Government Agencies v. Private Providers

1. Government Agencies v.Private Providers Seminar Unit #1 Prof. Christopher L. Howard

2. Government Agency • A government agency is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an intelligence agency[citation needed]. There is a notable variety of types of agency. Although usage differs, a government agency is normally distinct both from a Department or Ministry, and other types of public body established by government. The functions of an agency are normally executive in character since different types of organisation (such as commissions) are normally used for advisory functions, but this distinction is often blurred in practice. • A government agency may be established by either a national government or a state government within a federal system. (The term is not normally used for an organization created by the powers of a local government body.) Agencies can be established by legislation or by executive powers. The autonomy, independence and accountability of government agencies also vary widely. • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_agency

3. Private Non-Profit • What is a Private Non Profit Agency?Answer: A private non profit is an organization that is incorporated under State law and whose purpose is not to make a profit, but rather to further a charitable, civic, religious, scientific, or other lawful purpose. The Secretary of State's office grants corporate status to organizations in North Carolina. • What is a 501(c)(3) designation? • Answer: When the agency becomes a state private non profit corporation, it can then apply for 501(c)(3) designation through the IRS. Once the IRS grants 501(c)(3) status, the organization is exempt from certain taxes and any donations to the charitable organization are tax deductible. Many individuals and organizations prefer to make donations to 501(c)(3) private non profits. • Who can obtain a 501(c)(3) designation?     • Answer: Any organization or group can apply for 501(c)(3) status, provided their charter or mission focuses on the non profit’s objective. • Another option is to apply for a 509(a)(1) status which falls under the 501(c)(3) umbrella. Being a 509(a)(1) designates an organization as a tax-free public charity that receives most of its support from a governmental unit or from the general public. Becoming a 509(a)(1) provides public recognition of tax-exempt status, advance assurance to donors of deductibility of contributions, exemption from certain State and federal taxes, and non profit mailing privileges. Organizations that typically qualify are churches, educational institutions, hospitals, and governmental units. • To learn more about non profits, visit www.irs.gov, or call the tax-exempt helpline at 877-829-4933. • How does a Private Non Profit obtain Tax Exempt Status? A private non profit must apply to the IRS for tax exempt status. To qualify, applicants must complete and submit to the IRS Form 1023. Once federal tax exempt status is granted, the private non profit applies for State tax exempt status by completing Form CD-435 and submitting it to the N. C. Department of Revenue. • http://www.ncdhhs.gov/dss/budget/docs/contract/County%20Attachment%20K-%20501(c)(3).doc

4. Grant Writing • Grant writing refers to the practice of completing formal and/or informal application processes by one party, often a non profit entity, educational institution or business - but also by individuals to another party such as a Government department, Corporation, Foundation or Trust. Such application processes are often referred to as either grant "proposals" or "submissions". • Contents • [hide] • [edit] Demand • As philanthropy continues to grow, so too does the number of grant makers and grant seekers[1]. Consequently Grant Makers may request more complex or in depth information within their application process. However, there are many consistencies across various grant makers and over time some common principles have led to the development of somewhat generic application processes, with the main differences being related to the depth and quality of information various grant makers require, rather than the type of information they are looking for. • In today's grant writing environment, a successful proposal must match the needs of grant makers with the needs of grant seekers and vice versa. Essentially, there are two key strategies involved in developing successful proposals. First, there is the bringing together of well-matched grant seekers and grant makers; second, the crafting of meaningful proposals that will stand out from the scores of other applicants. Therefore, the starting point of any successful grant writing program is hard work and extensive research. While anyone can surf the internet and find a grant opportunity that looks attractive, professional grant writers build their proposals on well researched information about both the grant maker and the grant seeker and its programs. • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grant_writing

