Fundraising at the University of St. Thomas

In 16 years, the University of St. Thomas has grown from a local liberal arts college to a nationally recognized institution. In October, the largest private school in Minnesota announced a $500 million fundraising drive, kicked off with the largest single gift to a college or university in state history.

Bruce Flessner, a fundraising consultant for St. Thomas, said the university's transformation and success in fundraising have been remarkable.

"They're very good at telling a dream and being able to deliver on it," Flessner said. "They've been very good at establishing a club of donors who push each other."

Full-text article by Jeff Shelman is available via the Star Tribune, 12.30.07.

For Modern Kids, 'Philanthropy' Is No Grown-Up Word

Young children and teenagers across the nation are getting involved in philanthropy more than ever, according to research and nonprofit experts, who credit new technologies with the rise of the trend. As young people increasingly become exposed to and connected with the problems of the world via the Internet and television, experts said, parents are finding new ways to instill in their children the value of giving.

Full-text article by Philip Rucker is available via the Washington Post, 12.30.07.

Foundations align investments with their charitable goals

In a sharp break from past practice, major charitable foundations are initiating or strengthening efforts to harmonize the social and environmental effect of their endowment investments with their philanthropic goals.

Full-text article by Charles Piller is available via the Los Angeles Times, 12.29.07.

Internet groups forging a community of charity

South Korea has long enjoyed some of the fastest and most widely available broadband Internet access on the planet. As a result, the Internet is increasingly being used by local communities to help themselves.

Full-text article by Steve Mollman is available via CNN.com, 12.28.07.

The most and least philanthropic on Wall Street

From ranked lists to an intimate interview with top philanthropist Robert Wilson and an interactive feature that traces the source of all their wealth, here is a look at the top 50 Wall Street family foundations and who doles out the most.

Wall Street Family Values: Family foundations are on the rise. Who's giving and who's missing.

The Generosity Index: A list of the most generous philanthropists.

Robert Wilson's Chore: The short-selling legend discusses how he aims to give away 70 percent of his fortune before he dies and what he thinks of the charitable efforts of some of his fellow Wall Street titans.

Wall Street Family Values (interactive): A look at deep pocket states, a sampling of small donations and how some foundations have grown.

The Goldman Factor: Amid all the wealth on Wall Street, no firm has generated more charitable foundations than Goldman Sachs. See also: The Goldman List - 185 family foundations backed by current and former Goldman Sachs executives.

Follow the Money (interactive): A look at the 50 most generous family foundations on Wall Street, broken down by industry.

The Wives' Club: Six of the foundations on the top 50 list are being run by the founders' wives, women with years of experience in charity work.

Missing in Action: Some high-profile Wall Street executives did not make the list of top 50 foundation givers.

Portfolio, January 2008.

New from the SEC: Executive Compensation Database

Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Christopher Cox launched the first-ever online tool that enables investors to easily and instantly compare what 500 of the largest American companies are paying their top executives. The new database highlights the power of interactive data to transform financial disclosure.

Executive Compensation Database

The Logic of Green Giving

Which charities are most deserving? Those working on environmental issues tend to come low on most people's lists, judging by the paltry amounts they receive; yet, they can make a huge difference to some of the world's most pressing problems.

Commentary by Sylvia Rowley is available via BBC News, 12.24.07.

Give till it helps

The act of giving has a growing list of benefits. Studies show that when a person gives money to a stranger or a charity, the "rewards area" of the brain gets busy. It's the same area that goes to town when the person eats a sugar cookie or finds a parking place at the mall or receives a gift of money from Ed McMahon.

Full-text article by Karen Ravn available via the Los Angeles Times, 12.24.07.

Emerald City of Giving Does Exist

Ask anybody in the world of corporate philanthropy and they’ll tell you: Minneapolis-St. Paul is like no place else, a bastion of giving in an age when most companies are cutting back. “It is an unusual city in regards to corporate giving,” said former Labor Secretary Robert B. Reich.

Full-text article about the corporate giving culture in Minneapolis-St. Paul by Joe Nocera is available via the New York Times, 12.22.07.

2 Young Hedge-Fund Veterans Stir Up the World of Philanthropy

Holden Karnofsky and Elie Hassenfeld, former hedge fund analysts, are the founders and sole employees of GiveWell, which studies charities in particular fields and ranks them on their effectiveness. GiveWell is supported by a charity they created, the Clear Fund, which makes grants to charities they recommend in their research.

Full text article by Stephanie Strom is available via the New York Times, 12.20.07.

www.givewell.net

The Isolated Rich

According to Merrill Lynch and Capgemini's 2007 World Wealth Report, the number of people with more than $1 million in assets excluding their primary residence grew by more than 8 percent last year, to 9.5 million worldwide.

