Washington state foundations suggest changing nonprofit funding methods

A study commissioned by seven of Washington State's leading foundations recommends that grant makers support charities' administrative and operating needs rather than just financing specific programs. Such an approach would help nonprofit organizations better weather tough economic times and strengthen the field over the long term, according to the report

Full text article by Clay Holtzman is available via Puget Sound Business Journal, 2/26/10.

Seeing How Far $100 Can Go

The Secret Society for Creative Philanthropy, started by a Brooklyn writer to promote unusual acts of small-scale giving, was born when the author Courtney Martin received a six-figure book advance and handed nine friends $100 each to give away in a creative way. Now four years old, the organization is sustained by "agents" who give prospective members $100 with a similar injunction. Members gather annually at dance parties to share how they spent the money, with stories from the past year ranging from Haiti relief donations to "pay-it-forward" acts of kindness.

Full text article by Susan Dominus is available via The New York Times, 2/8/10.

Radio host’s remarks cost University of Central Missouri a big benefactor

The University of Central Missouri had a strong friend in Benoit Wesly. The Dutch entrepreneur funded scholarships. An endowed chair in the business department was about to be created. Wesly’s money built the 80-foot Maastricht Friendship Tower, a campus landmark since 1998. Now, after 20 years, Wesly has withdrawn his support because of an on-air remark by a Warrensburg radio personality who is affiliated with the university.

Full text article by Mara Rose Williams is available via The Kansas City Star, 2/1/10.

'Ramirez Provision' is banned

Major League Baseball and the union representing its players have agreed to restrict contracts that demand that players donate to teams' charities. The pact settles a grievance filed by the union last year after Frank McCourt, of the Los Angeles Dodgers, said he would implement such a provision in all future contracts with players. The club's deal with the slugging outfielder Manny Ramirez, signed in March, included a mandated $1-million donation to the Dodgers' charitable foundation. The settlement limits charity demands to negotiations related to free agency, in which players have an option to sign with another team.

Full text article by Alison Damast is available via the Los Angeles Times, 2/4/10.

Russian Billionaire Potanin May Give Away His Fortune

Russian billionaire Vladimir Potanin has announced plans to give most of his money to charity within 10 years. Mr. Potanin, who has mining, banking, and resort interests and a fortune estimated by Forbes at $2.1-billion, said he will transfer most of his assets to a charity fund and in the meantime will increase his annual giving from $10-million to $25-million. Olga Kryshtanovskaya, a sociologist at the Russian Academy of Sciences, said Mr. Potanin is the country's first billionaire to make such a pledge. "The mentality of Russian business is changing, and it's starting to resemble the Western elites more and more," she said.

Full text article by Maria Kolesnikova and Yuriy Humber is available via Bloomberg, 2/2/10.

The New Guerrilla Philanthropy

On Saturday night at the Water Street Bar in the Dumbo neighborhood of Brooklyn, Marissa Shrum stood on a stage and described her first foray into the new world of "creative philanthropy." A few months earlier, a friend had given her $100 and a challenge: Distribute the money through a creative act of kindness, and then share your story. "At first I thought, 'Whoa. I have $100 and I can do anything with it,'" Shrum, 28, recalls. "But when I thought about the issues that excite me, it became a no-brainer." Shrum, who is a strategist at Mother New York, an ad agency, bought a video camera for students at the High School for Innovation in Advertising and Media, in Canarsie, Brooklyn.

Full text article by Helen Coster is available via Forbes, 2/9/10.

Red Cross Sketches Out Its Plan for Spending Aid for Haiti

As aid efforts continue in the earthquake-shattered capital of Haiti, the American Red Cross finds itself in a familiar position. As with Hurricane Katrina and other pressing humanitarian emergencies, the nonprofit organization is the primary recipient of America’s generosity—garnering more than one-third of the $560-million raised for Haiti so far.

Full text article by Ian Wilhelm is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 1/29/10.

Donations to Help Haiti Exceed $528-Million, Chronicle Tally Finds

Contributions continue to pour in for relief efforts in Haiti. Fifteen days after the massive earthquake struck, donors have contributed more than $528-million to 40 U.S. nonprofit groups.

Full text article by Caroline Preston and Nicole Wallace is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 1/27/10.

Ivy Leaguers’ Class for Poor Becomes ‘Platinum’ Charter Schools

Starting 17 years ago as an experiment that lifted 50 Houston fifth-graders’ academic performance through expanded school hours, the nonprofit Knowledge Is Power Program has grown into the country’s biggest charter-school provider. KIPP, as it is known, now operates 82 schools in 19 states, primarily serving poor and minority students. The program has been cited by the Obama administration as a model for education improvement and won strong financial support from the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, which has been financing school-overhaul efforts.
Full text article by Molly Peterson is available via Bloomberg, 1/20/10.

