Welcome to JVA Consulting’s new blog! Each Monday, we will share with you the latest news in the nonprofit sector, as well as interesting headlines that affect the world we live and work in.

New York Times, 1/3
Uninsured near-elderly people got sicker at a faster rate than comparable people with insurance, according to the Harvard Medical School (Journal of the American Medical Association). A second study, by researchers at the American Cancer Society, found substantial evidence that lack of adequate health insurance coverage was associated with less access to care and poorer outcomes for cancer patients.

Also in the Rocky Mountain News last month (12/20): Uninsured cancer patients are nearly twice as likely to die within five years as those with private coverage. They don’t get recommended screening and are diagnosed later in the disease process.

JVA: These are sobering, and unfortunately expected facts, but helpful for organizations working for the uninsured, particularly elderly and cancer patients.

New York Times, 12/25
Of 29 military charities vetted by the American Institute of Philanthropy, a nonprofit watchdog group, only nine received passing grades in managing resources. Eight offenders passed on less than a third of the donations to those in need and one spent 99 percent of its take on overhead.

JVA: It’s important to take a close look at military charities, as it appears while they certainly have a great mission, many lack organization.

www.irs.gov, 12/26
The Internal Revenue Service has released the final updated version of Form 990, the primary tax document charities file each year, and has announced transition relief to help smaller organizations adjust to the new form.

JVA: Check out the new guidelines and take advantage of the help at www.irs.gov!

New York Times, 12/20
Two hedge-fund analysts are diverting their attention away investments in large companies and are now looking to rate charities by the same methods. GiveWell, which studies charities in particular fields and ranks them on their effectiveness, is supported by a charity they created, the Clear Fund, which makes grants to charities they recommend in their research.

JVA: This is interesting, but we wonder how many nonprofits will have time to answer their intense “battery of questions” to be involved in this list.

New York Times, 12/20
The Bloomberg administration, frustrated by the federal government’s Great Society method of determining who is poor, is developing its own measure. NYC Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg wants to better assess whether the tens of millions of dollars the city plans to spend on new anti-poverty programs will improve poor people’s standard of living.

JVA: The federal poverty standard has been widely viewed as outdated. Perhaps this study will shed some light on the current state of poverty in the U.S.

Education Week, 12/19
Public Agenda, a New York City-based public-opinion research group, has determined that alternative teaching programs do not prepare teachers well enough for a career in education. Only half the teachers in high-needs schools trained via alternative teaching routes said they were prepared for the first year of teaching, compared with 80 percent of teachers prepared in traditional programs. In addition, 34 percent of such teachers in high-needs schools plan to leave teaching in the next year or two, compared with just 4 percent of traditionally prepared teachers.

JVA: This will surely renew the debate on alternative teaching programs!

Philanthropy News Digest, 12/18
Institute for Jewish & Community Research found that higher education was by far the largest recipient of mega-gifts of $10 million or more, receiving 46 percent of gifts of that size and 47 percent of the dollars associated with them, while, overall, the category accounted for 37 percent of gifts of any size and 44 percent of charitable dollars.

JVA: We wonder how many of these institutions was public vs. private? With state funding staggering for higher ed, particularly in Colorado, private funding is taking greater strides.

Philanthropy News Digest, 12/18
The WK Kellogg Foundation has changed its mission statement and plans to launch an online public dialogue to engage others in a conversation about its work. The new statement reads: “The W.K. Kellogg Foundation supports children, families, and communities as they strengthen and create conditions that propel vulnerable children to achieve success as individuals and as contributors to the larger community and society.”

JVA: Any groups working with youth, children or families should probably check it out at www.wkkf.org., as well as those who have received Kellogg funding in the past.

Philanthropy Journal, 12/10
Donation study claims that individual donations tended to be smaller, with two thirds of donations coming in at less than $100, and a median gift of $50.

JVA: This is a reminder to always cultivate those small donors–they may not give much, but they constitute most of your donor pool!