9 Ways To Measure Nonprofit Data

We live in a society where it's easy to be overwhelmed by data. It seems as if there are statistics about virtually everything, making it hard to figure out which numbers are actually important. Nonprofits are among the groups that are gathering more data  than ever, but not all of them are using the information they gather, or are not using it as well as they can.

Beth Kanter and Katie Delahaye Paine wrote in their book, "Measuring the Networked Nonprofit," that it is more important to evaluate impact than to gather and store numbers. They offered nine suggestions on how organizations can get the most out of the statistics they gather:

• “Likes” on Facebook is not a victory. Social change is a victory. Proper measurement keeps organizations focused on results rather than the tools they use.
• Measurement helps nonprofits understand and improve their social networks. It helps them listen to and engage with constituents.
• Measurement means data for decisions, not for data’s sake. It isn’t numbers to dump on the board’s desk.
• Measurement makes an organization plan for success. Measurement leads to smarter investments and smarter use of those investments.
• Good measurement is good governance. Credible evaluation reports and demonstrations of impact are crucial.
• Data without insight is just trivia.
• Measuring failure is part of the path to success. If an experiment bombs or a great idea isn’t really so great, learn from it, and learn why it happened.
• Incremental success is no failure. Victories often come in baby steps.
• Measurement is valuable at every level of functioning.

Charity Raises $7 Million In Aftermath Of Boston Marathon Bombings

A fund created to raise money for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings has already received nearly $7 million in donations from corporate partners and individual donors.

One Fund Boston was launched on Tuesday by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino to give philanthropists and other individuals a way to support the more than 180 individuals who were injured during the attacks on Monday. The $7 million raised so far includes a $1 million commitment from John Hancock Financial Services, which was one of the lead sponsors of the marathon.

Taking aside the donations from businesses and corporations, One Fund Boston has received $500,000 from 8,500 individual donors.

“I am humbled by the outpouring of support by the business community and individuals who are united in their desire to help,” Patrick said. “At moments like this, we are one state, one city, and one people.”

Mayor Menino said via a statement that he received calls from businesses and individuals who wanted to pledge money “within the hour” that the fund was established. “We are one Boston. We are one community. As always, we will come together to help those most in need. And in the end, we will all be better for it,” Mayor Menino said.

One Fund Boston will be headed by attorney Ken Feinberg, who was appointed in 2001 by the Attorney General of the United States to head the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund. In 2010, he was appointed by President Barack Obama to administer the fund for those affected by the BP oil spill, and he also helped administer donations for the victims of the mass shootings in Aurora, Colo., and at Virginia Tech.

“I am honored to serve at the request of both Governor Patrick and Mayor Menino,” Feinberg said in a press release. “I will do my best to justify their confidence in me as we move forward to design and administer an effective program following the terrible tragedy in Boston.”

Feinberg, who is himself a native of Boston, will head the fun entirely pro bono.

The Fund is currently in the process of applying for 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service. A statement on the organization's website said that if the IRS makes the determination that it is worthy of being tax-exempt, that decision will be made retroactive to the date of the Fund's formation.

Scams Abound After Boston Marathon Bombings

In the aftermath of the deadly bombings Monday at the Boston Marathon, a number of web sites claiming to offer funds for victims appear to be scams.

According to the Internet news site TheDomains, more than 20 of the 125 domains that were registered after the bombings appear to be illegitimate. Michael Berkens, editor of TheDomains, wrote in his piece that many of these sites, such as Bostonmarathonrelief.com, have been registered by individuals rather than legitimate charities.

“While we don’t know every registrants' intention, we do know historically that many of the domain names registered immediately after were done to get traffic and make money parking domains or worse,” wrote Berkens.

Bostonmarathonrelief.com claims to be raising $25,000 benefiting the American Red Cross (ARC). As of this writing, $20 has been donated. A spokeswoman for ARC told The NonProfit Times that the site is in no way affiliated with the organization. The site is registered to a man in Fort Worth, Tex.

Scams also appeared on social networking platforms. Shortly after the bombings, a Twitter handle  masquerading as an official account of the Boston Marathon sent out a tweet claiming it would donate $1 to victims for every retweet. The account, @_BostonMarathon, was suspended by Twitter, according to The Huffington Post.

“Tragedies inspire people to give,” H. Art Taylor, president and CEO of Better Business Bureaus Wise Giving Alliance, said in a press release, “but, tragedies –- whether natural disasters or manmade catastrophes –- also inspire scammers to take advantage of that generosity. Social media, in particular, makes it very easy to reach a lot of people quickly, when emotions are running high and people feel the need to take action, any action, to help.”

