From the Editor: What’s New at The Chronicle

The following letter from The Chronicle’s editor, Stacy Palmer, is the second in a series of regular updates she will provide to readers in the coming months.

Dear Reader,

Last week I sent the White House a fascinating list of nonprofits nominated by visitors to philanthropy.com — an idea that came from our newsroom after Sean Spicer, the president’s press secretary, suggested that journalists could help Mr. Trump figure out how best to carry out his pledge to give his annual salary to charity.

As you’ll see in today’s roundup of news from elsewhere online, on Monday he sent the money to the National Park Service, but the nomination process — which got help from celebrities, prominent journalists, and others who spread the word on social media — brought votes for many of the nation’s best known nonprofits. But it also brought attention to tiny groups, like Kruz’n for a Kure, started by parents in Muscle Shoals, Ala., seeking aid for their children’s rare medical disorder.

It is that diversity of the nonprofit world that motivates our journalists to serve you, especially at a time when changes in government policy are much on the minds of our readers. That’s why we put together this set of articles to help you bone up on the issues at stake as Congress and President Trump gear up to tackle an overhaul of the tax code.

We have also produced many advice pieces and case studies on advocacy that you can use to help make your voice heard — and better understand how charity and foundation executives, as well as board members, can follow the law and still be effective in influencing policy makers. You can find them — as well as articles on how to deal with budget cuts and belt tightening — in our Resource Center.

But government and the repercussions of new debates over the social contract aren’t all that preoccupies us at The Chronicle. We’re hard at work planning our next webinars and our conference, Philanthropy Next, to be held September 14. I hope you’ll be able to join us in Washington for this event. I’m especially excited about getting another chance to interview one of the most interesting and thoughtful people in philanthropy, Emmett Carson, head of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

Meanwhile, my colleagues and I have been out speaking and covering sessions. If you’re attending the Council on Foundations meeting in Dallas, you’ll find our news editor, Megan O’Neil, in action. Or if you’ll be at the Association of Fundraising Professionals conference in San Francisco, you’ll see fundraising reporters Tim Sandoval and Eden Stiffman. In both cases, I hope you’ll visit our booth to meet other members of our staff, too.

We hope to hear from you about how we can provide more of the information you need to carry out your mission and do your job well — and if you’re in Washington, do visit us, just like the grant makers at Philanthropy Northwest did a few weeks ago. I also welcome your email messages with story ideas, opinion articles, and suggestions.

Stacy Palmer
Editor
The Chronicle of Philanthropy