If you are make charitable gifts, you must play by the rules, and what may seem like substantial compliance won’t satisfy the Internal Revenue Service or the United States Tax Court. That’s the lesson from In re Durden, T.C. Memo.2012-140 (May 17, 2012).

Here are the basic facts. In 2007 David and Veronda Durden gave the Nevertheless Community Church $24,854 in a series of checks, each of which was for more than $250. The church sent an acknowledgment letter that covered every check, and sent it before the the Durdens filed their 2007 federal income tax return. Unfortunately, the church forgot to mention in the letter that the Durdens received no goods or services in return for the contributions.

Recently I met with a group from a nonprofit about funding their program. An issue arose about the focused nature of their efforts, and one of their board members–a fine fellow and a friend–quickly noted the fact that they don’t “just sit around and sing Kumbaya.” I took umbrage, right away, asking “what’s wrong with that?”

Somewhere, somehow, Kumbaya became the whipping boy for people who are not really serious about what they’re doing! In 2010 a nice little piece in the New York Times (A Long Road From Here to “Kumbaya”) detailed the history of the song and how it gets denigrated now. Interesting, especially, is the fact that all sides in the world of “important” people

I’ve been watching the Romney/Bain Capital situation for a long while, wondering how it will play out. I’ve been convinced, since day one, that the story is not about Mitt Romney’s wealth or envy or anything like that, but let me share a few words about that matter before I address what really matters.

Governor Romney was enormously successful as a financier. Good on him! I don’t envy him and, frankly, am quite happy that my life does not involves the burdens attendant to making and having a financial fortune. My only quarrel about all that money relates to the several comments Governor Romney and his wife have shared about starting out with nothing, struggling, etc. For example, there’s Ann

Our daughter Cate matriculated at Beloit College, a fine, small liberal arts college in Beloit, Wisconsin. Beloit–the town, and the college within it–is located along the Wisconsin/Illinois border about 95 miles northwest of downtown Chicago. That Cate enrolled at Beloit College is totally fitting, as she would not be alive if Jane and I had not both been Beloit College students who happened to meet in the fall of 1977, as I was wrapping up my 3-1/2 years at Beloit and Jane was starting hers. (It did take us almost nine years to connect up for real, but that’s another story!)

Beloit was not my home or Jane’s before we arrived there. I was Tucson-raised, while Jane was born in

From my life as a member of a venture philanthropy partnership–Social Venture Partners Tucson–here’s a piece I posted early today. For more information about SVP Tucson, go to www.socialventurepartners.org/Tucson.

There is an old adage about seminars:  Learn one thing and you’ve gotten your money’s worth! I attended the Social Venture Partners Turn Up the Heat: Next-Level Strategies for SVP Winter Conference in Scottsdale on April 16-17, 2012. I went to two programs, learned two big things and got a great reminder about the value of Social Venture Partners. Oh, and there was an EPIPHANY! Pretty good value!!!

First, I attended a dinner focused on collective impact. Several presenters related collective impact experiences in their communities. The issues on which

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson is a great biography about a fascinating man. Much of the press about the book focuses on bad behavior, and I suppose no one should expect more. I know I wanted to assume Steve Jobs was a nice fellow, and I suspect I had plenty of company. In fact, the evidence suggests that, at best, Mr. Jobs could be charming when he felt like it, and that feeling like being charming consumed a very small part of many days. The media likes contra-stories, of course, so this is a lollapalooza!

So what’s the real takeaway? The Apple Marketing Philosphy, a one page lesson plan for successful marketing, written by Mike Markkula. Mr. Markkula, an Apple

I’ve wondered for years why 9/11 had to be such a big deal for Americans and America.  About 3000 people died as a direct result of the attacks and the rescue  efforts; reports actually vary with respect to actual numbers.  That number represents about one person killed for every 100,000 residents of the United  States.  In  Israel, a country that is plenty familiar with terrorism and its impact on daily life, a similar kill rate only requires the deaths of about 64 people.  [In nine of the 20 years spanning the ‘90s and the aughts, more than 64 Israelis lost their lives as a result of terrorist attacks, albeit not on one day.]

Lately we’ve been treated to lectures about job creators, the people who will get us out of the fix we’re in by creating the millions of jobs we need to employ the millions of people who aren’t working. Republicans claim, as necessary elements for job creation, lower taxes and the elimination of regulations that limit business activity. Right or wrong, or as Stephen Colbert poses the question, Yahweh or No Way?

No way, in a big way! No one WANTS to pay higher taxes, and no one WANTS to be told he or she cannot do this or that!!! So it’s easy to come up with arguments for lowering taxes and eliminating regulations. And yes, it’s certainly true that the

Not much, if anything, would be worse for all of us than a balanced budget amendment. Never mind how you feel about government, taxes and spending. Forget about the politics. Simply, the effing thing can’t work.

Budgets are devices that allow people to plan. In government-speak, however, a balanced budget law mandates that an entity not spend more than it collects. Fine! Anyone who lacks credit knows all about not spending more than what’s in the till. (Can you spell “Got any spare change?”) So what’s wrong with telling government it cannot spend more than it has? Lots, if what you’re doing involves more than simply expressing the notion that you oppose borrowing lots of money you don’t have!

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