Quick, what’s the difference between Triantafilitsa Mattfeld and Dale Rathke?

Both were caught embezzling money from their nonprofit organizations, Mattfeld $180,000 from the Navy Elementary School PTA in Fairfax County, Virginia, Rathke exactly $948,607.50 while he was handling the books for ACORN, the nation’s premier community-based organizing and advocacy network founded by his brother Wade Rathke who also served until June as ACORN’s Chief Organizer.

Both reached agreements with their organizations to make some sort of financial restitution, Mattfeld pledging $75,000 after having put an additional $80,000 back into the PTA’s accounts in the previous five years, Rathke’s family making $30,000 a year payments since 2001, for a total of $210,000 according to the New York Times with an anonymous donor pledging to pay the remaining balance.

The differences are more than how much they pilfered and how much they or their families and supporters are pledged to repay.

(more…)

When a prominent national leadership organization fails to take a stand on ethical issues that affect the nonprofit sector, particularly after trumpeting its own high standards, what message does it send to nonprofits and policymakers? Readers of the Cohen Report may remember our report (National Harbor, Not Safe Harbor) in June regarding the decision of the Council on Foundations to hold its annual meeting at the National Harbor complex in Prince Georges County, Maryland. Despite some press coverage pointing out the dubious arrangements underpinning National Harbor’s charitable activities, namely a philanthropic slush fund awarding grants to nonprofits linked to the County Executive of PG County, the Council remained silent in spite of, or perhaps because of, its close association with National Harbor. Fortunately the Council has been handed another opportunity to speak up, but will it?

(more…)