5. Strategic Planning • Simply put, strategic planning determines where an organization is going over the next year or more, how it's going to get there and how it'll know if it got there or not. The focus of a strategic plan is usually on the entire organization, while the focus of a business plan is usually on a particular product, service or program. • There are a variety of perspectives, models and approaches used in strategic planning. The way that a strategic plan is developed depends on the nature of the organization's leadership, culture of the organization, complexity of the organization's environment, size of the organization, expertise of planners, etc. For example, there are a variety of strategic planning models, including goals-based, issues-based, organic, scenario (some would assert that scenario planning is more of a technique than model), etc. • 1) Goals-based planning is probably the most common and starts with focus on the organization's mission (and vision and/or values), goals to work toward the mission, strategies to achieve the goals, and action planning (who will do what and by when). • 2) Issues-based strategic planning often starts by examining issues facing the organization, strategies to address those issues and action plans. • 3) Organic strategic planning might start by articulating the organization's vision and values, and then action plans to achieve the vision while adhering to those values. Some planners prefer a particular approach to planning, eg, appreciative inquiry. • Some plans are scoped to one year, many to three years, and some to five to ten years into the future. Some plans include only top-level information and no action plans. Some plans are five to eight pages long, while others can be considerably longer. • Quite often, an organization's strategic planners already know much of what will go into a strategic plan (this is true for business planning, too). However, development of the strategic plan greatly helps to clarify the organization's plans and ensure that key leaders are all "on the same script". Far more important than the strategic plan document, is the strategic planning process itself. • Also, in addition to the size of the organization, differences in how organizations carry out the planning activities are more of a matter of the nature of the participants in the organization -- than its for-profit/nonprofit status. For example, detail-oriented people may prefer a linear, top-down, general-to-specific approach to planning. On the other hand, rather artistic and highly reflective people may favor of a highly divergent and "organic" approach to planning. • http://managementhelp.org/plan_dec/str_plan/str_plan.htm

6. Strategic Planning &Non-Profits • It is important to mention that it is the size of the organization matters more than for-profit or non-profit status in determining the objectives, steps and activities in the Strategic Planning process. Small non-profit and for-profit organizations have a similar manner of conducting business and planning activities that are different from larger non-profit and for-profit organizations. • However, there are certain characteristic distinctions between non-profit and for-profit organizations in relation to focus of the planning activities. Unlike for-profits, which tend to focus primarily on profit-maximizing activities, the non-profit organizations generally are more focused on matters of board development, fundraising and volunteer management. Hence, Non-Profit Strategic Planning concerns keeping in mind the interests of the board, its development and the well-being of its units. It is also aimed at laying stress on raising funds, while the other aspects of planning take a backseat. • New non-profit organizations need to take down strategic plans on paper and create a formal plan, including all the number of considerations a starter non-profit organization needs to take care of. • In case of old or pre-existing non-profit organizations, Strategic Planning requires preparing a long-term map delineating the sequence of activities over several years, from where one is today to where one aims to be in the future. Usually, a period of 3 to 5 years is covered by a strategic plan. The following are to be presented in the plan: • o Mission statement of organization, stating the reason for its inception and activities. • o Vision statement throwing light on what the organization is hoping to become. • o Values to be adhered to by the organization in the conduct of its activities. • o Assessment and description of the needs to be fulfilled by the non-profit organization. • o The organization's immediate goals. • o An assessment of the organization's present status. • o Strategies adopted to meet the goals and objectives. • Strategic Planning provides detailed information about strategic planning, non-profit strategic planning, strategic business planning, strategic media planning and more. Strategic Planning is the sister site of Limited Liability Company Advantage. • http://ezinearticles.com/?Non-Profit-Strategic-Planning&id=144311

7. Strategic Planning &Government • Increasing numbers of government agencies are reported as having adopted some form of strategic planning (Wechsler, 1989). Like many public sector management innovations of the past, strategic planning seems to have been greeted by a high level of initial enthusiasm. There has been, however, little research measuring the extent to which strategic planning is actually used by governments, the nature of the methods and processes used in different agencies, the reasons agencies give for initiating strategic planning, their objectives for the planning process, or the outcomes they believe they have achieved. To remedy this lack of data and to provide answers to questions about the use of strategic planning in the public sector, we conducted a national study of strategic planning in state government.[2] We chose to conduct this study at the level of state government for several reasons, including the increasing importance of the states in the delivery of public services, the relative diversity of state agencies and their tractability as units of analysis when compared to the federal and local levels, and the great interest reported in strategic planning among state governments (Wechsler, 1989). • Survey Results • Extent of Utilization of Strategic Planning by States • Most of the survey respondents (60 percent) reported that they currently use strategic planning in their agency, while 9 percent of the agencies planned to start strategic planning soon, but had not yet initiated it. Twenty-six percent of respondents said their agency had never used strategic planning and had no plans to use it, and about 5 percent of the respondents reported their agency had used strategic planning in the past but currently did not. The primary reason even for discontinuing strategic planning was a change in agency leadership. Other reasons included budgetary cutbacks and personnel changes in planning positions. Only two respondents said that planning was discontinued because it was perceived as a failure in the agency. While we are somewhat surprised both by the high utilization rate and by the low discontinuance rate, there are two plausible explanations for these findings. First, agencies not using strategic planning could be underrepresented in the survey. (In fact, where we have responses for an agency-type from every state, the utilization rate is somewhat lower.) Second, because the large majority of agencies have had fewer than five years of experience with strategic planning, the discontinuance rate is likely to increase in the future, as agencies have more experience and some get discouraged or as leadership changes occur. http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=FEB90F85DCD5FB617CDCBD4441AE7F08.inst3_3a?docId=5000278305

