Non-Profits in the Hot Seat

Land trusts that have been feeling pressured by the Senate Finance Committee should not feel alone. The entire American Non-profit sector is feeling the heat too. Today a special Panel on the Non-Profit Sector issued its interim report to the Senate Finance Committee. If you don't want to read the full report the Chronicle of Philantrophy has a good summary. Many of the issues being dealt with are ones trusts have become familiar with: assessing the valuation of land donations, transparency in finances, ethics rules for boards and increased audits. The full report from the panel should be out this summer. I could find only one land trust leader on the various boards, Steve McCormick from The Nature Conservancy, which also contributed financially to the project. Senate leaders seem to be taking the report seriously. However it shakes out, it looks as though operating every non-profit is going to involve more paperwork, and jumping through hoops, but it may be the only way to keep the scam artists from staining the good work that non-profits do in this country.