Philanthropy.com Is 20 Years Old Today. Here’s How We Went Online.
April 28, 2017 | Read Time: 2 minutes
Twenty years ago today, philanthropy.com became the major online destination for nonprofits.
Our website had been in the works long before the debut, but we raced to go live on April 28 so our reporters could file dispatches from an unprecedented moment in philanthropy: a summit on volunteering, convened by President Clinton, who was joined by Presidents Bush and Carter as well as Colin Powell. President Reagan supported the summit but wasn’t able to attend. The nonprofit America’s Promise was born that day, and the spotlight was on the good works charities do in a remarkable way.
That commitment to covering key events in philanthropy — as well as providing data, analysis, insights, and tools to help you do your job — has always been part of our online mission.
You can see that when you read the announcement email about the new site:
THE CHRONICLE OF PHILANTHROPY
E-mail newsletter April 28, 1997
Dear Subscriber:
The Chronicle of Philanthropy now has a World-Wide Web site. The new site can now be reached at http://philanthropy.com.
Available on the site:
- Daily updates on the Presidents’ Summit on Volunteering, beginning this morning, along with links to Internet resources on volunteerism.
- A summary of The Chronicle’s May 1 issue, including such highlights as details of the Ford Foundation’s ambitious new plans, a profile of the financial-news mogul and philanthropist Michael Bloomberg, and an article on how savvy grant seekers take full advantage of the Internet.
- Forthcoming national conferences on philanthropy.
- Workshops and seminars on gifts and grants, fund raising, and non-profit management, organized by topic and geographic region.
- Deadlines for grants and awards.
- Announcements of job openings in the non-profit world.
Because everything that we previously sent you by e-mail is now available on the Web site, this mailing list has a new role. We will use it to keep you informed about what’s new on the Web site and in the paper itself.
If you need more information or have any questions or comments, please send a message to editor@philanthropy.com.
The Editors
Unfortunately, no record of philanthropy.com’s very first day still exists online, though we do have a snapshot from the Internet Archive of October 10, 1997, which shows how different the internet and design were in those days. (The yellow background with red accents, for example.)
We’re always eager to hear what else we can do to make our site more helpful to you, so drop us a line.
Stacy Palmer
Editor
Cody Switzer
Assistant Managing Editor and Director of Digital Products