Donations to Haiti Relief Top $380-Million

Contributions to charities providing aid to the victims of the Haiti earthquake now top $220-million. The pace of giving for Haiti is running ahead of the amount donated in the same period after the September 11 attacks in 2001 and the Asian tsunamis in 2004, but slower than the outpouring of gifts after the flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Full text article by Caroline Preston and Nicole Wallace is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 1/22/10.

Healthcare Donors Switching to Long-Term Giving Strategies

Businesses and individuals hit hard by the economic downturn shifted their charitable giving strategies to longer-term pledges and gift commitments rather than forgo giving altogether, a new report from the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy finds. Mouli Cohen, philanthropist and technology entrepreneur, was asked for his opinion on this week’s developments.

Full text article by Mouli Cohen is available via PRWeb, 1/13/10.

Donations for Haiti pour in via text messages

In the first three days after an earthquake rendered a third-world country nearly unreachable, more than $10 million in donation pledges flooded in using a 21st-century method of philanthropy. At one point, 10,000 text message pledges of $5 or $10 were being sent per minute to charities aimed at getting help to Haiti in the wake of an earthquake that's left the country in ruins. This new philanthropic tool was ready thanks to the efforts of a young nonprofit in Bellevue, Washington.

Full text article by Erich Schwartzel is available via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 1/18/10.

A New York Cancer Center Uses Technology to Predict Who Will Give

Almost every charity's pool of donors includes plenty of people who have both the means and the inclination to make a far bigger gift than they ever did in the past. The trick, of course, is to figure out just which people will make the leap. To that end, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, in New York, has become one of a small but growing number of institutions to embrace a technique known as predictive modeling to help it set priorities and decide which donors deserve the most attention. While the approach requires fairly sophisticated statistical software and a staff member or a consultant who knows how to use it, fund raisers say predictive modeling can be an option for even relatively small organizations in need of a way to sort through records of previous donors.

Full text article by Nicole Wallace is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 1/14/10.

Goldman Sachs Considers Charity Requirement

The investment bank Goldman Sachs is considering broadening a requirement for top executives and managers to donate a portion of their earnings to charity. The financial house, which is expected to report record profits for 2009, has spent months exploring philanthropic avenues to damp down likely public criticism as it pays out billions of dollars worth of bonuses. Goldman has already doubled the size of its charitable foundation and announced a $500-million effort to help small businesses.
Full text article by Louise Story is available via The New York Times, 1/10/10.

A Flurry of Last-Minute Giving Lifted Charities' Holiday Appeals

Eleventh-hour giving brought a happy ending to 2009 for some charities, but others will have to make deeper cuts in their services because of a large drop in donations. Of 181 charities The Chronicle polled in early January, 48 percent said giving rose this holiday season.

Full text article by Caroline Preston and Chris Thompson is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 1/7/10.

Kenneth and Anne Griffin give $16 million to Children's Memorial Hospital

The billionaire hedge-fund managers Kenneth and Anne Griffin will give $16-million to establish an emergency-care center at Chicago’s Children’s Memorial Hospital. Mr. Griffin, founder of Citadel Investment Group, and his wife, who heads Aragon Global Management and serves on the hospital’s investment committee, started a charitable foundation last year. The gift is part of a capital campaign toward the 50-year-old hospital’s plan to move to an expanded facility in 2012.

Full text article by Melissa Harris and Bruce Japsen is available via the Chicago Tribune, 1/7/10.

2010: Daunting Challenges Face the Nonprofit World

The nonprofit world is about to face the toughest year in its history. By every measure, 2010 could be far more painful for charities and the people they serve than any other they have known.

Full text article by Noelle Barton, Maria Di Mento, Holly Hall, Peter Panepento, Suzanne Perry, Caroline Preston, Christopher Thompson, Nicole Wallace, Ian Wilhelm, and Grant Williams is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 12/10/09.

Hint of optimism for giving sector

A third study, by the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, says businesses and individuals hit hardest by the recession have shifted their giving to long-term pledges and gift commitments rather than not giving.

Full text article by Todd Cohen is available via Inside Philanthropy, 12/28/09.

Charities tweet on social media

Want to help the poor? There's an app for that. More charities are jumping on the digital bandwagon, seeking potential donors through social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.

Full text article by Catherine Jun is available via The Detroit News, 12/28/09.

Longtime ACLU Donor Confirms $388-Million in Anonymous Gifts

David Gelbaum, a former hedge-fund manager who has made large donations anonymously, confirmed that over the past five years he has given a total of nearly $388-million to three organizations.