8. Strategic Planning &government cont. • Despite the longevity of strategic planning practice in the private sector (Bracker, 1980), there is little evidence of extensive public sector use of strategic planning or references to strategic planning in the public administration literature before the 1980s (Behn, 1980; Olsen & Eadie, 1982; Walters & Choate, 1984). The survey confirmed that most agencies initiated strategic planning only recently. Of those agencies currently using strategic planning, only 6 percent began their planning process before 1980: 1 percent in the 1960s and 5 percent in the 1970s. Between 1980 and 1984, 10 percent of the sample initiated strategic planning. However, beginning in 1985, the pace of adoption increased dramatically. From 1985 to 1989, 47 percent of the sample began using strategic planning, and 39 percent adopted strategic planning after 1990. And, as noted above, nearly one in ten agencies reported having plans underway to initiate strategic planning in the near future. • Contrary to other reform efforts (e.g., productivity improvement, program budgeting), which have often been initiated by governors on a statewide basis, the initiation of strategic planning seems to ... • http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=FEB90F85DCD5FB617CDCBD4441AE7F08.inst3_3a?docId=5000278305

9. Accountability • Accountability is a concept in ethics and governance with several meanings. It is often used synonymously with such concepts as responsibility,[1] answerability, blameworthiness, liability, and other terms associated with the expectation of account-giving. As an aspect of governance, it has been central to discussions related to problems in the public sector, nonprofit and private (corporate) worlds. In leadership roles, accountability is the acknowledgment and assumption of responsibility for actions, products, decisions, and policies including the administration, governance, and implementation within the scope of the role or employment position and encompassing the obligation to report, explain and be answerable for resulting consequences. • As a term related to governance, accountability has been difficult to define.[2][3] It is frequently described as an account-giving relationship between individuals, e.g. "A is accountable to B when A is obliged to inform B about A’s (past or future) actions and decisions, to justify them, and to suffer punishment in the case of eventual misconduct".[4], Accountability can not exist without proper accounting practices, in other words absence of accounting means absence of accountability. • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accountability

10. Accountability & Non-Profit • Nonprofits have an ethical obligation to their constituents and the public to conduct their activities with accountability and transparency. Nonprofits should regularly and openly convey information to the public about their mission, activities, accomplishments and decision-making processes. Information from a nonprofit organization should be easily accessible to the public and should create external visibility, public understanding and trust in the organization. • Accountability • 1) A nonprofit must comply with all legally required reporting procedures.  • 2) A nonprofit has an obligation to responsibly use its resources toward its mission and to benefit the community. The organization’s board should approve its financial audits, while the executive director and principal financial manager should attest to the audits. • 3) A nonprofit has a responsibility to establish and regularly determine clear performance measurements and to share those results with the public. • 4) Each nonprofit has a responsibility to adhere to the established industry standards that apply to its particular activity area. • Accessibility • 5) Boards of directors should provide information to the public that describes their decisions and decision-making processes. They should make meeting agendas and descriptions of significant decisions available to those who request them. • 6) A nonprofit should provide its constituents with ongoing opportunities to interact with the board and management regarding its activities. • Public Information • 7) A nonprofit should produce an annual report (either printed or Web-based) that contains information on its activities and performance. The annual report should include: • An explanation of the organization’s mission, activities and results; • An explanation of how individuals can access its programs and services; • Overall financial information, including income and expense statement, balance sheet and functional expense allocation; and • A list of board members, management staff and contributors. • http://www.mncn.org/info_principles6.htm

