The 10 Best-Read Articles in the Chronicle in 2023

Here’s what our readers cared about this year — and what might be looming in the year ahead.

Illustration by The Chronicle

December 26, 2023 | Read Time: 2 minutes

There is probably no better index of what mattered most to philanthropy and nonprofits this past year than the list of our 10 best-read articles in 2023.

The topics represented were a fascinating glimpse into what keeps nonprofit leaders up at night. The continuing crisis in giving among Americans. The donor revolt that has rocked the Ivy League and is shaking up the nonprofit world writ large. The difficulty of staying on mission in a hyperpolarized environment. The seismic effects of A.I. on how we all do our jobs.

They’re all here.

And if you look further down at the stories that just missed the cut-off, you’ll see other worries:

Every year has its own narratives and through lines; each one feels especially eventful and consequential when we take one last look before turning the calendar. But 2023 — a year of war, atrocity, and protest; of economic uncertainty, political chaos, and ideological combat — felt especially momentous both in the moment and in retrospect.

The list below is a summary of what our readers cared most about this year — and may well be a portent of the coming one.