Full text article by Maria Di Mento is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 12/9/09.

In 2010, Expect Charitable Donors to Keep Giving Through Long-Term Pledges: AHP Study Concludes

In a sign of what to expect in 2010, businesses and individuals hit hardest by the economy's slide have shifted charitable giving patterns to longer-term pledges and gift commitments rather than ceasing to give altogether, according to a study of benchmarking data and effective philanthropic fundraising techniques released today by the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy.

Full text article is available via the Sunherald, 12/21/09.

Charities Rise, Costing U.S. Billions in Tax Breaks

The number of U.S. organizations able to offer donors a charitable tax break has grown by more than 60 percent in the past decade, with the Internal Revenue Service now approving applications for charity status at a rate of one every 10 to 15 minutes. There are now 1.1 million such groups, and the IRS approved 99 percent of charity applications last year, according to the Stanford study. Tax-deductible donations reduced federal coffers by $50-billion last year, the article said.

Full text article by Stephanie Strom is available via The New York Times, 12/5/09.

Ivy League's Budget Cuts Minimize the Pain

The cuts at Harvard were dictated by a record 30-percent drop in its endowment over the past year. Yale University's endowment has fallen about as much, and Princeton University's loss isn't far behind, at 22.7 percent. The losses have cost the elite universities tens of billions of dollars and gained them lots of press.

Full text article by Robin Wilson is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 12/6/09.

Solicitors get most of money raised for charities

Nearly 60 percent of the donations secured by professional charity solicitors in Massachusetts last year went to the fund-raising firms, down from about 65 percent in 2007. Of the $292-million raised by such firms in 2008, $120-million — or about 41 cents on the dollar — went to the associated charities.
Full text article by Abbie Ruzicka is available via The Boston Globe, 12/8/09.

Salvation Army charity's bright red kettles will soon take credit cards

The Salvation Army is augmenting its traditional holiday red-kettle collections with an electronic option for seasonal givers. The “plastic kettles” are in use in 120 U.S. cities and will be rolled out in New York over the next two weeks. The charity tested the credit-card option last year in Dallas, Los Angeles, and Colorado Springs and found that electronic givers contributed an average of $15, compared to $2 for those giving cash.

Full text article by Katie Nelson is available via the New York Daily News, 12/10/09.

Longtime ACLU Donor Confirms $388-Million in Anonymous Gifts

David Gelbaum, a former hedge-fund manager who has made large donations anonymously, confirmed that over the past five years he has given a total of nearly $388-million to three organizations.

Full text article by Maria Di Mento is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 12/9/09.

Philanthropy Thrives, Even With Reduced Resources

The expectation in America is that people who do well give back to society. For the wealthy, it is one way to stave off charges of being greedy. And in the boom times, being seen as philanthropic seemed a social and political obligation. But just as the downturn left the wealthy (and the rest of us) reeling from personal portfolio losses, their foundations also suffered investment losses that have affected their capacity to give. The Foundation Center in New York said this month that philanthropic giving in 2009 could fall as much as 13 percent. This has left many charities, particularly small ones, scraping for funds.

Full text article by Paul Sullivan is available via The New York Times, 11/13/09.

Volunteers Give 10 Times More Than Other Americans, Survey Finds

Americans are far more likely to donate big sums to charity if they volunteer. On average, people donate 10 times more money if they have volunteered in the past year, according to the study. Two-thirds of volunteers said they give money to the same groups to which they donate time.

Full text article by Caroline Preston is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 12/3/09.

Donors Are Expected to Give $4-Billion Online During Holidays

Nearly two-thirds of Americans plan to give online to charities in November and December, and their donations could exceed $4-billion, $1-billion more than they donated during the holiday season last year, according to a new survey.

Full text article by Holly Hall is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 12/2/09.

Memo to Wall Street: Philanthropy, not bonuses

Remember the lessons of Carnegie and Rockefeller, when you've made a lot of money, give a lot of it to good causes. Lloyd Blankfein, the chief executive of Goldman Sachs Group Inc., has finally acknowledged that his company "participated in things that were clearly wrong." As an act of contrition, Goldman Sachs will give $100 million during each of the next five years to help small businesses. Because the company has set aside more than $10 billion in employee bonuses for this year alone, paltry would seem a flattering description for the offer.

Full text article by Joyce Appleby is available via the Los Angeles Times, 12/6/09.