11. Accountability & Government • A democracy requires accountability, and accountability requires transparency. As Justice Louis Brandeis wrote, "sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants." In our democracy, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which encourages accountability through transparency, is the most prominent expression of a profound national commitment to ensuring an open Government. At the heart of that commitment is the idea that accountability is in the interest of the Government and the citizenry alike. • The Freedom of Information Act should be administered with a clear presumption: In the face of doubt, openness prevails. The Government should not keep information confidential merely because public officials might be embarrassed by disclosure, because errors and failures might be revealed, or because of speculative or abstract fears. Nondisclosure should never be based on an effort to protect the personal interests of Government officials at the expense of those they are supposed to serve. In responding to requests under the FOIA, executive branch agencies (agencies) should act promptly and in a spirit of cooperation, recognizing that such agencies are servants of the public. • All agencies should adopt a presumption in favor of disclosure, in order to renew their commitment to the principles embodied in FOIA, and to usher in a new era of open Government.  The presumption of disclosure should be applied to all decisions involving FOIA. • The presumption of disclosure also means that agencies should take affirmative steps to make information public. They should not wait for specific requests from the public. All agencies should use modern technology to inform citizens about what is known and done by their Government. Disclosure should be timely. • http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/FreedomofInformationAct/

12. Politics and Non-Profits • The Chronicle of Philanthropy recently reported that "Nearly three-fourths of charities do some kind of advocacy or lobbying, but the vast majority of them devote less than 2 percent of their budgets to such activities, according to results of survey released today." The large percentage of nonprofit organizations doing some form of advocacy or lobbying will be surprising to most. In fact, many nonprofits still believe that they are not allowed to get involved with politics in any way.While 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations are not allowed to endorse political candidates, they are allowed to participate in either direct or grassroots lobbying. The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits summarizes these two forms of lobbying well:Direct lobbying is when you state your position on specific legislation to legislators or other government employees who participate in the formulation of legislation, or urge your members to do so. In order to count as direct lobbying it must refer to specific legislation and express a view on it.Grassroots lobbying is when you state your position on specific legislation to the general public AND ask the general public to contact legislators or other government employees who participate in the formulation of legislation. If you do not include a call to action in your communication to the general public, it is not lobbying. Urging your members to lobby counts as direct lobbying not grassroots lobbying.http://nonprofitsos.blogspot.com/2008/08/nonprofits-and-politicsdo-they-mix.html

13. Politics and GovernmentAgencies • A White House memorandum, distributed to agencies across the executive branch, told officials that grant decisions should be made on their merits and government officials should avoid creating an appearance that politics was involved in any decisions. The administration does not believe the N.E.A. conference call violated the law, Mr. Burton said, but conceded that it bothered some participants who said it crossed the line by promoting the president’s agenda. • On the Aug. 10 call, the N.E.A. official encouraged people to promote the administration’s United We Serve campaign, and asked them to create artwork that promoted Mr. Obama’s agenda. One listener recorded the call, and the audio turned up on a conservative Web site, BigHollywood.Breitbart.com. • On the call, the N.E.A. communications director Yosi Sergant said, “I would encourage you to pick something, whether it’s health care, education, the environment — you know, there’s four key areas that the corporation has identified as the areas of service.” He resigned after the call became public. • White House officials said Tuesday that they did not believe the call violated laws that prohibit government employees from expressly supporting the Obama political agenda. But the administration was planning to schedule training sessions and staff visits, Mr. Burton said, “to make sure the message gets across.” • http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/us/politics/23grants.html

14. Government & Experienced Staff • The original (and continuing) conception was that fleshing out agreed-to policy should be done • by neutral, objective, and experienced staff rather than by avowedly political players. • Accordingly, the civil servants that staff the agencies are selected on the merits and serve from • administration to administration. They provide the institutional memory, the analytical • horsepower, and the non-partisan glue that holds the institution together through changes in • power from one political party to another. Contrary to the stereotypical “bureaucrats” so often • bashed as sport in Washington and in the national media, most career civil servants are dedicated • professionals who have chosen to serve their country, passing over more lucrative careers in the • private sector. • Not surprisingly, there is often a natural tension between these career civil servants and • the political appointees selected by the President to run the agencies. New political appointees • arrive with each new President and often turn over several times during the course of an • administration. While they certainly bring their own skills, experiences, and talents, these • appointees are often uninterested in, or even hostile to, projects and programs already underway • at the agency (particularly those begun during a previous administration of another party), and • are frequently suspicious of the senior career employees who have served under many • Presidents. Such suspicions have generally been more pronounced in Republican • Administrations, owing to conservatives’ greater disdain for, and distrust of, the federal • government and their belief that the private sector is inherently superior in most respects. • http://www.acslaw.org/files/Katzen%20FINAL%20_w%20cover_.pdf