Charity scams after national tragedies are not exactly a new phenomenon. After the Newtown, Conn., shootings resulted in the death of six-year old Noah Ponzer, an e-mail was sent to individuals asking for donations that would be sent to Ponzer's family. Upon learning of the bogus solicitations, Ponzer's uncle alerted authorities who put an end to the scam.

Nonprofit Jobs: Executive Director

Need a new executive-level nonprofit job? The newest featured position from the NPT Jobs Career Center offers that opportunity. Read on for more details.

The International Storytelling Center in Jonesborough, Tenn., is looking to hire an Executive Director to provide leadership and direction to ensure the organization’s sustainability and relevance. The successful candidate will provide effective fundraising, community collaboration, program development and attentive oversight to the operation of the International Storytelling Center.

The Executive Director will also be expected to:

• Advocate for the art of storytelling;
• Provide leadership by which the organization can achieve its vision;
• Increase, strengthen and diversify the organization’s funding sources;
• Broaden and refine all aspects of communications including web and social media presence;
• Provide fiscally sound financial management;
• Hire, develop and retain quality staff;
• Improve and expand programmatic offerings; and,
• Work effectively with the Board of Governors

Since this is an executive level job, applicants will be expected to have at least several years of upper management experience at a nonprofit or business. A Master's Degree in a related field is greatly preferred, though not required. 

Interested? Head to our career center for more information, including instructions on how to apply.

7 Dos And Don'ts For Nonprofit Technology

Nonprofits have embraced technology, but that doesn't mean they have all done so with open arms. It's this factor that will determine whether or not your organization will have success with the various new devices and software available.

Holly Ross, former executive director of the Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN) in Portland, Ore., and now head of the Drupal Association, set out a list of Dos and Don’ts to make dealing with technology much easier:

Do:

• Let mission and strategy be the guides when making technology decisions.
• Establish strong systems. Staff can’t get mission-critical work done if they have to reboot the system every half-hour.
• Plan. A crystal ball isn’t necessary to plan for technology needs.
• Evaluate continuously. Learning from experience isn’t possible without stopping to reflect from time to time.

Don't:

• Make technology decisions based solely on cost. It is only one factor in determining the value and expense of technology.
• Forget to include staff in technology decisions. Allies will be needed while new systems are being implemented.
• Select mission-critical software such as a donor database without first documenting key business processes.

Coverage Of The Boston Marathon Bombings

No doubt you have already heard about the tragic bombings at the Boston Marathon yesterday that claimed three lives and left hundreds others injured. Our thoughts go out to the victims and their families.

If you are looking for additional coverage of the incident, you can read our latest story here. You can also see our initial article hours after the bombings here. Stay tuned to NPT for additional coverage of the Boston Marathon bombings.

Idaho Nonprofits Getting Online Giving Day

Nonprofits in Idaho are being invited to participate in a one-day online giving day campaign next month. The event hopes to bring new donors and increased outreach to local organizations.

Idaho Gives Day, created by the Idaho Nonprofit Center, is set to begin on May 2. Much like the online giving days in other states, this campaign will let individuals search for nonprofits in their area to which they wish to contribute. According to a report in The Twin Falls Times-News, there will be additional incentives for organizations that choose to participate, including tracking of the number of donors and how much money each nonprofit receives.

In addition, the Idaho Nonprofit Center will randomly draw a donor's name throughout the day and give $1,000 to a charity of their choosing. The five nonprofits at the end of the day that have the largest number of donors will also receive a grant from the Center.

Those individuals who wish to participate in Idaho Gives Day should visit the event's website on May 2. You can read the full story in The Twin Falls Times-News.

Google To Add Nonprofits To Knowledge Bar

Last year, Google rolled out its "Knowledge Bar," a section on the right-hand side of your search results that contains information about the person, place, or company for which you searched. Nonprofits were not included in the Knowledge Bar at the time, but that all changed this week.

The search engine giant announced Tuesday that nonprofits would begin to be included in the Knowledge Bar. While the feature is still in its roll-out phase, many of the larger organizations already have their information online. For example, a search for the Livestrong Foundation will provide the following information:

• A short blurb of the nonprofit's history via Wikipedia.
• The founder of the organization.
• The founding date.
• Tax deductibility code.
• The latest post from their Google+ page (if applicable).
• Similar organizations.

