People can get away with some incredible things as soon as they say that what they’re doing is “for charity.” First among these, of course, are the tax advantages that subsidize everything from helping the needy to fighting gun control, convincing people to eat beef, and stockpiling giant piles of cash for eternity. But it… Read More

A commonplace among fundraisers is that “people take action and give for deeply personal reasons.” This can mean many different things, but one of the implications is that people give to extremely specific, personal causes: diseases that loved ones have suffered from, local charities in areas where they live or grew up, charities that serve… Read More

From the Form 990 of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a federally recognized 501(c)3 public charity (exempt from taxes because of its devotion to the public benefit): THE PRIMARY EXEMPT PURPOSES OF THE NCBA ARE TO 1) INCREASE CONSUMER DEMAND FOR BEEF THROUGH MARKETING PROGRAMS FOCUSING ON RESEARCH, EDUCATION, PROMOTION & INFORMATION. 2) PROMOTE THE… Read More

I already knew the Form 990 was useless, but sheesh. Elie and I are currently going through 990s of hundreds of charities, trying to find the ones that might be eligible for Clear Fund grants – we’re currently working on the International category, looking for charities that work in Africa – and I can say… Read More

Like most people who work in an office, I’ve never dealt with buying a printer before, so today I had to start from scratch. An hour ago, I knew nothing about ink vs. laser or HP vs. Lexmark; now, I’ve settled on a Samsung SCX-4200 and I’m feeling pretty good about it. Why am I… Read More