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The rich deliciousness of Blue Avocado . . . in-depth stories that give you the inside scoop.Since this is our first issue, there isn't an archive yet. But every two weeks, with each new issue, feature articles will roll from the front page onto this section.
Gas Rates, Volunteers, and Justice: Reader OpEd
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Many people don't realize that on their personal tax returns volunteers can
deduct mileage expenses incurred as part of 
volunteering. For example, if a
volunteer drives 30 miles to volunteer at an art school
or drive a patient to chemotherapy, the volunteer can
deduct $4.20 on her next tax return. Even fewer people
realize that in contrast, if this same person drives 30
miles for her business, she can deduct $17.55!
Clearly we need to help volunteers claim the deductions
they can. And in this Blue Avocado Reader OpEd,
activist Susan Ellis talks both about how we can change
the law, and steps we can take now to
supportvolunteerism in an era of high gas prices:
You may know that the IRS just raised the rate for the business-related mileage
deduction to 58.5 cents. But did you know that the charitable driving deduction
remains at only 14 cents a mile? So volunteers, who often use their cars to provide
life-or-death services to people in need, are deriving less tax benefits as their driving expenses rise.
This issue is particularly important since, as the cost of gasoline soars, Americans are trying to drive less. The high cost of driving is already> Read more
More Than the Olympics: Sports, Nonprofits & Community
This month, sports eyes turn to the Olympics to see some of the
world's greatest athletes compete for medals and country. As you settle
into your couch to take in the pageantry and competition in Beijing,
don't forget the impact that nonprofit groups have had in creating
America's awe-inspiring performers - and in building communities. 
Amateur sports embody "the best of nonprofit spirit: people getting together about something people care about," observes sports anthropologist Orin Starn of Duke University.
Sports nonprofits of all sizes touch millions of Americans by organizing > Read more
Boards of All-Volunteer Organizations
Volunteerism is an enormous economic force, yet it is never mentioned
in business school or in economics departments.
--Walter Hoadley, former Chief Economist for the Bank of America
All-volunteer organizations (AVOs) are a major social and economic force, but are seldom given credit for their work. Through all-volunteer organizations, people conquer alcoholism, clean up beaches, care for the dying, coach basketball teams, advocate for gun control, rescue abused animals, raise their voices in song, publish literary journals, raise scholarship funds, preserve local history, serve as volunteer fire departments, organize protest marches, exchange heirloom seeds, host visitors from foreign countries, change public perception about the disabled, help adoptees and birth parents find each other, and in thousands of ways make our communities work better.
That these and countless other services are provided by volunteers and not by paid staff would come as a surprise to many. All-volunteer organizations are nonprofits where volunteers manage the organization and do most or all
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Just Tell Me: What’s the Best Way to Raise Money? Choosing the Right Revenue Strategy
We're pleased that this article appears this month in the Grassroots Fundraising Journal as well.
It's aggravating to have someone say (at a board meeting, for example), "Look at how they over there raise money! That's better than what we're doing . . . we should do that!" Or for a funder to tell you what they think is the best way to raise money: from major donors, or from government, or from black-tie dinners, or . . . . you get the idea.
Think for a moment about two very successful stores: Target and Williams-Sonoma. Both sell cookware. Target sells inexpensive cookware through large stores in outlying areas and it advertises through newsprint inserts in local newspapers. Williams-Sonoma sells expensive cookware through boutique stores in high-rent districts and it advertises through glossy, full-color catalogs mailed to high-income zip codes. Each has put together a winning formula.But what if Target were to try selling its colanders and measuring spoons at the same prices that Williams-Sonoma charges? > Read more
World Press Freedom Day: A Free Press and a Free Nonprofit Sector
Maggie, Lisa, Bart, Marge and Homer: the five members of the Simpson family. One in every five Americans knows who they are. But what are the five freedoms of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution? Only one in 34 of us know! Do you?
You probably remembered freedom of speech and freedom of the press. In addition to freedom of religion, two lesser known freedoms define a free nonprofit sector: the freedom to assemble, and the freedom to petition.
> Read morePromises, Promises: Rural Advocates vs. Big Philanthropy
When a foundation comes calling with big promises, community folks - and the
nonprofits that serve them - often invest hundreds of hopeful hours to meet the
funder's conditions. And when those foundations don't fund the community after
all, anger, resentment, and disheartenment often follow. But it's rare for
disappointed would-be grantees to take the foundation to court. Blue Avocado
asked nonprofit investigator Rick Cohen to follow up on the aftermath of a
troublesome encounter between a large regional foundation and a Washington
state community.
