Small Arab-American Museum Attracts Diverse Visitors
A Detroit-area museum focused on Arab history and contributions to culture and science has surprised observers by quickly earning national recognition and attracting many non-Arab visitors, writes The Detroit News.
George Lucas Museum Pulls Plug on Plan to Build in Chicago
Two years after the movie mogul formally selected Chicago as the home for his collection of art and film memorabilia, and more than 18 months into a legal battle over the project’s planned waterfront location, officials with the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art announced Friday that they are abandoning their effort to build in the city, the Chicago Tribune reports.
GOP Insider Tapped to Head Conservative Bradley Foundation
Richard Graber, a lawyer, corporate executive, and longtime leading figure in Wisconsin Republican politics, has been named CEO of the $850 million Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, one of the country’s biggest philanthropic backers of right-wing groups and causes, reports the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
New Credit Card Directs Cash-Back Rewards to Causes
Looking to generate social benefit out of credit-card rewards many consumers leave on the table, public-benefit corporation Charity Charge is producing a card that steers 1 percent of all purchases to nonprofits of the customer’s choice and levies no donation-processing fees, writes Fast Company.
National Center for Learning Disabilities and VillageReach Get New Leaders
Also, Charity Navigator’s founder retires from the watchdog’s board and three leaders leave the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
By ANAIS STRICKLAND
Contributor
Amid Capitol Hill Criticism, Red Cross Board ‘100 Percent’ Confident in CEO
The charity’s governors issued a strong statement of support for Gail McGovern in the face of Sen. Charles Grassley’s scathing verdict on its disaster response.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor
Charity Navigator Founder Hands Control to Tech-Savvy Successor
John (Pat) Dugan believes nonprofits are a safer bet for donors than when he started the watchdog group in 2001.
By Eden Stiffman
Senior Editor
Incentive Pay Helps Retain College Fundraisers, Survey Says
Higher-education institutions report that incentive compensation is more likely to help keep talent than expectations alone.
By Eden Stiffman
Senior Editor
Smithsonian Needs $1 Billion for Air and Space Museum Work
The head of the Smithsonian told Congress he will seek to raise $250 million in private funding to cover a chunk of renovation costs for the 40-year-old museum, writes The Washington Post.
$25 Million Gift Puts Business Mogul’s Name on Carnegie Hall Boxes
The donation from Len Blavatnik and his family foundation nearly doubles the take to date in the venue’s $125 million capital campaign, according to The New York Times.
5 Steps to Take to Develop a Communications Strategy
Advice for developing a nonprofit communications plan in-house.
By Joshua Kail
Contributor
Would John D. Rockefeller Opt for an LLC? A Conversation With Judith Rodin
The departing Rockefeller Foundation president talks about courting publicity, teaming with big business, and the debates over new giving vehicles and spending down assets.
By Alex Daniels
Contributor
Opinion: Red Cross Faces ‘Trust Deficit’ on Disaster Work
In the wake of a blistering Congressional report on its relief efforts in Haiti, the American Red Cross must improve internal oversight and transparency to retain public confidence in its frontline role in disaster response, The New York Times asserts in an editorial.
Opinion: Donor-Advised Funds a ‘Bad Deal’ for Society
Two prominent critics of donor-advised funds lay out their case against the fast-growing giving vehicles in an essay for The New York Review of Books, saying they represent “a major flaw in the financing of charities today.”
Clinton Foundation Reportedly Targeted by Russian Hackers
The organization’s computer network was breached as part of what authorities suspect is a concerted pre-election attack by Kremlin-allied hackers on U.S. entities with political ties, Bloomberg writes, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter.
Pa. Congressman Convicted in Charity-Tied Corruption Case
Rep. Chaka Fattah, who has represented Philadelphia in the House for more than two decades, was found guilty of racketeering-conspiracy charges stemming in part from his use of nonprofit funds to repay a political loan, The Wall Street Journal reports.