Koch-Backed Conservative Groups Quadrupled Spending in 2014
Americans for Prosperity and Freedom Partners increased their spending from $57 million to $220 million in 2014, repeating a pattern of greater activity in election years, writes The Wall Street Journal.
Oxfam’s Location-Based Mobile Ads Target Holiday Shoppers
The aid charity is teaming with a mobile-advertising company for a holiday campaign that aims to tap potential donors when they may be most predisposed to give, writes The Wall Street Journal.
Review Reveals Leadership Split at Clinton Health Charity
Clinton Health Access Initiative chief executive Ira C. Magaziner came in for harsh criticism from the charity’s board in a performance review this year, revealing divisions at the top of the Clinton Foundation’s largest offshoot, according to The New York Times.
Calif. Reviewing Whistle-Blower Complaint at San Francisco Museums
State Attorney General Kamala Harris’s office is investigating allegations of financial impropriety at San Francisco’s Fine Arts Museums in connection with a $450,000 payment to an ailing former staff member, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
KaBoom’s Founder Plans to Step Down Next Year
Darell Hammond will continue to serve as an adviser to the nonprofit, which has built more than 16,000 playgrounds in 20 years.
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
NYC to Put $3 Billion Into New Effort for the Homeless
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a plan Wednesday to create 15,000 housing units paired with social services to combat persistent homelessness, with some of the estimated $3 billion cost in the form of subsidies and tax credits for nonprofits and developers to build some of the facilities, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Calif. Says Blue Shield Backing Out on $140 Million Pledge
State regulators and consumer advocates accuse the nonprofit health-insurance company of reneging on a promise to donate an additional $14 million a year to charity for 10 years as part of a merger agreement, the Los Angeles Times writes.
Fidelity Charitable Now Accepts Bitcoin Donations
The donor-advised fund manager is working with the bitcoin platform Coinbase, which converts the digital currency to cash at no charge. Donors’ tax deductions will depend on how long they have held the currency, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Family Foundations Boosting Clout in Detroit Region
Led by a handful of philanthropies set to significantly increase giving following the deaths of their wealthy founders, family-run funds are upping their impact in the southeastern Michigan, The Detroit News writes.
New Anti-Defamation League Leader Reflects on Paris Attacks
Social-policy guru and former White House official Jonathan Greenblatt sees tremendous pressure building on the Jewish community in Europe.
By Alex Daniels
Senior Editor, Foundations
How Canvassing Can Advance Nonprofits Big and Small
A new report by the Center for Popular Democracy could help nonprofits become more effective at using door-to-door and on-the-street interaction to spread their messages.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor
Facebook Debuts New Fundraising Tools
The new features include a “donate” button pilot project that will make it easier for users of the social-media site to give to charity with fewer clicks.
By Megan O’Neil
Contributor
Rick Cohen, Nonprofit Advocate and Journalist, Dies Suddenly at Age 64
The veteran activist headed the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy for nearly eight years and worked at antipoverty groups and government agencies before joining Nonprofit Quarterly.
By SUZANNE PERRY
Contributor
YouTube Helps Drive Donations, Google Study Says
Supporters doubled their viewing on charities’ online video a month before they gave, says a study by Google, which owns YouTube.
By HEATHER JOSLYN
Contributor
Gates Foundation Quietly Sheds Fossil-Fuel Stock
Tax documents show the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has reduced its stake in major oil, coal, and gas companies by two-thirds since 2013, The Seattle Times writes, and a new study asserts the foundation would have seen much greater returns if it had swapped fossil-fuel stocks for greener investments years ago, according to The Guardian.
Clinton Foundation and Health Affiliate Refile Tax Returns
The foundation and its Clinton Health Access Initiative said Monday that they have submitted revised Form 990s to the Internal Revenue Service to correct errors in six years’ worth of past filings, Reuters and Politico write.