Quickly Organized Crowdfunding Campaign Raises $570,000 for Baltimore
Launched by the local United Way after the death of Freddie Gray, with an original goal of $20,000, the drive reached $100,000 in two days and kept going from there.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor
Bill and Melinda Gates: Big in Philanthropy, Big on Facebook
Richard Branson and hedge-fund manager George Soros also scored high in a study of social-media clout among the world’s most generous people.
By Megan O’Neil
Contributor
Fundraising Company Classy Wins $18 Million in Investment
The startup, which offers crowdfunding tools for nonprofits, announced Tuesday that it has secured $18 million in an investment round led by entrepreneur and philanthropist Peter Thiel’s Mithril Capital Management, writes The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Push-Up Challenge Draws Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, Carson Daly
Several big names have participated in a lighthearted campaign to help veterans, but nonprofits have yet to find the next ice-bucket phenomenon.
By Megan O’Neil
Contributor
Opinion: Sean Parker on How ‘Hackers’ Can Remake Giving
In a Wall Street Journal column, the Napster co-founder and former Facebook executive describes how a generation of young tech moguls is changing traditional philanthropy and offers advice to this “hacker elite” on deploying its enormous wealth to solve global problems.
Gates Foundation Eliminates a Quarter of IT Staff
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has cut 33 of 129 jobs in its information-technology department as part of a reorganization of the unit, technology-news site GeekWire reports.
Mindy Kaling Shows Twitter’s Power in Celebrity Hands
The comedian and actress who appeared on The Office sent traffic skyward at several nonprofits after asking for suggestions on where to donate.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor
‘But It’s Free!’ and 9 Other Lines About Technology You Don’t Want to Hear
Sometimes the technology itself is not the issue. Here’s how to deal with challenges like money, employer and employee attitudes, and organizational and staffing decisions.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor
D.C. Food Bank Pioneers Data-Mapping to Find Areas of Need
Using the kind of technology that has revolutionized advertising and politics, the Capital Area Food Bank has found unexpectedly high rates of hunger in the suburbs, says The Washington Post.
Tech’s No Panacea for Saving the World, Says Computer Scientist
Too many philanthropists forget the human element when employing technology to create social change, says a former Microsoft researcher.
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
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.
X Prize Launches $7 Million Contest to Find Ways to Teach More Adults to Read
The competition, started with the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy and the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, is seeking creative approaches using tablets and smartphones.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor
Crowdfunding Website Charidy Has Unique Formula for Giving-Day Success
Used primarily by Orthodox Jewish nonprofits, the platform combines the heft of major donors, the pressures of time, and an all-or-nothing funding contingency.
By Eden Stiffman
Senior Editor
Opinion: Why Is One-Click Mobile Giving So Hard?
A New York Times financial columnist looks at why the ability for people to donate spontaneously using mobile devices has lagged even as consumer purchases via smartphone or tablet get easier and faster.
Google Commits $20 Million for Tech Projects to Aid Disabled
Google has launched a $20 million effort to fund the development of high-tech devices to help people with disabilities live more independently, the Christian Science Monitor reports.
New Google Fellowship Pays for Nonprofits to Build Digital Literacy
The Nonprofit Technology Network will handle recruiting and placing experts into yearlong roles at organizations in eight cities.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor