Recovering From the Pandemic, Groups Make Use of Covid-Relief Money That Keeps On Giving
Organizations are availing themselves of a nearly three-year-old tax credit that Congress revamped to make more businesses and nonprofits eligible.
By Drew Lindsay
Senior Editor, Special Projects
Turbulence in the Economy Poses Continued Challenges for Nonprofits That Serve the Needy
Inflation is easing and the stock market is rising, which bodes well for overall fundraising in the last weeks of the year. But the situation is uneven, especially for groups like the Salvation Army that are seeing prices and demand rise while donations are behind last year’s pace.
By Sara Herschander
Contributor
Foundations, Especially Small Ones, Fared Worse Than the Overall Stock Market Last Year
The average foundation gained 16 percent last year, compared with the nearly 29 percent gain of the Standard and Poor’s index. Wealthier foundations did somewhat better but were still far below the index.
By Alex Daniels
Senior Reporter
Fundraising Expenditures Are Just One of Many Standards We Use to Evaluate a Charity’s Performance
The leaders of two charity evaluation organizations refute the idea that they judge nonprofits as superior if they spend less on fundraising.
Foundation Investment Choices Potentially Lose $20 Billion a Year for Grantees
A new analysis shows that grant makers, whose assets fell 17.3 percent last year, could achieve stronger returns by not relying so heavily on professional money managers.
By Marc Gunther
Contributor
Charities That Don’t Embrace Common Financial Norms Tend to Outperform Their Peers
Charities that get revenue from many sources, keep fundraising costs low, avoid debt, and skimp on expenses like information technology and office space generally perform worse than those embracing other approaches.
By George Mitchell
Contributor
As the Economy Contracts, Fundraisers See Another Reason to Worry
With the stock market stumbling and inflation persisting, the drop in GDP was an unwelcome new development in the ongoing saga of when and how the economy will emerge from the era of Covid-19. However, many economists say the decline in GDP was a blip that’s unlikely to be repeated.
By Dan Parks
Contributor
California’s attorney general said top executives and board members knew the fund was using money in ways that ran counter to what donors wanted.
By MARC GUNTHER
Contributor
Ukraine is Benefiting From Generous Donations — and Many Other Global Causes Need Help, Too
There are many tragedies around the world today. The Ukraine crisis evokes a basic question about giving globally: What’s the best way to choose a foreign cause to support?
I Apologize for My Inartful Language but Not for My Proposal to Address Homelessness
A nonprofit leader agrees that he could have chosen different words to describe his plan for helping those who are unhoused.
Airbnb Cash Transfers to Ukrainians Can Help, but They’re Disrupting Charities
Some unused Airbnb bookings are poorly targeted, sending cash to people who may not need it the most.
Money laundering doesn’t just make it harder to sanction Vladimir Putin and his cronies for the invasion of Ukraine. It depletes countries of funds needed to address the social problems that grant makers care about. There is no better time for philanthropy to do more to promote change.
Biggest Donor-Advised Funds Are Slower to Distribute Assets, Study Finds
But of small funds, nearly 80 percent distribute money to charities rapidly enough to deplete the initial contributions to those accounts, according to a new study of a limited number of account sponsors. The data can be helpful to fundraisers as well as policy makers.
By Dan Parks
Contributor
Inflation Hits Ability of Nonprofits to Provide Services, Keep Workers — and Raise Money
At a time when the demand for services remains high, soaring costs for fuel, food, employee payrolls, and other expenses are stressing charities’ budgets even more than during the pandemic.
By Dan Parks
Contributor
People Who Are Homeless Are Not an Investment Opportunity
The head of a donor group aimed at tackling homelessness objects to a recent op-ed that proposes using endowment investments to solve the housing crisis.
Why Philanthropy’s ‘Free College’ Programs Don’t Always Live Up to Their Promise
New college scholarship programs aim to do what’s proved elusive so far: generate benefits for communities as well as students.
By Drew Lindsay
Senior Editor, Special Projects