A recent Newsweek article by Emly Flynn Vencat and Ginanne Brownell called "Ah, the Seculded Life" discusses how the superrich do not desire to live among the masses. Increasingly they are isloating themselves because of growing security concerns and Internet gossip capable of trashing global reputations.

Full-text article available via Newsweek.com, 12.10.07.

Research Tool for Grantseekers

The Foundation Center offers a helpful research tool for grantseekers. With Trend Tracker, a free charting and graphing tool, nonprofits can quickly create summary presentations of fiscal data for a specific funder or compare up to five grantmakers in up to four fiscal categories — assets, giving, expenditures, and gifts received. The data may be generated in either bar chart, line graph, or table format.

Trend Tracker contains data from 2000 to 2005 for the nation's top 20,000 foundations.

50 Top Lists of 2007

Time Magazine put together a variety of lists reflecting on current events in 2007. Visit Time's website to view 50 top lists of 2007.

2008: Forbes' Sneak Peak

Forbes editors and writers take their annual look ahead at the coming year. Authors discuss what will be next year's big trends. William Barrett and Elizabeth Eaves and Richard C. Morais comment on philanthropy in 2008.

Couple Gives $175-Million for Wisconsin College Students

John P. Morgridge, former chairman of Cisco Systems, and his wife, Tashia, a retired elementary school teacher, have donated $175-million to create the Fund for Wisconsin Scholars, which will provide college-tuition grants to needy graduates of public schools, according to a press release on the fund's Web site.

Embedded Giving Regulations

Senator Robert Menendez, Democrat of New Jersey, announced plans on Friday to introduce legislation next week to better regulate embedded giving, the fast-growing fund-raising practice that involves building a gift to charity into everyday purchases.

Full text article by Stephanie Strom is available via the New York Times, 12.16.07.

The Case Foundation's Giving Challenge

America Online founder Steve Case's private foundation is launching America's Giving Challenge, one of the nation's most ambitious efforts to draw the masses to philanthropy through the Internet.

More information is available via The Case Foundation Web site.

Philanthropy: Self-made want to be hands-on donors

A growing number of donors, as a generation of self-made wealthy individuals seeks to engage in philanthropic activities, would rather be involved than simply leave their money to a charity or to their family in a will according to the Financial Times.

Full text article by Sarah Murray is available via the Financial Times, 12.14.07.

Hospitals' charity work hard to assess

The California state auditor's office recently recommended that lawmakers give nonprofit hospitals more specific instructions on how to determine the value of services they provide to the cities and towns they serve, reports the Los Angeles Times.

Full-text article by Mary Engel is available via the Los Angeles Times, 12.14.07.

A New Breed of Billionaire

A growing number of wealthy people in countries that have long been marred by poverty - such as India, Mexico, Turkey, and Russia - are turning to philanthropy.

Full-text article by Landon Thomas Jr. is available via The New York Times, 12.14.07.

Grandparents University

Grandparents University, a once-a-year academic program put on by several colleges as a way to attract more people to campuses and, perhaps, expand the institutions’ donor pools.

Full-text article by Elia Powers is available via Inside Higher Ed, 12.13.07.

Msnbc.com and Contribute Magazine to Share Content

Msnbc.com and Contribute magazine today announced a content agreement that will provide consumers with the latest news, information and ideas about philanthropy and the people making a difference in the world of giving.

In addition to including Contribute's specialty content, both sites will work together to host polls, offer surveys and showcase other interactive tools. The content will be featured in msnbc.com's Giving section.

Full-text press release is available via CNNMoney.com, 12.12.07.

Indiana U.'s Music and Law Schools Get Big Gifts

Indiana University at Bloomington is receiving two gifts totaling $69-million from the Lilly Endowment to improve its music and law schools.

The Lilly Endowment, a private foundation based in Indianapolis, has given millions of dollars in gifts to Indiana institutions in past years.

According to today’s announcement, Indiana’s Jacobs School of Music received $44-million to build and equip a new North Studio Building, which officials hope will be complete by 2010. The facility is expected to incorporate new technology and advanced acoustics to create state-of-the-art practice facilities.

The School of Law will use its $25-million gift to hire and retain instructors, with the goal of becoming one of the best law schools in the country, the announcement said.

Full-text article (above) by Dan Carnevale is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 12.11.07. [Subscription required.]

Foundation Establishes College Savings for Newborns

Officials at the Harold Alfond Foundation, in Portland, Me., said they will soon begin a program at two Maine hospitals that will establish a $500 college savings account for each child born at the institutions, reports the Portland Press Herald.