ECONOMIC SCENE: No quick recovery for charitable giving

A recovery in charitable giving is likely to lag well behind an end to the recession. Contributions dropped 2 percent from 2007 to 2008 and are likely to decline more steeply this year, according to the Giving USA Foundation. Another study by that organization concluded that, based on giving patterns in the aftermath of the Depression and the recession of 1973-75, inflation-adjusted giving won’t return to the 2007 level until at least 2012, even if the recession ended by this June.

Full text article by David R. Francis is available via The Christian Science Monitor, 11/30/09.

Top 10 Ways to Boost Online Giving at Year-End

The most important, and most critical, giving season is upon us. And for many nonprofits, one out of every two gifts comes in the last three months of the year. Fundraising consultants offer advice to fundraisers on how to ramp up online giving in the final months of the year.

Full text article by Gail Perry is available via the Association of Fundraising Professionals, 12/1/09.

John Muir Health Employees Contribute $1.8 Million for Hospital Renovations

John Muir Health Foundation, the charitable fundraising organization for all John Muir Health programs and services, announced today that employees of John Muir Health have contributed more than $1.8 million to the Capital Campaign supporting hospital renovation and expansion projects in Walnut Creek and Concord.

Full text article is available via Earth Times, 12/1/09.

Tweeting for $10: new appeals for holiday giving in tough times

With the lingering recession expected to cut into holiday giving, charities are soliciting smaller donations and increasingly using free social media to publicize their efforts. The King County, Wash., United Way has begun a campaign seeking $10 donations for struggling families and offering online donors an option to forward an appeal to 10 friends. Mercy Corps, in Portland, Ore., has introduced an online tool allowing families and groups of friends to make collective contributions.

Full text article by Kristi Heim is available via The Seattle Times, 11/20/09.

Hospital honors Knight for lifetime of philanthropy

Norman Knight, a noted Boston philanthropist, is the founder of The Hundred Club of Massachusetts, which provides money and aid to the families of fallen firefighters. After a deadly 1994 fire, he donated the funds for the state’s first hyperbaric chamber to be installed at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. The hospital now has three chambers, which have been improved and upgraded over the years. Knight’s donations for this project top $1 million, hospital officials said.

Full text article by John M. Guilfoil is available via The Boston Globe, 11/15/09.

Gates Foundation Awards $4-Million to Help 7 Cities Improve College-Completion Rates

In an effort to improve college-graduation rates, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded $4-million in grants to seven cities and to the National League of Cities' Institute for Youth, Education, and Families. The grants, which were announced on Thursday, will be used to better coordinate services that colleges, public school systems, and communities provide to students.

Full text article by Jennifer Gonzalez is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 11/4/09.

Trustee Seeks Billions for Madoff Investors

The billionaire financier and philanthropist Jeffry M. Picower’s will instructs that the bulk of his estate be used to establish a new charitable foundation to replace the one he and his wife shut down last year due to losses in the Bernard L. Madoff investment fraud. The new foundation's direction? Primarily to benefit medical research. He also left $1-million each to the New York Public Library, the Harlem Children’s Zone, and the Nurse-Family Partnership.

Full text article by Diana B. Henriques is available via The New York Times, 11/9/09.

What's Wrong With Charitable Giving—and How to Fix It

With the economic downturn shrinking their bottom lines, corporations are exploring numerous ways to stretch their charitable dollars. Corporate philanthropies are turning to alternatives to cash gifts, such as offering pro bono services and policy work and exploring public-private partnerships and program-related investments to further their charitable goals.

Full text article by Pablo Eisenberg is available via the Wall Street Journal, 11/9/09.

Cargill charitable giving tops $58 million in FY2009

Minneapolis-based Cargill has announced grants of more than $58 million to organizations around the world working to promote nutrition, health, education, and environmental stewardship. In response to the global financial crisis, the company donated $5.5 million for emergency hunger relief in ten countries through organizations such as Feeding America, the Salvation Army, and the Global Foodbanking Network. In addition, the company, as part of a five-year, $10 million commitment, awarded $2 million to the humanitarian organization CARE, which works to alleviate poverty in the developing world. And to help foster science, technology, engineering and math learning in Minneapolis schools, the company invested more than $3 million in two programs. "We recognize our continued success depends on the growth and health of our communities and partners," said Cargill chairman and CEO Greg Page. "We are committed to investing in communities where we live and work to promote vibrant, stable communities and growth that improves living standards."

Full text press release available via Cargill, Inc., 10/28/09.

Card clubs and other special interests give to Jerry Brown charities

In the nearly three years since he took office, California Attorney General Jerry Brown has raised nearly $10-million for charities he oversees, including more than $100,000 from gambling establishments regulated by his office. Five Los Angeles-area “card clubs” have donated to two Bay Area charter schools that Mr. Brown founded during his tenure as mayor of Oakland. Corporate giants such as Pacific Gas & Electric, AT&T, and Wal-Mart have given $50,000 or more to the schools. Mr. Brown, a two-time Democratic presidential candidate and former California governor who is viewed as a leading candidate to reclaim his old job in next year’s state elections, said the donations have no effect on his public work, asserting, “I have an unimpeachable record of integrity.”

