Latest news with #Nonprofit
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Deadline approaching for 2025 Fisher Governance Award nominations
MUNCIE, IN — Delaware County nonprofit organizations are invited to nominate a board member for the John W. and Janice B. Fisher Governance Award before the deadline on Aug. 15. The award, given by Ball Brothers Foundation, recognizes "the important role board members play in strategic planning and financial oversight to achieve their organization's mission," according to a news release. Jud Fisher (left), president & CEO of Ball Brothers Foundation, and John West (right), founding board chair of Muncie Land Bank, winner of the 2024 John W. and Janice B. Fisher Governance Award. The award recipient will receive a $10,000 grant for their organization. 'Board members often work behind the scenes, but their leadership plays a big role in a nonprofit's success,' said Jud Fisher, president and CEO of Ball Brothers Foundation. 'This award is our way of shining a light on those leaders in Delaware County who quietly and consistently devote their time and efforts to strengthen organizations and, in turn, improve life in our community.' The award is named in honor of Delaware County philanthropists John W. and Janice B. Fisher, Ball family members who "believed deeply in the importance of good governance and strong leadership," the release said. The award will be presented at the Greater Muncie Chamber of Commerce's annual dinner on Nov. 18. To learn more about eligibility requirements and to submit a nomination, visit This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Nominations being accepted for 2025 Fisher Governance Award
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Animal Welfare League defends annual six-figure payments for legal services
Tax returns for Chicago Ridge's Animal Welfare League show a steady increase in legal fees over the past decade, with the nonprofit paying one firm nearly $600,000 during the last fiscal year. The nonprofit, led by President Chris Higens, reported on its most recent tax form from 2023 that bills to Nixon Peabody law firm made up about 15% all its expenses that year. Animal Welfare League paid Nixon Peabody about $212,000 in 2020, $348,000 in 2021 and $489,000 in 2022. It is unclear whether Animal Welfare League contracted exclusively with Nixon Peabody before 2020, as tax forms did not require the organization to write in the name of their contractor. Higens on Friday defended the nonprofit's spending on legal services, saying in an emailed statement to the Daily Southtown that 'every cent received is being spent wisely.' 'It saddens me to see that Animal Welfare League is again being wrongfully attacked,' Higens said, saying it is among the largest shelters in Illinois. 'Of course, legal fees will be incurred. It is part of operating a business,' Higens said. 'Legal fees include various trusts, wills and legacies issues as well as defending its integrity over the years.' Records show a sharp increase in legal fees from about $6,900 in 2016 to about $109,000 in 2017. From there on out, annual legal fees were consistently in the six figures. Around the same time, Animal Welfare League began facing criticism from protesters alleging animal abuse, unsanitary conditions and bully tactics. After a February 2018 investigation by the lllinois Department of Professional and Financial Regulation, the nonprofit was reprimanded for improper euthanasia procedures and poor record keeping. Since then, Higens has worked to improve the shelter's image and win back public trust, instituting a by-the-books protocol for euthanasia, purchasing an expensive oxygen treatment unit and pouring thousands of dollars into building repairs. Higens said Friday the Animal Welfare League brought litigation against several parties, with settlements recovering $1.4 million that the organization previously paid in fees as well as an additional $500,000. She did not provide names of the defendants or when the lawsuits were filed but said the organization filed one lawsuit 'to recover funds taken wrongly in an estate' and another for 'funds improperly claimed by the co-beneficiaries of a trust.' 'The monies are being reinvested back into the shelter,' Higens said. The annual legal fees are unusual when compared to those incurred by nearby animal care nonprofits, including South Suburban Humane Society in Matteson and the smaller Will County Humane Society in Shorewood. While South Suburban Humane Society's expenses for 2023 totaled $5.4 million, only about $17,400 went toward legal services. On tax forms from 2022, 2021 and 2020, the shelter did not report any legal expenses. Will County Humane Society's total expenses of $483,000 in 2023 were less than those incurred by Animal Welfare League for legal services alone. Total revenue for that year was $523,000 while Animal Welfare League's revenue was $4.2 million. Will County Humane Society did not report any legal expenses in 2023. stevens@
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Global Citizen takes its fight against poverty to the world's growing cities