The money will be invested in college-tuition savings accounts managed by the Finance Authority of Maine. Money invested in the accounts will not be taxed as long as it is used for college tuition.

Mr. Alfond, who founded Dexter Shoes and was a big shareholder in Berkshire Hathaway, died last month at age 93.

Full-text article is available via the Portland Press Harold, 12.11.2007.

San Francisco State is latest school to start naming buildings for donors

San Francisco State University is ending a long tradition of naming buildings after people connected to the university and for the first time will dedicate a structure to a rich private donor.

With the minimum donation for naming a building generally at one-third to half of the cost of the building, the practice is irresistible to campuses.

It's already routine at some of San Francisco State's sister campuses within the California State University system. At nearly every one of its bimonthly meetings, the CSU Board of Trustees adds at least one donor's name to a building on one of its 23 campuses.

Full-text article by Tanya Schevitz is available via SFGate.com, 12.10.07.

Immigrants in the United States, 2007

The nation’s immigrant population (legal and illegal) reached a record of 37.9 million in 2007. Immigrants account for one in eight U.S. residents, the highest level in 80 years. In 1970 it was one in 21; in 1980 it was one in 16; and in 1990 it was one in 13. The largest increases in immigrants were in California, Florida, Texas, New Jersey, Illinois, Arizona, Virginia, Maryland, Washington, Georgia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.

Immigrants in the United States, 2007: A Profile of America's Foreign Born Population provides a detailed picture of the number and socio-economic status of the nation’s immigrant or foreign-born population, both legal and illegal. The data was collected by the Census Bureau in March 2007.

Mega-Gifts in American Philanthropy: Giving Patterns 2001-2003

According to a new study released by the Institute for Jewish & Community Research (IJCR), higher education, health, and cultural arts organizations receive the lion's share of the largest gifts that individuals, foundations, and corporations contribute to American philanthropy. Higher education received nearly half of the dollars from gifts of $10 million or more. Gary A. Tobin and Aryeh K. Weinberg, the study's authors, analyzed over 8000 gifts of $1 million or more made between 2001-2003.

The full report with 14 detailed charts is available for download via the Institute for Jewish and Community Research.

Donate now, decide who gets it later

Much of Americans' charitable giving comes during the holiday season, and more and more are turning to ways to donate beyond simply writing a check. Donor-advised funds offer flexibility and deliver tax benefits whether money is given in that year or not. Throughout the nation, such funds are holding about $21.6 billion, according to the philanthropic trust. Last year, people deposited $6.6 billion into them, an increase of 29 percent over the previous year, according to the philanthropic trust.

Full-text article by Gail MarksJarvis is available via The Chicago Tribune, 12.9.2007.

How Charities Can Make Themselves More Open

This article suggests that charities and foundations should make their operations more transparent by providing the public with more detailed information -- everything from board members and their bios to an open discussion about problems they've encountered while trying to achieve their goals. Charities should also explain to donors how they measure their effectiveness and report their findings to the public.

The full-text article by Sally Beatty is available via The Wall Street Journal, 12.10.2007.

Article includes graphics and charts of U.S. charitable giving and a podcast discussing the self-assessments some big charities and foundations have begun issuing to report publicly on the effectiveness of their programs.

Harvard to Aid Students High in Middle Class

Harvard University announced on Monday that it would significantly increase the financial aid it offered to middle-class and upper-middle-class students, seeking to allay concerns that elite colleges are becoming too expensive for even relatively well-off families.

Full-text article by Sara Rimer and Alan Finder is available via The New York Times, 12.11.2007.

$40-million donation to Wells College, in Aurora, N.Y.

Pleasant T. Rowland, an alumna of Wells College, gave $40 million to her alma mater to revitalize the downtown of Aurora and to help reverse the declining enrollment at Wells College. Rowland is the founder of the American Girl doll collection.

Full-text article by Lisa W. Foderaro is available via The New York Times, 12.7.07.

A Collector Gives the Gift of Modern Art

Richard S. Ziegler, a private investor who amassed an art collection worth $100-million, has bequeathed his works to 16 museums. Among the beneficiaries are the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Guggenheim Museum, the National Gallery of Art in Washington and the Museum of Modern Art, where he had been a board member since 1979.

Full-text article by Carol Vogel is available via The New York Times, 12.7.07.

Best Young Entrepreneurs of 2007

25 smart new businesses from some of the brightest entrepreneurs in the U.S. age 25 and under.

Full-text article by Nick Leiber and Stacy Perman is available via BusinessWeek, 2007.

