The non-profit world started the day with a bang, as Warren Buffett announced that he was giving $30 billion to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Naturally, the man who owns both Dairy Queen and See's Candies has a heart of gold.

Anyway, if this news inspires you to write about the non-profit world, here are a few places to go to for research. Guidestar and CharityWatch both have great information on how effectively a not-for-profit uses the money raised. If you are covering churches, you might want to check out the Evangelical Council on Financial Accountability, which offers background on that large class of non-profits.

If you are writing about volunteer issues, check out the site for the United Nations International Year of the Volunteer. Management issues are tracked by The Alliance for Nonprofit Management.