The Commentary Magazine entitled, “The War on Philanthropy”, by David Billet, argues that this autonomy is under fire.