The most significant thing about the Knowledge Bar is that it has the potential to increase the number of followers for a nonprofit's Google+ page. Facebook remains a giant in the social networking field, but this change could bring more nonprofits to Google+ since they will know that people searching for them will see their posts.

What do you think about this announcement? Do you think it will make a difference for organizations in the long haul, or will it just be a cosmetic change?

4 Steps To Engaging Young Volunteers

Peer pressure is generally viewed as a bad thing but when it comes to getting young volunteers for your nonprofit, it does have its merits.

According to New York City-based DoSomething.org's data scientist Bob Filbin, one of the number one motivations for volunteering among high school and college students was that their friends were doing it. This was revealed in on of Filbin's studies, “The DoSomething.org Index on Young People and Volunteering 2012.”

“Volunteering, like everything else, is about blending in, making friends and having a good time,” said Filbin. Here are four things to keep in mind when recruiting young volunteers:

• Make volunteering a social activity. If your organization’s activity can be done by a single volunteer or from home, it’s probably not a good fit for young volunteers.
• Young volunteers need to see the impact. You’ll have a tough time getting them excited about installing energy-efficient light bulbs, but a park cleanup will draw them in droves.
• Make sure the activity is close to where young people live and spend time. Transportation issues often prevent young people from volunteering.
• One-off activities and those that allow for a variable time commitment are best for youth. Plan your volunteering like you would a party, said Filbin: “Teens often decide to go last minute, avoid showing up early, and almost never stay until the end.”

Making Event Day A Success

Special events require a lot of planning, which begins with creating a timeline listing all the things you need to accomplish leading up to event day. Once you reach that date, there’s no turning back from the fact that it’s time to have the event. But, are you ready for it?

Event day is the culmination of the weeks and months you have spent planning. All of that hard work will hopefully translate into a gorgeous, inspiring, and lucrative event. This can only happen, however, if the proper planning is done beforehand. In the book "Nonprofit Management 101," Marika Holmgren, founder of Organic Events, wrote that all event planners should follow five golden rules to ensure everything runs as smoothly as possible:

• No Assumptions: It’s critical that everyone involved be crystal clear on how event day will flow, what their role is, and what all the key players will do
• Start the Day with Nothing Left to Do: When you begin event day, there should be nothing on your list that could have been done the day, week, or month before.
• The Curtain Rule: When you are out in front of guests, at the registration table, staffing the silent auction cash-out, or backstage with the master of ceremonies, you are in front of the “curtain,” where you must remain professional, composed, and gracious.
• Remember That You Are Part of a Team: Remember that all team members need to be briefed, trained, and managed throughout the process.
• Don’t Expect Perfection, but Do Expect Perfect Troubleshooting: Because of the nature of live events, you should anticipate glitches. When this happens, your team must be ready and able to deal with the snafu in  the most professional and efficient way possible.

California Nonprofit Hospitals Targeted In Legislation

Two California lawmakers have introduced legislation that would require nonprofit hospitals to justify their tax-exempt status.

The proposed law, AB975, was introduced by Assemblymen Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont) and Rob Bonta (D-Oakland). While it has drawn resistance from the nonprofit hospital industry, it does have the support of the California Nurses Association and several other consumer groups, according to an article in The San Jose Mercury News.

The measure was created mostly because of criticism that nonprofit hospitals have the same, if not less, charitable care than their for-profit counterparts. A study by The San Jose Mercury News in 2007 revealed that in three of the five prior years, the average for-profit hospital had higher levels of charitable care than the average nonprofit. Charitable care was defined by the report as free or reduced-cost treatment for poor or uninsured patients.

"We're asking for transparency," Wieckowski said. "They're not paying property taxes, and we expect to get something back from that."

AB975 passed the state's Assembly Health Committee by a 12-7 vote last week, and will now move to the Revenue and Taxation Committee for further consideration. If passed, the law would prevent nonprofit hospitals from counting certain things as charity care, such as writing off unpaid bills as bad debt, staff education, and research.

The bill would also presume a hospital is for-profit if its operating revenues exceed its operating expenses by more than 10 percent. The hospital would then be required to pay taxes unless it can convince the county assessor that it deserves its tax-exempt status.

For their part, nonprofit hospital representatives have harshly criticized the proposed legislation. During the Assembly Health Committee meeting discussing the measure last week, Martin Gallegos, senior vice president, chief legislative advocate of the California Hospital Association, said AB975 was a "solution looking for a problem."