DETROIT (AP) — Global Citizen is turning to cities as it looks to break through what it sees as widespread political gridlock hindering large-scale action on its goal of ending extreme poverty worldwide. The nonprofit advocacy group has rallied the private sector and foreign dignitaries to solve humanitarian challenges together, driving millions of dollars toward replenishing international aid and eradicating polio since 2008. But Global Citizen co-founder Simon Moss said Thursday it is local officials who are increasingly joining traditional international players in shaping whether communities are equipped to tackle urgent crises. 'We can get beyond partisan politics a lot of the time when you're dealing with a group of people in a city who all literally live there," Moss said. 'That's easier a lot of the time to get real progress compared to waiting on elected officials in capitals, who will often talk a good game and who'll be responsive, but where, in America and many other countries, they're finding it really hard to actually make big-picture policy decisions," he added. The emphasis arose when leaders heard shared concerns from partners across major African and North American cities. In Detroit, which Thursday hosted Global Citizen's first American conference outside New York City, organizers saw an opportunity to highlight a place experiencing population growth after decades-long losses alongside the auto industry's decline. The urban focus also reflects U.N. projections that more than two-thirds of the world's population will live in cities by 2050 — a trend that Global Citizen fears will worsen concentrated poverty if local governments don't start creating inclusive economic opportunities. Making AI available to small businesses To prevent under-resourced communities from missing the latest technological changes, Global Citizen unveiled a new partnership making artificial intelligence more accessible. Goodera, a company that helps implement corporate volunteer programs, aims to mobilize engineers with the goal of making 10 million people 'AI literate' by 2030. Half of those people will be underserved women and youth, according to Moss. Their first focus will be bridging the digital divide in cities, according to Moss, and Goodera is helping identify those most at risk of getting left behind. They also plan to work with entrepreneurs in low-income countries. Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban noted the transformative potential for small business owners during a panel Thursday at Global Citizen NOW: Detroit. ChatGPT can 'write a business plan that's better' than anything he could write, Cuban admitted, and offers access to every piece of business advice out there. George Opare Addo, Ghana's minister of youth development and empowerment, pointed out that farmers are already using the technology's limited availability to better predict weather and improve their yields. But he said that youth must be engaged in its rollout. 'For young people to be able to appreciate AI, then they must be not just users of it, but makers of it,' he said. Art, food and sports as cornerstones of changing communities Other panelists emphasized the need for cities to build shared cultures by fostering creative scenes and sports fandoms. Global Citizen has recently relied on high-powered sports leagues such as FIFA to raise money for education initiatives. And Cuban — who previously owned the Dallas Mavericks — said no industry unites people around a common cause like sports. 'As things change in a city, the first place you look is the sports team for support, always. Every tragedy, you look to the sports team first, always,' Cuban said. 'And that is so unique. You just don't get that with any other business.' For celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson, the food industry provides 'spaces that you can have dialogues' and 'opportunities to break bread.' Samuelsson's cuisine, for example, blends his Ethiopian heritage with his Swedish upbringing. Jessica Nabongo, a Ugandan-American travel blogger, recalled growing up eating Lebanese, Polish and Japanese foods in Detroit's diverse culinary scene. That experience, she said, instilled 'a respect for other people's culture out the gate.' 'There has to be a reverence — truly a reverence — for the people who are here and have been here and made the city what it is, no matter what the ebbs and flows are,' she said. As cities change, though, it is local artists who Detroit Poet Laureate jessica Care moore finds are tasked with making sure their histories remain told and their longtime residents remain seen. Good artists, she said, 'paint the pictures that people can't see' and 'ask the questions that nobody's asking.' 'Artists are the pulse of the people,' she said. 'If you turn cities into just places for corporations, then you lose the soul of the city. And Detroit, the soul of our city, are the people that live here.' ___ Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP's philanthropy coverage, visit James Pollard, The Associated Press
Associated Press
10-07-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Global Citizen takes its fight against poverty to the world's growing cities
DETROIT (AP) — Global Citizen is turning to cities as it looks to break through what it sees as widespread political gridlock hindering large-scale action on its goal of ending extreme poverty worldwide. The nonprofit advocacy group has rallied the private sector and foreign dignitaries to solve humanitarian challenges together, driving millions of dollars toward replenishing international aid and eradicating polio since 2008. But Global Citizen co-founder Simon Moss said Thursday it is local officials who are increasingly joining traditional international players in shaping whether communities are equipped to tackle urgent crises. 'We can get beyond partisan politics a lot of the time when you're dealing with a group of people in a city who all literally live there,' Moss said. 