Full text of this article by Shane Goldmacher is available via the Los Angeles Times, 11/3/09.

Charitable Giving for U.S. Health Care Rises a Tepid $241 Million in 2008, While Canadian Charitable Giving Plunges 13 Percent, Association for Health

Charitable donations to benefit U.S. health care grew by $241-million, to $8.6-billion, in 2008, a 2.9 percent growth. In Canada health-care giving plummeted by nearly 13 percent, to just under $1.1-billion. The slight bump in U.S. medical giving resulted from most nonprofit hospitals and health-care systems closing their books before the recession hit with full force in the final quarter of 2008, the association reported. Institutions that closed at end of the calendar year reported a 0.2 percent fund-raising dip.

Full-text post by Kathy Renzetti is available via the New York Post, 10/26/09.

Cuomo's pay-to-play rap for nonprofits

Dozens of New York State charities have been ordered by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to take back illegal political contributions or risk losing their tax-exempt status. A spokesman for Mr. Cuomo’s office said an investigation found “widespread” donations by nonprofit groups to candidates and officeholders, including state legislators and New York City Council members, in violation of federal and state law. Many of the groups reportedly received government grants arranged by the politicians they supported.

Full-text post by Fredric Dicker and Sally Goldenberg is available via the New York Post, 10/23/09.

Corzine reveals donations by his foundation

Under pressure from his Republican challenger, New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine has released details of his charitable foundation’s giving for the past year. The more than $3-million in donations benefited community organizations, African-American churches, cultural groups, and foundations, some with ties to New Jersey power brokers and to the head of the state’s Black Ministers Council, who last week endorsed the incumbent Democrat. Republican candidate Chris Christie pressed Mr. Corzine to release the records, claiming that much of Corzine’s philanthropy is politically motivated. The Corzine campaign had originally planned to make the foundation records public after the election.

Full-text post by Chris Megerian is available via The Star-Ledger, 10/22/09.

Pharmaceutical executive donates $100 million to St. John's Health Center

Patrick Soon-Shiong, founder and CEO of Abraxis BioScience, and his wife, Michelle Chan, have pledged $65 million to St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California. The gift, which comes on top of the $35 million the couple donated to St. John's two years ago, will be used to create several research centers and help fund future projects at the hospital.

Full-text post by Molly Hennessy-Fiske is available via the Los Angeles Times, 10/1/09.

Fairfield man's philanthropy makes Yale cancer center a reality

Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven is a brand new cancer center, reflecting the philanthropy of Fairfield resident Joel E. Smilow. The complex will feature 112 patient beds, a healing garden, a boutique, outpatient treatment rooms, state-of-the-art operating rooms, infusion suites, diagnostic imaging services, radiation oncology and a specialized women's cancer center. A member of the Yale University Class of 1954, Smilow has been one of the school's most ardent football boosters.

Full-text post by John Burgeson is available via the Connecticut Post, 10/20/09.

Goldman Bonus Stigma May Overshadow Charitable Effort

Goldman Sachs, reportedly exploring ways to quell a public backlash over expected record year-end bonuses for its executives, is working with the Bridgespan Group, a nonprofit consulting effort, on a giving plan that could exceed $1-billion. After accepting, and repaying, billions of dollars in government funds as part of the federal bank bailout, Goldman Sachs earned record second-quarter profits and has already set aside $16.7-billion for compensation this year, putting it in a public-relations bind that has fueled Wall Street speculation of major charitable activity.

Full-text post by Catherine Rampell is available via Bloomberg, 10/15/09.

World’s poorest farmers now offered insurance

The U.S. branch of the global development charity Oxfam is offering drought insurance to farmers in Africa to support agriculture and lessen the impact of climate-triggered famines. The program, supported by the Rockefeller Institute and the insurance giant Swiss Re, has thus far made coverage available to about 200 Ethiopian households, 38 percent of them headed by women. With a new $565,000 Rockefeller grant, the effort is set to expand from one village to five.
Full-text post by James F. Smith is available via The Boston Globe, 10/13/09.

Charitable Gift Annuities - A Cautionary Tale

When it comes to charitable gift planning, it is wise to know the rules and talk with the experts, advises James S. Hohn, Principal of Planned Giving Resources (http://www.pgresources.com/), who has more than three decades of knowledge and experience in planned giving and gift annuity development and administration. A few months ago, Hohn met with the Director of Development of a large nonprofit organization headquartered in New York State (NYS) to discuss their mature Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA) program established more than ten years ago.