15. Non-Profit Staff • Lower Turnover Rates in Nonprofits • The findings also discredit the myth that nonprofits have high employee turnover. Nonprofits • in North Carolina have an annual turnover rate of 9.6%. According to Compdata, the average turnover • rate for all industries in the United States was 18.7% in 2008. The U.S. Department of Labor reports • that the cost to replace a worker is one-third of the annual salary for the position. The lower turnover • in North Carolina nonprofits helps avoid this significant cost. “Lower turnover means that nonprofits • can be even more efficient with their resources. Having experienced staff also can help an organization • achieve more for the community,” says Walker Sanders, president of the Community Foundation of • Greater Greensboro and Treasurer of the Center’s Board. • Compensation • The median total compensation for all chief executives is $60,000. Salaries are generally • proportional to the nonprofit’s budget size, with chief executives of smaller organizations receiving the • lowest pay. For nonprofits with budgets below $300,000, the median compensation for chief executives • is $40,453. For those with budgets from $300,000-499,999, it is $50,000. For budgets from $500,000- • 999,999, it is $57,518. For budgets from $1 million to 2 million, the median increases to $73,730. For $2 • million to $5 million, it is $84,950. For $5 million to $10 million, it is $111,652. For nonprofits with • budgets of $10 million or more, the median total compensation for chief executives is $151,197. • - 2 - • Regionally, the median compensation for chief executives in the Triangle Area is $70,500, • followed by the Triad Area ($65,000), Southern Piedmont ($61,100), and Charlotte Area ($56,500). • Median compensation is lower in the Northeastern ($53,000), Southeastern ($51,950), Central-Eastern • ($50,900), Southwestern ($50,000), and Northwestern ($49,800) regions of the state. The highest • executive salary, which was reported by a large nonprofit institution, was $306,000. The lowest • reported was $12,000. • http://www.ncnonprofits.org/media/NR_SalariesBenefits.pdf

16. Non-Profit Staff cont. • The median cash compensation for all nonprofit employees is $40,673. The median is slightly • higher in the Triangle Area ($45,619), the Central-Eastern region ($42,509), and the Triad Area • ($41,516). The Charlotte area has median compensation of $40,232. The median is lower in the • Southern Piedmont ($38,606) and in the Southwestern ($37,054), Southeastern ($37,000), Northeastern • ($34,823), and Northwestern ($31,449) regions of North Carolina. • The lowest-paid nonprofit employees work in human services, where the average cash • compensation is $36,787; arts, culture, and humanities (average $36,834); international and foreign • affairs ($37,500); and health ($43,881). Many jobs traditionally are low-wage whether they are in the • nonprofit, government, or business sector. Examples include workers that provide child care, elder • care, and home health care, as well as workers who do intake of clients to be served, enter computer • data, or perform other administrative tasks. Recruiting and retaining high-quality workers in these • jobs is a challenge for all types of employers. • http://www.ncnonprofits.org/media/NR_SalariesBenefits.pdf

17. Non-Profit Staff Cont. • Employee Benefits • Nearly three-fourths (73.9%) of nonprofits provide medical coverage for their employees. • These employers pay an average of 92.5% of the employee’s premium. This has increased since the • N.C. Center’s last study in 1996, when 72% of nonprofits provided medical coverage. • Four out of five (79.8%) nonprofits that provide medical coverage offer Preferred Provider • Organization (PPO) plans, and 9.6% offer Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) plans. Nonprofits’ • average monthly cost of medical coverage is $474 for the employee, $816 for an employee plus one • additional person, and $1,224 for an employee plus his or her entire family. Fewer than 8% offer • medical coverage to their part-time employees. • More than half (53.3%) of nonprofit employers offer their staff one or more types of retirement • plans. Of those that have plans, 55.8% offer 403(b) plans; 33.5%provide plans that are essentially • Individual Retirement Accounts (SEP-IRA); 27.7% offer 401(k) plans; 6.2% offer defined benefit plans; • 1.3% offer Money Purchase plans; and .9% offer 457 plans. Of those with 403(b) plans, the average • percentage of salaries that the organization pays is 7.2%. • “This means that almost half of nonprofits offer no retirement options,” says Jane Kendall of the • N.C. Center. “While this gap also is common for business employers, this is not how we should treat • the talented staff at our nonprofits whose work is essential to North Carolinians every day.” • Federal Law Gives Incentives to Pursue Careers in Nonprofits • “Nonprofits seek the talent of people who want a career that makes a positive difference in the • world,” says Doris Stith, executive director of the Community Enrichment Organization in Tarboro and • N.C. Center Board member. The College Cost Reduction Act of 2007 gives graduates an incentive to • pursue nonprofit careers. It forgives federal student loans for those who work 10 years or more in • nonprofits or government. The Center advocated for this federal legislation. • http://www.ncnonprofits.org/media/NR_SalariesBenefits.pdf