'That's easier a lot of the time to get real progress compared to waiting on elected officials in capitals, who will often talk a good game and who'll be responsive, but where, in America and many other countries, they're finding it really hard to actually make big-picture policy decisions,' he added. The emphasis arose when leaders heard shared concerns from partners across major African and North American cities. In Detroit, which Thursday hosted Global Citizen's first American conference outside New York City, organizers saw an opportunity to highlight a place experiencing population growth after decades-long losses alongside the auto industry's decline. The urban focus also reflects U.N. projections that more than two-thirds of the world's population will live in cities by 2050 — a trend that Global Citizen fears will worsen concentrated poverty if local governments don't start creating inclusive economic opportunities. Making AI available to small businesses To prevent under-resourced communities from missing the latest technological changes, Global Citizen unveiled a new partnership making artificial intelligence more accessible. Goodera, a company that helps implement corporate volunteer programs, aims to mobilize engineers with the goal of making 10 million people 'AI literate' by 2030. Half of those people will be underserved women and youth, according to Moss. Their first focus will be bridging the digital divide in cities, according to Moss, and Goodera is helping identify those most at risk of getting left behind. They also plan to work with entrepreneurs in low-income countries. Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban noted the transformative potential for small business owners during a panel Thursday at Global Citizen NOW: Detroit. ChatGPT can 'write a business plan that's better' than anything he could write, Cuban admitted, and offers access to every piece of business advice out there. George Opare Addo, Ghana's minister of youth development and empowerment, pointed out that farmers are already using the technology's limited availability to better predict weather and improve their yields. But he said that youth must be engaged in its rollout. 'For young people to be able to appreciate AI, then they must be not just users of it, but makers of it,' he said. Art, food and sports as cornerstones of changing communities Other panelists emphasized the need for cities to build shared cultures by fostering creative scenes and sports fandoms. Global Citizen has recently relied on high-powered sports leagues such as FIFA to raise money for education initiatives. And Cuban — who previously owned the Dallas Mavericks — said no industry unites people around a common cause like sports. 'As things change in a city, the first place you look is the sports team for support, always. Every tragedy, you look to the sports team first, always,' Cuban said. 'And that is so unique. You just don't get that with any other business.' For celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson, the food industry provides 'spaces that you can have dialogues' and 'opportunities to break bread.' Samuelsson's cuisine, for example, blends his Ethiopian heritage with his Swedish upbringing. Jessica Nabongo, a Ugandan-American travel blogger, recalled growing up eating Lebanese, Polish and Japanese foods in Detroit's diverse culinary scene. That experience, she said, instilled 'a respect for other people's culture out the gate.' 'There has to be a reverence — truly a reverence — for the people who are here and have been here and made the city what it is, no matter what the ebbs and flows are,' she said. As cities change, though, it is local artists who Detroit Poet Laureate jessica Care moore finds are tasked with making sure their histories remain told and their longtime residents remain seen. Good artists, she said, 'paint the pictures that people can't see' and 'ask the questions that nobody's asking.' 'Artists are the pulse of the people,' she said. 'If you turn cities into just places for corporations, then you lose the soul of the city. And Detroit, the soul of our city, are the people that live here.' ___ Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP's philanthropy coverage, visit
Associated Press
30-06-2025
- General
- Associated Press
Christian broadcasters ask listeners to tune in to the fight for AM radio
(RNS) — Faith Radio president Scott Beigle's quest for Christian radio started with 1070AM, a former CNN news station in Tallahassee, Florida. After moving from northern Alabama to the Florida Panhandle with his wife and three kids, Beigle, who is Baptist, noted the lack of Christian radio stations in the area and felt compelled to change that. Months later, on Oct. 6, 1997, that calling became a reality as the Faith Radio Network's blend of evangelical Christian music and teachings hit the airwaves on 1070AM. Nearly three decades later, the nonprofit network has grown to include 12 other Christian radio stations. Their flagship station, 1070AM, has been converted to a Spanish-language Christian station to meet the needs of Latino Christians in the region — 'there was no one doing that in our area,' Beigle told RNS. But in recent years, the future of 1070AM has become uncertain, even as Beigle said its message has become more vital. 'A lot of them, especially now with the immigration and all, they're scared,' Beigle said of 1070AM's Spanish-speaking listeners. 'And we understand they're scared to go out — but they're not scared to listen, to turn that AM radio on to hear their language, and to hear how God can change their life.' ___ This content is written and produced by Religion News Service and distributed by The Associated Press. RNS and AP partner on some religion news content. RNS is solely responsible for this story. ___ In recent decades, AM radio, known especially for talk radio, has faded in popularity with the arrival of the clearer but more limited reach of FM signals, in addition to streaming and satellite radio. A 2025 survey from Barna Group and the National Religious Broadcasters found listeners access Christian radio from multiple sources, with 68% saying they listen to FM stations, 57% a website or app, 38% satellite radio and 37% AM stations. While AM stations remain a smaller but consequential part of America's radio landscape — the National Association of Broadcasters reports 80 million Americans still listen to AM radio each month on over 4,000 AM stations — AM radio now faces an existential threat: removal from cars. Citing dwindling audiences and technological clashes with electric vehicle equipment, automakers such as Ford, Volkswagen, Tesla and BMW have begun phasing out AM radio in some newer vehicles. A diverse coalition of stakeholders linked with conservative talk shows, foreign language stations and religious broadcasters is teaming up in the halls of Congress, advocating to salvage AM radio's spot on the nation's dashboards, at least temporarily. For many Christian stations, the legislative effort has spiritual stakes. 