Full-text post by James S. Hohn is available via onPhilanthropy, 10/2/09.

What Cities Give the Most Money Online?

In terms of online giving, Alexandria, Va., took the prize for the most charitable giving per capita last year among cities with populations over 100,000, according to an analysis by Convio, a company that provides Web-based software to charities. The city, which is located just a few miles from Washington, D.C., was followed by Cambridge, Mass., and Minneapolis, Minn.
Full-text post by Caroline Preston is available via The Chronicle for Philanthropy, 9/24/09.

Pro Bono Spreading With The Recession

Cash-strapped companies have found a way to get more from their charitable bucks, creative giving experts explain. Pro bono work by architects, lawyers and even corporations has been growing during this recession. That's in contrast to past downturns and seems to reflect an enlightened opportunism. It's a way to put idle employee hands to work, to network and to get greater bang from a firm's charitable bucks.

Full-text post by Richard C. Morais is available via Forbes Magazine, 9/24/09.

The Power of the Purse

The New York Times Magazine discusses an exploration of the growth of women philanthropists that are using their money specifically and strategically to advance the interests of women. The article notes how women have always given generously, but, as opposed to the tradition giving to the opera, or the museum, or “their dead husband’s alma mater,” they are now funding women. The thoery? Empowered women are the key to strong families, and strong families are the key to strong communities.

Full-text post By Lisa Belkin is available via The New York Time Magazine, 8/18/09.

Cash Strapped Charities Put Donors' Names On Just About Everything

A new trend sparks charitable gifts as donors are recognized with plaques, buildings or even restrooms named after the philanthropists. Donor naming has been around for centuries; John Harvard got his name on a college in 1639 by bequeathing 400 books, and one of that school's former students, Bill Gates, has his name on a $30 billion foundation. But deals involving naming rights granted by nonprofits and governmental units have expanded dramatically in recent years in scope, creativity, number and dollar volume.

Full-text article by William P. Barrett is available via Forbes, 9/2/09.

'Badge Charity' under Attorney General investigation

The United States Deputy Sheriffs’ Association, who previously settled a state lawsuit over allegations of deceptive and fraudulent business practices, is gaining attention from the Texas Office of Attorney General. Receiving millions in donations each year, the non-profit organization spends only a fraction of that on its charitable cause of helping underfunded sheriff departments.

Full-text article by Jeremy Rogalski is available via KHOU - Houston News, 9/1/09.

Recession Means Fund Raisers Have to Re-Assess Each Donor's Wealth

The recession is keeping the fund raisers who conduct research on potential donors busy. Profiles are based on information about potential donors, such as the value of their homes, their stock holdings, and their charitable giving, all of which are likely to be down.

Full text article by Nicole Wallace is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 8.18.09.

Charity Industry Gets Some Needed Scrutiny

A new kind of equity analyst, the "charity analyst," has emerged in the past few years to meet the needs of people who want their charitable dollars used efficiently and effectively. As a natural consequence of this sort of research, effective charities can be expected to prosper and ineffective charities can be expected to perish.

Full text article by Neil Reynolds is available via The Globe and Mail, 8.14.09.

Tanking Contributions May Accompany a "Jobless Recovery"

A so called "jobless recovery" likely means very bad news for charitable giving. Joblessness that is predicted to extend well into the economic recovery along with increased rates of saving fueled in part by economic insecurity result in less disposable income, and that likely will or is already showing up in declining donations by individuals.

Full text by Rick Cohen is available via The Nonprofit Quarterly, 8.7.09

Americans' Spending Unlikely to Rebound Anytime Soon, Survey Finds

Economists and politicians are pointing to signs of recovery in the stock market and other economic arenas. But a new survey suggests that Americans’ discretionary income and purchases—as well as their charitable giving—are unlikely to return to pre-recession levels anytime soon.

Full text article by Holly Hall is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 8.7.09.

52% of Charities Saw Drop in Spring Donations, Survey Finds

Just over half of charities saw a drop in donations between March and May of this year, the same portion as reported a decline between October and February, according to a survey by the nonprofit watchdog group Guidestar.

Full-text article by Caroline Preston is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 7.23.09.

Survey Finds Wealthy People Maintain Giving in Bad Times

Most wealthy Americans and Britons have maintained their giving levels over the past 18 months, the British newspaper the Telegraph reports.

Full-text article by Rachel Cooper is available via The Telegraph, 7.13.09.