"Something like this could wreak havoc throughout the not-for-profit bond world," he said.

Other organizations opposing the legislation include Kaiser Permanente, Scripps Health, Adventist Health, the Alliance of Catholic Health Care and the California Chamber of Commerce.

You can read the full story in The San Jose Mercury News.

Ex-Nonprofit Head Sentenced In Theft Case

The ex-head of an Olympia, Wash., nonprofit was sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay restitution after pleading guilty to stealing thousands of dollars from the organization over three years.

Jacalyn Tobosa, who was appointed executive director of the Olympia Tumwater Foundation in 2007, pleaded guilty to 10 counts of second-degree theft. According to a report in The Olympian, the missing money was discovered when John Freedman, who was hired as an administrator for the foundation in 2008, discovered that multiple checks issued by Tobosa to her son’s landscaping business, which she hired to maintain Tumwater Falls Park. The checks were not supported by invoices in organizational financial records.

A subsequent audit revealed that Tobosa embezzled nearly $100,000 from the foundation between 2008 and 2011. She was fired in June 2011 and Tumwater Police Department began its investigation of the matter shortly thereafter.

In a written statement issued to The Olympian, Freedman noted that Tobosa’s theft had not affected the foundation's level of charitable work. Founded in 1950, the organization provides scholarships to local students, and manages Tumwater Falls Park and the Schmidt House.

Tobosa’s daughter, Kimberly Spada, is facing one charge of first-degree theft for allegedly stealing more than $5,000 from the foundation between June 2010 and May 2011. Spada had been hired by her mother to do bookkeeping in February 2011. She failed to show up for her arraignment on Sept. 11, and there is currently a warrant out for her arrest.

You can read the full story in The Olympian.

Forbes Selects NPT Jobs Career Center One Of The Best

Forbes magazine just selected NPT Jobs Career Center as one of the top nonprofit recruitment websites in the country. With more than 200,000 page views per month and 600 views per job posting, NPT Jobs Career Center is the place to consider when you are looking for a top executive or administrative position.

Unlike most media, our circulation is exclusively nonprofit executives and administrators. That means your recruitment dollars are aimed at the candidates mostly likely to have the experience and skill sets you need.

The NonProfit Times is now celebrating its 26th year and has won a number of journalism awards for its stories and in-depth coverage of nonprofits. You can take advantage of our reach through a variety of job posting packages that combine print and electronic media to find that unique person.

NPT Jobs Career Center is your direct link to over 300,000 subscribers to our e-newsletters, online and print publications. These subscribers represent over 200 titles in the executive and admin suites. Our posting packages are designed for a budget of any size and offer a range of posting options from print to online to interactive. With as few as 3 listings, the savings start adding up. And just as importantly, the number of qualified candidates will impress you. Most of our subscribers have bachelors and in many cases, masters degrees, with 18 years of nonprofit experience on average. Executive, development, marketing, financial and administrative categories are seeing the most growth.

We can reach the market immediately with our web and social media penetration and print where appropriate to get the most exposure for your job posting.

With the rebound in our economy, postings have increased and that means competition. Head to our nonprofit job posting packages page for more information.

Khloe Kardashian: Husband's Charity Not A Scam

Reality star Khloe Kardashian has taken to the web to deny allegations that her husband Lamar Odom's charity is a scam.

A report on ESPN's "Outside the Lines" program on March 31 alleged that many charities of top athletes don't fulfill their missions as stated. They cited Odom's charity Cathy's Kids as one of the examples, alleging that the organization hasn't given any money to cancer research even though it has raised nearly $2.2 million.

The charity was founded by Odom in 2004 and was named after the NBA star's mother who died from cancer. ESPN noted that the charity was supposed to raise funds for cancer research, but the report alleged that nearly 60 percent of donations has gone to finance two elite youth basketball travel teams and that there is no evidence that any of the remaining $900,000 went to cancer research.

The Huffington Post reported that on Tuesday, Kardashian took to her blog on the website Celebuzz to defend her husband from the allegations. She insisted that the Los Angeles Clippers star has personally donated "millions" of dollars to cancer research, and that none of the money from the charity went to help him or any member of his family.

She also sought to clarify the ultimate mission of Cathy's Kids, saying that the organization was founded with multiple purposes in mind including cancer research and helping underprivileged youth. "A decision was ultimately made that the charity should focus on one of those purposes — to help enrich the lives of underprivileged inner-city youth," wrote Kardashian. "It accomplished that goal. Cathy’s Kids helped fund multiple AAU basketball teams providing underprivileged youth with opportunities enriching their lives, providing financial support for coaching and travel to tournaments, helping inner-city youth on a path toward success and leading many participants to go on to college."

