Charities Try New Ways to Test Ideas Quickly and Polish Them Later
A management approach popular with tech companies called “lean start-up” is catching on in the nonprofit world. The emphasis is on experimentation and constant improvement.
By Ben Gose
Senior Editor
New Effort Seeks to Drum Up Gifts to Spread Proven Programs
The Scaling Marketplace makes it easy for foundations to collaborate to contribute large sums so high-performing charities can expand their programs.
By Ben Gose
Senior Editor
Gifts Surge From Rich U.S. Donors
Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan were the most generous philanthropists in 2013, and the youngest ever to top The Chronicle’s Philanthropy 50 list. Gifts by living donors totaled about as much as in the previous two years combined.
By Ben Gose, Maria Di Mento and Doug Donovan
A Nonprofit Trendsetter Becomes 4th CEO in 4 Years at Tides
Kriss Deiglmeier, the fourth CEO in four years, will work to help attract new partners to the fund’s efforts to steer money and other support to progressive causes.
By Ben Gose
Senior Editor
17 Foundations Join Forces to Divest Fossil-Fuel Stocks
The funds, worth $2-billion, are urging other funds to invest at least 5 percent of their endowments in clean-energy companies.
By Ben Gose
Senior Editor
3 Major Donors Died in December, Leaving Distinct Philanthropic Legacies
Beneficiaries of the largesse of Edgar Bronfman, Harold Simmons, and Robert Wilson included environmental groups, Jewish youths, and hospitals.
By Ben Gose
Senior Editor
Nonprofit Government Contractors Still Face Late Payments, Says New Study
Financial woes and administrative problems in some states pose a continuing challenge for many nonprofits even as the economy gradually strengthens.
By Ben Gose
Senior Editor
Impact Investing Requires Foundations to Think and Act in New Ways
It’s more complicated than grant making, and evaluating its effectiveness can be difficult.
By Ben Gose
Senior Editor
A New Donor Movement Seeks to Put Data Ahead of Passion
If the idea of effective altruism spreads, it could pay big dividends for nonprofits that work in the developing world but could hurt charities that can’t show that they save or improve lives.
By Ben Gose
Senior Editor
A Charity Evaluation Group Helps Donors Who Practice ‘Effective Altruism’
GiveWell, an organization founded by two former hedge-fund analysts, helps people identify charities that stand above the rest.
By Ben Gose
Senior Editor