18. Ethics and Non-Profits • Beyond Just Legal: What You Can Do • So what is a nonprofit that wants to operate on a high moral and ethical plane—and keep its brand strong and healthy—to do? Here are actions you can start taking now: • Recruit and hire well How often have you heard “We need to recruit board members of affluence and influence?” I contend that if the portfolios of board members don’t include wisdom and integrity, their affluence and influence often translate into a liability rather than an asset. And the record shows many an organization enduring much pain because of poor (for lack of a better word) board leadership. • But it is leadership at all organizational levels, including management, that establish the organization’s corporate culture. It is they who should be providing both example and oversight when it comes to moral and ethical issues, circumstances and decision making. • Educate what’s at risk Believe it or not, many people don’t understand what’s at risk if they don’t perform their jobs in an ethical, accountable manner. And ethical lapses are easy to make, especially when the corporate culture gives a wink and a nod to ethical behavior. • What’s at risk? Just about everything. Think Enron, Arthur Andersen, World Com, Global Crossing and a slew of others, including numerous nonprofits that have suffered greatly because they failed to understand the risks of their questionable or unethical behavior. We’ll refrain from mentioning names here, but if you follow the sector you know who they are. • Be transparent with your finances Ever since Deep Throat told Bob Woodward to “follow the money”, scrutiny surrounding financial malfeasance has only intensified. Be sure that you can account to your funders for how your organization spent their money; better yet, how it made a difference in helping you achieve your mission. • Poor bookkeeping is no excuse. Hire a certified accountant, if necessary. • Speak truth to authority Create a corporate culture in which employees feel free to speak truthfully to management. • Surveys show that a large percentage of employees who see misconduct don’t speak up either because they believe their superiors won’t take action or fear they would face retaliation if they report what they saw. This tends to create an unhealthy, at-risk work environment. • Legal should not be the litmus test There’s a difference between what’s legal and what’s ethical, and it is up to an organization’s leadership to understand what that difference is. If you’re sitting around a conference table trying to split hairs between the two, don’t go to your legal department for a resolution to your dilemma. They’re being paid to find you a loophole. Rather ask yourself, “What would my mother think if this decision we’re about to make finds itself on the front page of the local newspaper or on the 6 o’clock news?” • We don’t need polls and surveys to tell us Americans are losing faith in their government, corporate and even religious institutions, including the nonprofit sector. • http://nonprofit.about.com/od/nonprofitmanagement/a/ethics.htm

19. Ethics and Government • The Office of Government Ethics (OGE), a small agency within the executive branch, was established by the Ethics in Government Act of 1978. Originally part of the Office of Personnel Management, OGE became a separate agency on October 1, 1989 as part of the Office of Government Ethics Reauthorization Act of 1988. • OGE is specifically tasked with preventing and resolving conflicts of interest on the part of government employees. Operating in conjunction with executive branch agencies and departments, OGE is expected to foster "high ethical standards for employees and strengthens the public's confidence that the Government's business is conducted with impartiality and integrity." • The director of OGE is appointed by the president and serves a five-year term. The director's position is currently vacant, with Special Assistant Marilyn Bennett serving as Acting Confidential Assistant. • Operating under the Office of the Director, OGE is further divided into four offices that work in concert to carry out OGE's mission: • http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/rightsandfreedoms/a/aboutethics.htm

20. Wrapping It Up • Government v. Non-Profit Private Organizations • Fiscal resources • Strategic Planning • Accountability • Political Environment • Operational Expertise • Ethics