'We're in the hope business — to see their lives changed,' Beigle said. The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act is the latest iteration of a bill that would require United States automakers to include AM receivers in new vehicles for the next 10 years. Though the bill has already gained broad bipartisan support — with at least 218 co-sponsors of the House version and 61 of the Senate — the House version is still in committee, while the vote on the Senate version has yet to be scheduled. 'We have more than enough votes to pass it in the House right now, but to make it a priority in a moment where there's just a whole lot of four- and five-alarm fires you have to put out, it's hard to do something that's more of a long-term concern,' said Mike Farris, legal counsel for the National Religious Broadcasters, a multimedia association founded by evangelical Christian broadcasters in the 1940s. The NRB, which has more than 120 AM stations among its members, has been one of several groups advocating for the legislation. Proponents of AM radio say the medium has long been a key source of emergency communication. The Federal Emergency Management Agency's warning system relies on AM stations for emergency alerts, and local AM stations are known for distributing critical updates in a crisis — particularly in more rural areas, where AM is sometimes the only signal available. Carolyn Cassidy, a regional general manager for Christian media conglomerate Salem Media Group, said her stations give AM listeners in Tampa, Florida, information on how to prepare for, ride out and recover from severe storms during hurricane season. 'It's a First Amendment issue, it's a religious issue, but it's also a public safety issue, because AM radio is the backbone of the Emergency Alert System,' said Nic Anderson, vice president of government affairs for Salem. He said he fears that excluding AM radio from cars is a move toward giving automakers control over what drivers can listen to. Known for promoting Christian and conservative values, Salem Media Group owns and operates roughly 80 stations, 84% of which fall on AM, Anderson said. The group also has about 3,000 affiliate stations that are owned locally but carry Salem programs — of those, 900 are AM stations. In addition to advocating on Capitol Hill, Salem has been raising awareness among listeners by distributing prerecorded, pro-AM radio public service announcements from evangelical Christian leaders and influencers such as Focus on the Family President Jim Daly and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. 'For generations, AM radio has brought the hope of the gospel, biblical teaching and encouragement right into our homes and cars, especially in times of crisis,' Kirk said in one of the announcements. 'But now, some automakers want to eliminate AM radio from new vehicles. Let's stand together and protect this ministry lifeline.' Broadcasters say one reason Christian stations are especially available in the AM format is because it's a more affordable option than FM, making it more accessible to smaller, niche stations of all stripes, including farming and foreign language stations. 'AM allows for certain formats that can't command the bigger dollars from agencies. They have more of a local appeal,' said Orlando Boyd, general manager of The Gospel Nashville, which offers a mix of music and talk shows that cater to Christian audiences. 'It's really to get that foot in the door … for people trying to break into the radio business.' Boyd said The Gospel Nashville began as an AM station and later added an FM translator, which 'piggybacks' on the AM station to play the same content on an FM frequency. But the AM station is still a key part of the branding and reach. It's vital, he said, for listeners in remote settings and is often the first choice for those over age 40. Sheila Brown, who owns two AM radio stations — WUFO (1080AM) in Buffalo, New York, and WIGO (1570 AM) in Atlanta — said listeners on the east side of Buffalo and the south side of Atlanta especially depend on these stations' unique blend of R&B, gospel and talk shows to reflect their interests and experiences. 'We're running our own narrative when it comes to our talk shows, our music, our format. No one else in either city has the formats that we have,' Brown said. Brown started her career in an entry-level position at WUFO in 1986 and worked her way up to become owner and CEO in 2013. She went on to purchase WIGO in 2022. While WUFO in Buffalo has since added a translator to air its content on an FM signal, WIGO in Atlanta is a standalone AM station. Brown's stations feature daily gospel music and sermon segments, and on Sundays, they play religious content all day. That's why for the lifelong member of Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church in Buffalo, the fight for AM radio is a matter of faith. 'You have so many people that are sick and shut in, who can't get out to their churches like they used to,' Brown said. 'But when they turn to us, they'll get the same singing, ministry, preaching that they would if they would be at their church.'