Wealthy-Donor Giving Trends

Entrepreneurs are among the most-generous donors, giving 25 percent more on average to charitable causes than other wealthy people, according to a report commissioned by Bank of America to determine how rich people approach philanthropy.

Conducted by researchers at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, the report was based on surveys of 1,400 households that had annual incomes of more than $200,000 or net assets of more than $1-million. It follows an initial study of the data that was released in the fall of 2006.


The full-report, Portraits of Donors, is available via the Bank of America Web site.

Donor Intent and the Future of Higher Education Philanthropy

The Center for Excellence in Higher Education, a nonprofit organization formed in September that helps donors to negotiate gifts and to hold recipients more accountable for how the money is used, sponsored the event, "Donor Intent and the Future of Higher Education Philanthropy."

Among the participants were William Robertson, the lead plaintiff for the Robertson Foundation in a case against Princeton University; Renee Seblatnigg, president of the Future of Newcomb College Inc., the organization supporting the heirs of donors in a case against Tulane University; and Anne Yastremski, executive director of Preserve Educational Choice, an organization that supports several lawsuits against Randolph College, in Virginia.

Full-text article by Erin Strout is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 12.7.07. [Subscription required]

$100-Million Tuition Grant Brings High Hopes to Pittsburgh

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center has announced it will contribute as much as $100-million over the next 10 years to the Pittsburgh Promise scholarship program for the city's public-school students, reports The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The medical center will give an initial $10-million for trade-school scholarships for 2008 graduates and will contribute the remainder through a 10-year challenge grant to be administered by the Pittsburgh Foundation.

Full-text article by Joe Smydo via The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 12.6.07.

In related news, see "City to use UPMC gift to entice more donors" by Joe Smydo via The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Gift Cards Go Philanthropic

Gift cards sold by merchants to buy clothing, toys, and electronics continue to be a popular holiday gift, but "charity gift cards are also becoming more prevalent, reports The New York Times.

Full-text article by Alan Krauss via The New York Times, 12.5.07.

South Florida charities growing faster than others in U.S.

According to 2007 study by Charity Navigator, South Florida charities are growing faster than others in the U.S. due to its philanthropic community that ranks among the most generous in the nation.

The study examined 31 charities with annual budgets larger than $1 million and based in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties. It found that among their national peers, these South Florida charities reported the highest total revenue and ranked second in total contributions, behind Detroit.

Full-text article by Daniel Chang of The Miami Herald is available at Charity Navigator, 11.2007.

Travelers Will Merge Charitable Groups

Travelers Companies, Inc. confirmed that it is planning to combine the Connecticut-only foundation with the one that donates money in other states, and promised the change won't hurt its level of charitable giving in Connecticut.

The two foundations — Travelers Connecticut Foundation and the Minneapolis-based Travelers Foundation — have remained separate since the 2004 merger of Hartford-based Travelers Property Casualty Corp. and The St. Paul Cos. in Minnesota.

The foundations' merger is part of a combination of the company's overall community relations programs.

Full-text article by Diane Levick via Courant.com, 12.4.07.

The University of Texas Seeks to Raise $2 Billion Plus

The University of Texas is joining the list of universities in the midst of multibillion-dollar fund drives. According to Jim Kunetka, UT's associate vice president for development, the goal will be between $2 and $4 billion.

Full-text article by Ralph K.M. Haurwitz is available via The Austin American-Statesman, 11.30.07.

The Graffiti of the Philanthropic Class

Charles Isherwood of the New York Times questions donor recognition practices and naming rights after a recent visit to the Shakespeare Theater Company in Washington.

Full-text article available via The New York Times, 12.2.2007.

Nonprofit Governance Index

The results of the Nonprofit Governance Index 2007 survey, which BoardSource conducted in June 2007,show that while many nonprofits have put the critical components of good governance in place, much room for improvement remains.

Full-report is available via BoardSource.

Corporate Giving Increases

The Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP) released this fall its annual "Giving in Numbers" report, tracking the philanthropic activities and trends of 136 leading companies. These organizations reported higher giving on average in 2006 than in 2005 - a notable increase given that many companies had gone beyond their budgets to make disaster relief contributions in 2005.

CECP is an international forum of CEOs focused on improving the level and quality of corporate philanthropy.

Full-report is available via Giving In Numbers, 2007.

The Dangerous Wealth of the Ivy League

The wealth gap between Ivy League schools and other higher education institutions has never been wider. The Ivies, which account for less than 1% of the total, continue to benefit from large endowments and increasing philanthropic activity while many public colleges and universities are struggling to cope with rising enrollments in an era when most states are devoting a dwindling share of their budgets to higher education.

Full-text article by Anthony Bianco and Sonal Rupani is available via Business Week, 11.29.07.