All-Star Sponsors Strive to Look Truly Charitable

Making money by giving it away: that is part of the plan for the largest corporate sponsors at the All-Star Game in St. Louis this year.

Full-text article by Ken Belson is available via The New York Times, 7.12.09.

When Will It End?

If this recession turns out to be like the one in the mid-1970s, donations won't rebound until at least 2012.

Full-text article by Holly Hall is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 6.15.09. [Subscription required.]

Lost Wealth Means Big Changes For Charities

The global economy may be close to rebounding, but the $11 billion of wealth that dissolved in 2008 will have long-lasting effects on all types of charitable organizations, speakers at the Boston College Center on Wealth and Philanthropy Conference said Tuesday.

Full-text blog post by Shelly Banjo is available via The Wall Street Journal, 6.9.09.

Despite Tough Times, Donors Keep Giving, Fidelity Finds

Some good news for the charitable-giving world: Most donors — 55% — planned to donate the same amount to charities in 2009 as they did last year, according to a recent survey conducted by the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund, a charitable donor-advised-fund program established by Fidelity Investments of Boston.

Full-text article by Sue Asci is available via InvestmentNews, 6.10.09.

U.S. Charitable Giving Estimated @ $307.65 Billion In 2008

Charitable giving in the United States exceeded $300 billion for the second year in a row in 2008, according to Giving USA 2009. Donations to charitable causes in the United States reached an estimated $307.65 billion in 2008, a 2 percent drop in current dollars over 2007.

Full-text press release is available via the Giving Institute, 6.10.09.

Giving to Colleges and Other Charities Declines Nearly 6 Percent

Donations to education organizations and nearly every other type of charity faltered in 2008, as contributions declined by 5.7 percent last year after adjustment for inflation, according to the new edition of Giving USA, which is scheduled to be released this morning. It was the steepest decline in the history of the survey, which has been conducted since 1956.

Full-text article by Paula Wasley is available via the Chronicle of Higher Education, 6.10.09.

Philanthropists Not Cutting Back (UK)

Nearly nine in ten philanthropists at a recent forum said that they planned to increase their giving (42 per cent) or maintain their current levels (45 per cent) over the next year, regardless of the economic downturn.

Full-text blog posting by Celina Ribeiro is available via ProfessionalFundraising(UK).com, 6.1.09.

Lower-Income Americans Are Comparatively Most-Generous Givers

The latest survey of consumer expenditure by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that the poorest fifth of U.S. households gave an average of 4.3 percent of their incomes to charities in 2007. The figure for the wealthiest fifth was 2.1 percent, and no other quintile gave more than 3 percent.

Full-text article by Frank Greve is available via The Philadelphia Inquirer, 5.27.09.

Smart Giving in a Troubled Climate

Strategies include providing direct service to individuals who need it rather than cash donations, or allowing future financial pledges be become immediately available to troubled charities.

Full-text article by David Cay Johnston is available via The New York Times, 5.21.09.

Obama Sticks to Charitable-Deduction Limits in New Budget Proposals

President Obama plans to stick to his proposal to cap the federal tax breaks wealthy people can get for itemized deductions, including charitable donations, when he submits the final piece of his budget plans on Monday, Peter Orszag, the White House budget director, confirmed.

Full-text article by Suzanne Perry is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 5.9.09.

How Much Should Board Members Give?

How to get board members to make personal donations — and solicit money from others —is debated in a new post in Give and Take, The Chronicle’s roundup of the best blog posts about the nonprofit world.

Volunteer Time Was Worth More Than $20 an Hour Last Year, Study Finds

The average value of donated time by volunteers was $20.25 per hour in 2008, according to a new study by Independent Sector, in Washington, a coalition of major charities and foundations.

Study findings are available via The Independent Sector, 4.27.09.

Trustees Begin to Parcel Leona Helmsley’s Estate

The first $136 million from the hotelier Leona Helmsley’s disputed multibillion-dollar estate has been distributed to charities.

Full-text article by Sam Roberts is available via The New York Times, 4.22.09.

How Charities Are Coping

If you think that the recession is clobbering for-profit enterprises, just consider the tough times that some not-for-profit enterprises are encountering. If they hope to top last year's records, America's philanthropies don't stand a prayer.

Full-text article by Marshall Loeb is available via MarketWatch, 4.9.09.

Travelers to Get Option to Donate When Booking Flights Online

A fund-raising idea devised by a French travel agency could raise hundreds of millions of dollars to improve health care in the developing world by allowing airline passengers to make a small donation when booking their flights.

Full-text article by Andrew Jack is available via The Financial Times, 4.5.09.

