Giving Season, the Tax Debates, and More: A Letter to Readers From Our Editor

Dear Reader,

Throughout the day, our reporters and editors are tracking Giving Tuesday the unofficial start of the busiest weeks for charitable giving — and for you.

This year-end season could be even more consequential than usual as Congress moves closer to passing a tax measure that could change the incentives for donors and shake up how charities get involved in partisan politics, run their endowments, pay their top leaders, and more.

You can count on all of us at The Chronicle to provide all you need to know at this crucial time. Among the ways we are helping you keep up:

• Two senior journalists at The Chronicle, Alex Daniels (@AlexDanielsCOP) and Megan O’Neil (@ByMeganONeil), will be watching every move on the tax bills and analyzing their impact on nonprofits. Follow Alex and Megan on Twitter to get updates in real time and send them questions about the legislation that you hope we’ll answer in our articles.
• Read our most recent articles on the issues under debate and three opinion pieces about them — one examining the impact on the neediest, by Mark Rosenman, a nonprofit scholar, and another on the potential effects of proposed changes in the politicking rules, by Roger Colinvaux, a former congressional tax aide who now teaches at Catholic University of Law. Today we posted a third opinion piece by another of our columnists, Tom Watson, urging nonprofit leaders to use Giving Tuesday to unite and advocate against tax policies and other federal actions that could hurt charities.
• Heather Joslyn, one of our veteran editors, and Tim Sandoval, our fundraising reporter, are tracking year-end giving trends. You can read our forecast for year’s end, plus check our online resource center for ideas you can put to use right now to bolster giving in the final month of the year.
• Use our data to shape your strategy for fundraising now and in 2018. In our How America Gives study, Drew Lindsay, a Chronicle senior editor, and Tyler Davis, a member of our data and interactives team, figured out giving rates in communities across the country — and offered data that will show you whether your area has an opportunity to raise more to reach national averages. Their findings are essential to absorb at a time when the number of charity donors — especially those in the middle class — appear to be declining.
• While much attention in the nonprofit world is focused on year-end giving and taxes, another issue is much in the news — and vitally important for nonprofit managers to think about every day. Reports of sexual harassment, sometimes from donors, are prompting new conversations about the steps leaders should take to protect their staffs. See Tim Sandoval’s latest article about advice experts offer on this topic.

As you and your colleagues double down in your work to attract donations and direct grants to vital social missions, we hope you will turn to The Chronicle to keep up with important news and trends, get reliable advice on fundraising, and shape your strategy and advocacy in the months ahead.

The quality of our work is always better when we get your feedback, so drop me a line if there’s anything more we can do to provide essential information. All of us at The Chronicle wish you the best in the year-end rush.

Stacy Palmer

Editor