Mr. Gates: Beware the Advice of Fools
To the Editor: As Mark Dowie writes in “Mr. Gates: Seize the Chance to Transform Philanthropy” (My View, October 7), any fool can give advice. Be skeptical of advisers, Mr. Gates, especially those with politically correct agendas. Before you trade your wife and father for philanthrocrats from New…
Grant Makers Shouldn’t Play With Matches
Making a matching grant seems like the easiest way for a foundation to get the most “leverage” from its giving. By requiring other donors to follow its lead and support a charity, the foundation ends up generating two, three, or even four times as much as it gives away. Every foundation that…
By Mark R. Kramer
Contributor
America’s Promise: Still Making Good on Its Pledge
To the Editor: In his October 7 commentary, Pablo Eisenberg raised the question of whether it was time to close down America’s Promise–The Alliance for Youth (“Is It Time to End the Promise?,” Opinion). Organizations from every sector of society, it seems to me, answer that question every time they…
International Research: a Sound Policy for Foundations
Charities, corporations, and governments that want to be as effective as possible must be aware of how economic, political, and social forces are transforming the way they operate. This is particularly true in the current era, when many of the same forces are at work around the world. With the…
By Kenneth Giunta
Contributor
Trustees are still reluctant to evaluate a CEO’s performance, despite a call for measurable results The head of a social-service charity in Boston has no doubts that she has made a difference to her organization. ALSO SEE:Evaluating the Chief Executive: Resources for Trustees But she has never…
By Marilyn Dickey
Senior Editor, Copy
Philanthropy or Misguided Piousness?
To the Editor: Your article on Thomas S. Monaghan begs the question of whether Mr. Monaghan’s millions will support domestic terrorism (“Delivering on His Word,” October 7). His anti-abortion fervor, financed through the Thomas More Center for Law and Justice, has motivated him to take on the…
Missing the Mark on Catholic Giving
To the Editor: As usual, your publication missed the mark when it comes to covering Catholic philanthropy. Domenica Marchetti’s front-page look at Thomas S. Monaghan (“Delivering on His Word,” October 7) slipped into the usual media trap of grandstanding on Church positions on abortion and women’s…
Philanthropy Is Put on the Spot by White House
White House conferences are usually longer on symbols and good feelings than on substance and argument. Last week’s gathering on philanthropy, called “Gifts to the Future,” was no exception. Its main message was the uncontroversial one that Americans ought to be more generous toward the nation’s…
By LESLIE LENKOWSKY
Contributor
United Ways: Moving Away From the Future of Giving
To the Editor: How depressing to read your article about the United Ways’ reverting to past practices of limiting donor giving to their so-called community funds (“Moving Away From Donor Designation,” October 7). After all these years, you would think that the United Ways would finally have figured…
Who’s Who in Philanthropy: Lifting the Veil of Secrecy
Ask any grant seeker to share his or her complaints about grant makers, and near the top of the list you’re sure to discover the absence of frank communication: Philanthropists seem about as open to disclosure as the old Soviet Politburo. Sure, most foundations are happy to provide program…
By Michael H. Shuman
Contributor