Aside from Odom's charity, the ESPN report also mentions alleged questionable practices by such well-known athletes as New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, whose foundation stopped filing tax returns five years ago, and NFL wide receiver Randy Moss, whose two charities allegedly spent no money on philanthropy in 2010.

Texas AG Investigating Cancer Foundation

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has reportedly launched an investigation into the nonprofit arm of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) in an effort to determine what is happening to the money it has raised.

According to a report in The Austin American Statesman, the Abbott's office sent a letter to the CPRIT Foundation, now known as the Texas Cancer Coalition (TCC), on Friday to request that the organization cease all expenditures until the investigation is complete.

“Based on the preliminary information available to us at this time, we have serious legal concerns about the events that reportedly surrounded the formation of the TCC,” wrote G. David Whitley, the assistant deputy attorney general, in the letter.

TCC raised nearly $3.6 million over three years to supplement the six-figure salaries of CPRIT's top two executives and for conferences to fight cancer. The Foundation, however, was swept up in the ethical questions surrounding CPRIT. The state agency is being investigated by state prosecutors for allegedly mismanaging at least $56 million in grants. The investigation began after it was disclosed that CPRIT allegedly awarded an $11 million grant to a Dallas-base startup without any scientific or business review.

Abbott's office set its sights on TCC after it changed its name and mission. The attorney general believes the Foundation needed state authorization to make such a change. Craig Enoch, a lawyer for TCC, wrote in a response to Whitley's letter that state authorization was not necessary and that TCC leadership had discussed the potential change for months.

“The Foundation, in fact, is unaware of any authority requiring it to seek the Attorney General’s approval were it to actually dissolve and transfer its assets to another private charity with a similar mission,” wrote Enoch.

In terms of the funds raised, TCC spokesman Marc Palazzo told The Statesman that the money would be returned to the state once the organization pays its bills.

You can read the full story in The Austin American Statesman.

The April 1 Issue Of The NonProfit Times

Today is April Fools Day but it's no joke that the new issue of The NonProfit Times is now available.

Although the 50 Best Nonprofits To Work For 2013 Report is the highlight of our April 1 issue, there are other important stories included in this edition of NPT. Let's take a look at some of the top stories, including a new Special Report:

Special Report

• Business Value Boosted When Tied To Nonprofit: In this report, frequent NPT contributor Todd Cohen examines how corporations are moving beyond traditional philanthropy, trumpeting what they are doing to be good corporate citizens and promoting their social investments.

Articles

• Fundraising Via Mobile Apps Can Still Be A Challenge: There’s an app for almost everything, even in fundraising. With mobile devices reaching near-ubiquity, donors want to use their smartphones or tablets to give to their favorite charities. That doesn't mean it's easy to make this a reality for them.
• Americans Took More Deductions In 2011, Hitting $160 Billion: Americans took a collective $160.33 billion in tax deductions for charitable contributions in 2011, an increase of 1.4 percent compared to the $158.18 billion in 2010.
• Charities Push Senate On Restoring Deduction: Some of the nation’s most prominent charities and advocacy groups are asking the U.S. Senate Budget Committee to reconsider changes to the itemized deduction for charitable giving for fear that it would reduce giving by billions of dollars each year.

Columns

• 'Letter' Of The Law: NPT editor-in-chief Paul Clolery says sector leadership needs to take a firmer stand against Charity Navigator's new method for determining whether a charity is a good steward of donor largess.
• 'Y' This Is Important: The news that Medicare has agreed to pay the cost of the YMCA of the USA’s Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) for up to 10,000 qualifying Medicare enrollees over the next three years, as reported on The NonProfit Times’ website, is not just good news for Y. It could benefit the American taxpayer as well, since the initiative is predicted to save Medicare an estimated $4.2 million over the next three years, and potentially $53 million over six years.

The 50 Best Nonprofits To Work For In 2013

Each year, The NonProfit Times conducts a study to determine which nonprofits are the best for which to work. Many organizations come forward to see if they can be named the best, but only one can stake the claim as the number one Best Nonprofit To Work For.

The winner for this year's report, The 50 Best Nonprofits To Work For 2013, is the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), taking home the title home for the second year in a row. The veterans nonprofit was also named the overall best large organization, meaning it has 250 or more employees. Coming in second in that category was Alzheimer's Association, followed by Natural Resources Defense Council, American Heart Association, Year Up, and Masonic Homes of Kentucky, Inc.

