Fighting Misinformation, Grooming New Leaders, and Unlocking More Giving: Ideas for 2018
Fresh approaches to philanthropy’s urgent problems will be essential in the year ahead. Here are some of the best pieces from The Chronicle’s opinion section to get up to speed on new thinking.
Raised homeless and without his parents, the Nord Family Foundation’s Anthony Richardson is focused on education in Ohio.
On the Rise: Young Professionals Shaking Up the Nonprofit World
Meet a fundraiser who brought in $40 million for a new museum, a former Obama administration official heading up a health foundation, a Native American activist who builds bridges with grant makers, and other rising stars in philanthropy.
Readers’ Choice: the Most Popular News-You-Can-Use from The Chronicle in 2017
Every week we publish new resources that help you do your job better and more efficiently. Here’s a list of the resources that drew the most clicks from our readers during the past year.
Reader’s Choice: The Most Popular Stories of 2017
We mined our data to compile the stories that readers clicked on the most this year, on topics including how to raise money from deep-pocketed donors, how to work smarter, and how to deal with a dysfunctional manager.
How They Did It: 10 Stories of Runaway Growth in Giving
These organizations defied the ho-hum fundraising returns of recent years to post remarkable results.
Daily News Roundup: Big Companies Vow to Give to Charity Due to Tax Law
President Trump was pleased, but Democratic lawmakers and corporate watchdogs called it a stunt. In other articles, a report on five things you should know about donor-advised funds and the new tax law; how to write off donations under the new law; how the rich are profiting by manipulating a charitable deduction in the tax code; a look at Harvey Weinstein’s charity nightmare; and much more.
New CEOs Rise at Heritage and William Davidson Foundations
Plus, William Getty will retire next year as president of the Benedum Foundation, and the prominent Dallas philanthropist Ruth Altshuler has died.
Daily News Roundup: Tax Bill Would Hit Top Earners at Private Nonprofit Colleges
In other news, the Heritage Foundation has named a new president to succeed Jim DeMint; a Vermont senator wants to limit the pay at some nonprofits to no more than the governor’s salary of $166,000; the Holocaust Museum’s ambitious study of the civil war in Syria and U.S. options to mitigate it will be republished; and much more.
MacArthur Aims to Help Syrian Children With $100 Million Award
The grant maker’s selection of the Sesame Workshop and the International Rescue Committee as the winners of high-profile competition appears to be aimed at President Trump.
Highlights of a year’s worth of data projects by The Chronicle offer telling statistics about board diversity, the growth of donor-advised funds, and the value of big endowments that have become targets on Capitol Hill.
Daily News Roundup: Tax Bill Could Drive More IRA Donations to Charity
In other news, nonprofits hospitals are trying to expand in the face of new competition; an intensive effort around the globe is trying to move children out of orphanages; an Ohio medical center gets $75 million for mental-health care; Fidelity donors have given $22 million in Bitcoin this year; and much more.
How Highly Rated Program Officers Earn Grantees’ Approval
They recognize that nonprofits are the experts in their subject areas and choose their words carefully so they don’t sound like they’re issuing mandates.
Daily News Roundup: IRS Still Seeing Fallout From Tea Party Scandal
In other news, charities worry that the GOP tax bill will mean less money for those in need; a Refugees International report cites a “failure of leadership” by U.S. officials and shockingly poor conditions in Puerto Rico three months after Hurricane Maria; donations keep rolling in to public media, despite accusations of sexual misconduct against several hosts and editors; a report on what’s holding back the rich from giving larger sums; and much more.
Daily News Roundup: Gates CEO Calls 2017 an ‘Awesome Year’
Sue Desmond-Hellmann cites the number of women speaking out about sexual abuse, progress on fighting tropical diseases, and more. In other news, nonprofits ordered to leave Pakistan say thousands will lose aid; a Chinese conglomerate based in New York plans to give away $200 million; the University of Louisville will not sue its troubled foundation; and more.
Digital Appeals Are on the Rise, but Nonprofits Still Rely on Mail at Year’s End
Personalizing letters, using matching-gift promotions, and integrating print and online appeals are keys for holiday-season fundraising, experts say.