Nonprofit news roundup for Aug. 28, 2008

August 28, 2008

As the economy worsens and human-service needs increase, some Charlotte charities are worried the ongoing uproar over compensation for Gloria Pace King, CEO of United Way of Central Carolinas, will make it harder for the agency to raise money, Charlotte Observer reported Aug. 28 (see United Way story). United Way's annual fundraising campaign is set to kick off Sept. 5, less than two weeks after the group's board asked King to resign or be fired in the wake of public controversy surrounding the $1.2 million in compensation she received last year. Some local corporations already have pulled their United Way support.

About 1.1 million baby boomers have moved from the for-profit to the nonprofit sector and millions more will follow their lead, says a survey by Civic Ventures and the MetLife Foundation, the Dallas News reported Aug. 28 (see baby boomers story). The chance to earn a paycheck while serving society through "encore careers" appeals to many of the nation's 78 million baby boomers, three-quarters of whom plan to work beyond traditional retirement age.

Nonprofit hospitals' incomes have surged in recent years, as has their impact on local communities, in some cases creating "untaxed local healthcare monopolies," the Wall Street Journal reported Aug. 28 (see nonprofit hospitals story). Nonprofit hospitals counter that there is competition from facilities in neighboring areas, and that prices are high because of the need to provide care for the uninsured and cover the increasing cost of supplies.

* North Carolina State University concluded its latest capital campaign, launch in 2001, raising a total of $1.37 billion, the Raleigh, N.C., News & Observer reported Aug. 28.

* In an effort to become a "top-shelf nonprofit," the Atlanta Police Foundation has hired former secret-service agent Dave Wilkinson as president and CEO, paying him $211,000 a year, more than double the pay of heads of similar police foundations, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Aug. 27.

* While collaborating can make nonprofits stronger and more effective, most do not innovate because they do not believe that innovation can boost their organizations, Barry VanderKelen said in an opinion column in the San Luis Obispo Tribune Aug. 28.

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