In terms of the overall rankings, WWP beat out by such well-known nonprofits as the LIVESTRONG Foundation (#19), DoSomething.org (#11), and Make-A-Wish Illinois (#30).

How do we come up with these rankings? It would seem that the things that make an organization great to work for are subjective, but there is a method to the process. Each year, NPT partners with Harrisburg, Pa.-based Best Companies Groups which conducts a survey of the nonprofits that wish to be ranked in the report. The survey studies all aspects of the organization including benefits and employment practices. Employees were also given a confidential survey of statements with which they could agree or disagree covering eight general categories: Leadership and Planning, Corporate Culture and Communications, Role Satisfaction, Work Environment, Relationship with Supervisor, Training and Development, Pay and Benefits, and Overall Employee Engagement.

The average for all nonprofits that participated was 85 percent favorable rating; for those making the Best Workplaces list the average was 89 percent. The best averages came in Work Environment, 92 percent for all nonprofits surveyed and 94 for those making the list; Relationship with Supervisor, 89 percent of all and 92 percent for those making the list; and, Role Satisfaction and Overall Employee Engagement, each with 88 percent approval for all and 90 percent for those making the list.

Now that you know how the report was compiled, you can head to our website to see the complete list of the 50 Best Nonprofits To Work For 2013.

4 Reasons Your Nonprofit Isn't Having Fundraising Success

Fundraising can be considered a game of chance. Sometimes you win; sometimes you lose. If your nonprofit is losing much more often than winning, however, there could be something wrong with the way you are playing the game.

In the book "Five Good Ideas,"  Ross McGregor, former CEO of Ketchum Canada, lists some of the more common reasons nonprofits don't experience more fundraising success. One of the practices he most highly recommends avoiding is to hire a fundraising consultant to ask for support on your behalf. These individuals should instead be used, McGregor said, to help shape your overall fundraising strategy.

McGregor also listed four other mistakes organizations make in their fundraising practices:

• They don’t ask;
• They don’t make fundraising a priority;
• They hope that their good work will automatically attract financial support; and,
• They fear rejection.

Did A California Nonprofit Receive Special Treatment?

The assistant general manager of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (PUC) is under investigation to determine her alleged role in awarding a $20,000 no-bid contract to a nonprofit she once chaired.

According to The San Francisco Chronicle, Juliet Ellis earns $195,000 a year for her role at the Commission. Her main job is to figure out how to implement PUC's new policies regarding environmental justice and community benefits. Ellis was formerly chair of the Oakland-based nonprofit Green for All, according to 2012 financial-disclosure documents filed with the city of San Francisco, and this has raised questions about what role she played in approving the July contract for the organization.

PUC guidelines state that administrators are allowed to take on outside work so long as they have special permission and on the condition that there is no conflict of interest.

While Ellis reportedly assured her superiors at PUC that she had no role in the approval of the contract, but an investigation by The Chronicle casts some doubt on that claim. An insider at PUC reportedly told the publication that Ellis was involved in almost every discussion regarding Green for All, and worked with them to "develop the scope of work."

PUC has suspended the Green for All contract indefinitely until the investigation by authorities is complete.

You can read the full story in The San Francisco Chronicle.

Oregon Nonprofit Sued Over Book Publishing

A nonprofit online library based in Oregon is being sued by Penguin Publishing for allegedly posting entire books online of which the company holds exclusive rights.

The publishing giant filed the suit on Friday, seeking an injunction and damages against American Buddha Library, according to The Oregonian. The brief alleges that the nonprofit posted to the web such novels as Upton Sinclair's "Oil!" and "It Can't Happen Here" by Sinclair Lewis. The publishes also accused the organization of misusing new translations of "The Golden Ass" by Apuleius, and "On the Nature of the Universe" by Lucretius.

The suit alleges that Penguin discovered the postings in December 2008 and immediately notified the nonprofit of the alleged copyright infringement. The company then filed an infringement suit against American Buddha in a New York federal court, which ruled that it lacked jurisdiction over the nonprofit.

American Buddha's website notes that it "makes available selected artistic and literary works under a system of voluntary, free online lending, under the fair use exclusion from copyright liability accorded to libraries and archives," and used that defense in response to Penguin's suit. The organization also claims that, by using its site, users agree not to violate copyrights "by piratical behavior."

You can read the full story in The Oregonian.