Holiday Giving Season: A Chronicle Spot Check of How Charities Are Faring
Name of charity and year-to-date figures cover Amount raised to date in 2008 Amount raised to date in 2007 Percentage change What’s behind the numbers Pediatric Dental Initiative, Windsor, Calif. (January 7--December 10) $302,227 $956,994 -68% While the charity ended a capital campaign last year,…
Timely Evaluations Still Rare in the Nonprofit World
Information on whether nonprofit programs produce results is hard to come by, making it difficult for charities to improve their performance and for donors to make informed giving decisions, says a new report. “The nonprofit marketplace lacks the robust flow of timely, accurate information that is…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
‘Angelic’ View Clouds Approach to Nonprofit Research, Speakers Say
Too many nonprofit scholars are boosters, ignoring the serious problems that mar the nonprofit world, and the organizations that are involved in activities that harm society, says a prominent philanthropy researcher. David Horton Smith, founder of the Association for Research on Nonprofit…
By Debra E. Blum
Contributor
Paul Newman’s Bequest Will Benefit His Charity
When the actor Paul Newman died in September, he left his interest in the Newman’s Own and Salad King food companies, plus his Oscar statuettes and other awards, to his Newman’s Own Foundation, in Farmington, Conn., according to his will, which was filed in Westport, Conn. Mr. Newman also…
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
Grant Makers Still Lag In Providing Essential Support, New Reports Find
Foundation leaders say they want the organizations they support to be as strong and effective as possible, yet few grant makers engage in the practices they identify as being essential to helping the charities succeed, according to two new reports. One of the reports, from the Washington group…
By Debra E. Blum
Contributor
New Effort Seeks to Simplify the Process of Submitting Grant Proposals
Peggy Payne, executive director of Safe Passage, in Rock Hill, S.C., has felt overwhelmed by the amount of paperwork involved in seeking grants. Last year, her group suffered due to what she considers a minor mistake in a grant application. In a grant proposal, Ms. Payne’s group, which assists…
By Darlene M. Siska
Contributor
Foundation Grants for International Causes Show No Sign of Slowing Down
American foundations gave more to international causes in 2007 than ever before, and — despite oscillating financial markets and economic uncertainty — such giving is expected to remain steady or even grow this year, says a new report. The Foundation Center, in New York, and the Council on…
By MARTY MICHAELS
Contributor
Report Estimates Extended Benefits of Every Foundation Dollar Spent
Giving by foundations supports the economy of the United States, with $1 of every philanthropic contribution producing more than $8 in economic benefits, says a new study. While the social effects of foundation giving are often examined, the study is the first extensive look at how philanthropy…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Bill Clinton’s Philanthropic Decisions Raise Questions for Future
As Bill Clinton limits his charitable activities to smooth the way for his wife’s nomination to become secretary of state, nonprofit leaders worry that the former president is hobbling his role as a philanthropic leader and violating the trust of his donors by disclosing their names. Barack Obama…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Businessmen Match Donors With Fast-Growth Charities
The concept is nothing new: Take top-performing charities with demonstrated results and give them the money they need to spread their successful programs throughout the country. That idea was first championed by the many venture-philanthropy funds that sprang up during the Internet bubble, and the…
By Ben Gose
Senior Editor
(Photograph by Daniel J. Cox/Natural Exposures) When Robert Buchanan seven years ago took over a tiny charity dedicated to preserving the world’s polar bears, he realized that scientists who study the bears couldn’t easily conduct their research — or bring their findings to the public’s attention —…
By Caroline Preston
Contributor
Three Gifts of $100-Million or More Go to Medical and Business Schools
Two universities have received three gifts of $100-million or more: New York University Langone Medical Center has received two pledges totaling $260-million, from Helen L. Kimmel, a member of the center’s Board of Trustees, and from a family that wished to remain anonymous. The University of…
By Maria Di Mento and LAWRENCE BIEMILLER
Nonprofit Leaders Debate Question of Disclosing Demographic Data
Should Congress require foundations to disclose information about how much they give to help the poor and minorities? During the annual meeting here of the Philanthropy Roundtable, an association of donors, two nonprofit leaders clashed over this question. Aaron Dorfman, executive director of the…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Stock Market’s Drop Will Probably Reduce Number of Gifts of $1-Million to $50-Million
The economic downturn is unlikely to cause any major decrease in the number of gifts of $50-million or more that donors make to charities, a new study suggests. But the drop in the stock market is likely to sharply reduce the number of gifts of $1-million to $50-million. Commissioned by the…
By Holly Hall
Contributor
Donors Who Stop Giving to a Charity Feel Disconnected, Survey Finds
Wealthy Americans who stop giving to a nonprofit group tend to do so because they no longer feel connected to the organization or believe they are being asked for money too often, according to a survey to be released this week by Bank of America and the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.…
By Caroline Preston
Contributor
Foundations Wind Down Effort to Put Education Improvement on Political Agenda
Strong American Schools, the charity that sought to make improving education a front-burner issue in the 2008 presidential race, is likely to wind down next year after spending less than half of the $60-million that the foundations backing the campaign originally expected to provide. The campaign,…
By Ben Gose
Senior Editor