Chronicle Survey Says 35% of Americans Lack Confidence in Charities
Reports of fraud have soured many people on nonprofits, and sizable percentages criticize charity spending and say leaders are paid too much. Nonprofit experts suggest how to gain the public’s trust.
By Suzanne Perry
Contributor
Poll Rates Public Confidence in Charities, Their Programs, and Spending
Almost two-thirds of Americans have a great deal or fair amount of confidence in charities, according to a new Chronicle poll — the first to measure public views on that question since 2008. But, a sizable percentage say charities don’t spend money wisely.
By Suzanne Perry
Contributor
Borrowed From Business: Nonprofits Try Their Own Version of Wall Street-Style Earnings Reports
Some charity leaders are bullish on quarterly updates like those that businesses are required to do but acknowledge the risks involved with flinging open the books.
By Megan O’Neil
Contributor
Changing Minds: 4 Ways to Help People See the Good in Nonprofits
Experts interviewed by The Chronicle reveal strategies charities can use to improve their public image, especially through better communication and more transparency.
A Senate Critic of Charity Abuse Says Most Nonprofits Do a Good Job
Sen. Charles Grassley urges nonprofits to become more transparent as a way to bolster confidence.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor
Surviving Rough Waters: How the Nature Conservancy Bounced Back From Scandal
A decade ago, the group was rocked by investigations by Congress, the IRS, and the EPA, and donations withered. A structural overhaul — and a big dose of transparency — helped restore the public’s trust.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor
5 Types of Donors and How to Attract Them
Nonprofits could boost donations by $22 billion annually by understanding donors better and focusing more on donor-advised funds, employer matches, and workplace giving, according to a new report by Camber Collective.
The Face of Philanthropy: Finding Hidden Treasures in Storytelling
Comedic actors and educators at an unusual nonprofit criss-cross the country to hold writing workshops in schools that have helped thousands of students pen original stories.
By nicole lewis
Contributor
His and Her Giving: Separate Interests, Mutual Support
A wealthy couple living in the nation’s capital reaches out to nearby neighborhoods still struggling to recover from the legacy of racism and the riots that followed the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
Teaching Small Charities to Use Volunteers Well
New York Cares, which mobilizes more than 62,000 unpaid workers each year, teaches small groups what it has learned — and how to avoid the pitfalls that come from poor planning.
By Michelle Gienow
Contributor
The Leaner-Is-Always-Better Myth: One Size Doesn’t Fit All Foundations
Behind the much-touted trends of downsizing in philanthropic organizations, the picture is more complicated.
By PHIL BUCHANAN
Contributor
Philanthropists Should Take Advantage of Their Bully Pulpit
Donors often have fewer restraints, more power, and more gravitas than the charities they support to speak out about a cause.
By Jay Ruderman
Contributor
Spillover Effect From Red Cross Scandals Stirs Concerns
As the charity comes under a new round of federal scrutiny, some worry about growing cynicism toward charities in general.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor
Couples Give More to Relief Groups When Wife’s Pay Rises, Study Shows
More of a couple’s giving goes to groups like the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army if the wife’s paycheck grows, but if the husband’s income increases, the more likely recipients are umbrella groups like the United Way.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
Congress Shouldn’t Kill the Social Innovation Fund
After investing so much private and government money in an effort to spread programs with proven results, the White House should fight hard to protect one of its signature programs.
By Paul Carttar
Contributor
Learning From Zuckerberg’s ‘Naïve’ $100-Million Mistake
Veteran journalist Dale Russakoff discusses what philanthropists should know about the billionaire Facebook founder’s well-intentioned push to transform the Newark, N.J.'s troubled school system.
By Megan O’Neil
Contributor