Obituary: Anne Nicol Gaylor, Led Major Nonbelievers’ Group
Ms. Gaylor, who co-founded the Freedom From Religion Foundation and built it into a national voice for atheists and agnostics, died Sunday at the age of 88 of complications from a fall late last month, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes.
Philanthropy Surges 5.4% to Record $358 Billion, Says ‘Giving USA’
The annual report, considered the most comprehensive source of data on Americans’ gifts to charity, showed donations rising in most categories.
By Eden Stiffman and Holly Hall
Charities Make the Most of Recovering Economy: Case Studies
Four nonprofits found creative ways to persuade donors to give more.
By Eden Stiffman and Holly Hall
Nonprofits Report Strong Fundraising Gains in 1st Half of 2015
The Chronicle rounds up the fundraising outlook for the year ahead.
By Eden Stiffman and Holly Hall
Ex-Movie Executive Abandoned Hollywood for Cambodian Charity
The Wall Street Journal profiles Scott Neeson, a former leader of 20th Century Fox International and Sony Pictures who now spends most of his time in Phnom Penh running the Cambodian Children’s Fund.
Pakistan Orders Save the Children to Vacate Country
Expatriate employees of Save the Children have been given 15 days to leave, The International Business Times reports. The organization is accused of working against the country’s interests.
People in Philanthropy: Geriatrics Expert Named President of the John A. Hartford Foundation
A former ambassador to head the EastWest Institute, plus more news about nonprofit executives in our weekly roundup.
By anais.strickland
Contributor
Ford’s Sharpened Focus on Inequality and Operating Funds Draws Praise
The fund’s pledge to provide lots more administrative support has made many nonprofit leaders hope other foundations will do the same.
By Alex Daniels
Contributor
New York Fundraisers Are Bullish on 2015 Giving Picture
A majority of nonprofit fundraisers in the New York City area are optimistic about the donor climate and expect their organizations to boost development staffs this year, according to a Crain’s New York Business survey of development professionals.
Gates Foundation Gets Great Press, but Skeptics Have Emerged
While the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s work gets far less mainstream-media scrutiny than giving by the conservative Koch brothers, numerous researchers, academics, and development experts have raised questions in scholarly papers about the governance, transparency, and spending priorities of the world’s biggest philanthropy, Vox writes.
Ford Shifts Grant Making to Focus Entirely on Inequality
America’s second biggest grant maker will also double the share of grants it gives for operating support.
By Alex Daniels
Contributor
Bill Clinton Could Quit Foundation if Hillary Elected
In an interview Wednesday at the Clinton Global Initiative conference in Denver, the former president said he will exit the charity he founded after leaving the White House if Hillary Clinton is elected president and asks him to step down, Bloomberg and the Associated Press report.
Dallas Hospital Gets $25 Million to Link Research and Care
Businesswoman Lyda Hill’s gift to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center will establish a Department of Bioinformatics to analyze large data sets and apply the findings to developing new treatments, the Dallas Morning News and Dallas Business Journal write.
Case Study: How One Food Bank Gives Wealthy Donors Just Enough Information
From its annual report to short and simple “Mission Moments,” Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida keeps its donors up-to-date in the ways they prefer.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
Charity Leader Switches Banks Over Ad With Same-Sex Couple
Franklin Graham, the son of famed evangelist Billy Graham and CEO of Christian aid charity Samaritan’s Purse, is pulling accounts for his nonprofit groups from Wells Fargo to protest a commercial for the bank featuring a lesbian couple, The Charlotte Observer reports.
Va. Court Blocks Controversial Closure of Private College
The Supreme Court of Virginia has put a temporarily hold on plans to shutter Sweet Briar College, buoying students and alumni who have rallied to keep the 114-year-old women’s school open, reports The Wall Street Journal.