The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. Add to that more than 3,000 tipsheets from our national conferences on how to cover specific beats or do specific stories and you have a resource that no reporter or editor should be without. These stories and tipsheets are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Logged-in members can view the tipsheets free online:
Search results for "charity" ...
-
Investigating Shadowy Organizations
Whether you're investigating the CIA or a sports team, use this tipsheet from award winning reporter, Apuzzo, to cover that shadowy organization.
-
Investigating Nonprofits
Start with structure when beginning your nonprofit investigation with these helpful tips from an award winning investigative reporter.
-
Digging into Profits: IRS form 990
Campbell gives some basics of the form 990 - what it includes/excludes. He gives detailed descriptions of some of the more important parts of the form - lines where you'll find useful information. He also includes a list of other useful schedules to review when investigating nonprofits.
Tags: IRS; nonprofits; endowments; form 990; schedules; charity; charities
-
Investigative Business Journalism
Cohn's detailed tipsheet discusses investigative tips and techniques for covering foundations, nonprofits and charities with examples of the types of documents and resources critical to this type of reporting - from 990s to human sources. Part 2 of the tipsheet explores investigations of private companies.
Tags: nonprofit; charity; foundation; private business; Internal Revenue Service; IRS; Form 990; 990s; consolidated financial statements; civil court; criminal court; federal agencies; FOIA
-
Dissecting 990s
Kamb explains the 990 tax form that nonprofits must submit to the IRS in lieu of a tax return. He discusses who files them; variations of the form; resources for understanding them; your rights in requesting them; where to request a 990; and problems & limitations. He also includes a detailed comparison of the old vs. new 990 forms.
Tags: nonprofit; charity; tax form; tax-exempt; taxpayer bill of rights; Guidestar; Internal Revenue Service; IRS; transparency
-
Forensic Accounting
This tipsheet discusses forensic accounting with definitions and examples of how it can be used in investigative reporting - from clarifying issues (such as Ponzi schemes); insights into what to investigate (such as various cases of misused funds); and many others.
Tags: forensic accounting; Ponzi scheme; finance; fraud; charities; corporations; Pyramid scheme; mortgage fraud; financial analysis; data mining; Federal Rules of Evidence; economic damages; insurance loss accounting
-
Quick hit watchdog stories: No-nonsense nonprofit reporting
Sforza discusses what to look for when doing quick hit stories on nonprofit organizations. Focusing on the 990, she points out where the story might be. For instance, how does total revenue compare to total expenses?
Tags: nonprofits; Guidestar; investigation; quick hits; 990 form; charities
-
Oversight (from pane:
Zerbe's Powerpoint outlines the issues surrounding the oversight of charities, and how to dissect the new 990 forms.
-
Battling the VA
Adams discusses the approach to covering the Veterans Administration - both as a health system and a disability compensation system. He addresses the challenges of making FOIA requests of the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). He outlines the data available from the VA, but also discloses the difficulty in having FOIA requests honored
Tags: Veterans Administration; VA; Veterans Benefits Administration; VBA; Comp and Pen Master File; Voard of Veterans Appeals; VACOLS; Veterans Satisfaction Survey; National Survey of Veterans; Vital Signs database; internal VA memos; Monday Morning Reports; National Association of Veterans' Program Administrators; National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs; NAVPA; NASDVA; National Association of State Charities Officials; NASCONET
-
Social Network Analysis
This presentation shows several examples of social network analysis. Kessler explores what social network analysis allows you to do in your reporting, and several topics - such as campaign finance and charity scams - that are ripe for such analysis
Tags: social networking; social network analysis; SNA; networks;