Taxes and Charitable Giving

Much discussion has centered around the Obama Administration's budget proposal to reduce the maximum deduction on charitable gifts. Eugene R. Tempel, President of the Indiana University Foundation offers his perspective via the IUF website.

Tax Change Should Not Affect Charities, Obama Says

Under the plan announced in Obama's budget in February, tax deductions for charitable contributions from people earning $250,000 a year or more would be limited to 28 percent, down from 35 percent.

Charity groups worry that the change will reduce giving at a time when demand for their services is rising because of the recession.

Obama said it would simply bring the tax benefits for the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans in line with everyone else who gives to soup kitchens, medical research groups and other charities.

Full-text article by Andy Sullivan is available via Reuters, 3.24.09.

As Detroit Struggles, Foundations Shift Mission

The long economic decline of Detroit has prompted foundations in the region to change how they operate. Faced with sharply declining resources and exploding need, they are being forced to pick winners and losers, engaging in what Larry M. Gant, a professor of social work at the University of Michigan, calls “triage.”

Full-text article by Stephanie Strom is available via The New York Times, 3.21.09.

Handing Over the Keys

A growing number of older homeowners are arranging for their houses to go to charity, deciding it's the ultimate good deed (with great tax benefits to boot).

Full-text article by Jenna Pelletier is available via The Boston Globe, 3.22.09.

Giving and Taxes

President Obama’s plan to cap itemized deductions for high-income taxpayers at a 28 percent rate flew like a lead balloon in Congress, reportedly sending the White House in search for other sources of revenue.

Full-text editorial available via The New York Times, 3.19.09.

52% of Donors Plan No Decrease in Giving in 2009

Their investment portfolios may be slumping and their jobs less secure, but a majority of Americans who give to charity still plan to donate as much this year as they have in the past, according to a new survey.

Conducted in January by Cygnus Applied Research, the survey polled 17,365 people who had given in the past to charity. The respondents donated an average of $11,490 last year.

Full-text article by Caroline Preston is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 3.13.09.

LIVE: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11: Obama's Charitable-Giving Plan: What It Means for Nonprofit Groups

As President Obama seeks to reduce the value of the charitable deduction for wealthy Americans, fund raisers and other nonprofit experts are divided over whether his idea would cause any substantial change in charitable giving.

What would this proposal really mean for the nonprofit world? How will donors react? How does it mesh with the president's other tax proposals? What should your organization be communicating to its supporters about this plan?

Join The Chronicle for a special live discussion with Bruce Flessner and other experts who can answer these and other questions about this controversial proposal.

Wednesday, March 11, at 11 a.m., U.S. Central Time

For more information visit The Chronicle of Philanthropy's website.

America's Biggest Foundations Won't Increase Their Giving in 2009, Says a New Report

In the wake of the tumbling stock market and heavy asset losses suffered by virtually all the nation's wealthiest foundations, only two have said they plan to increase their giving this year, according to a new advisory report by the Foundation Center, in New York.

Full-text article by Marty Michaels is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 3.9.09. [Subscription required.]

Economists Try to Calculate the Impact of Tax Changes on Charitable Giving

Virtually everyone agrees that President Obama's proposal to limit the tax breaks wealthy people can get for charitable contributions would dampen giving. The question is, by how much? And would other parts of the president's budget plan act as a counterweight?

Full-text article by Suzanne Perry is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 3.9.09. [Subscription required.]

When the Going Gets Tough, P&G Gets Philanthropic

Procter & Gamble, which has made the “value” argument to consumers in this down economy, is adding another one: Buy our products and some of the money will go to charity.

The company’s expanded embrace of cause marketing comes as P&G and charities alike feel the heat from the recession. P&G’s second quarter total sales fell 3.2 percent to $20.4 billion.

Full-text article by Elaine Wong is available via Brandweek, 3.7.09.

Obama Tax Plan: Democrats Push Back

One of the most controversial provisions in President Obama's proposed budget might have a short shelf life on Capitol Hill.

To pay for half of his $634 billion health reform fund, Obama has proposed limiting deductions for high-income taxpayers starting in 2011.

Full-text article by Jeanne Sahad is available via CNN, 3.5.09.

America's Top 10 Donors of 2008

Gifts from seven of the 10 biggest donors in 2008 were made from estates, according to an annual ranking of America’s most-generous donors, released recently by The Chronicle of Philanthropy and the online magazine Slate. It's a sign that even the richest Americans may be putting off large donations due to economic uncertainty.

Full-text article is available via MSNBC.com, 3.3.09.

Charitable-Giving Plan Divides Nonprofit Groups and Worries Donors

As President Obama seeks to reduce the value of the charitable deduction for wealthy Americans, fund raisers and other nonprofit experts are divided over whether his idea would cause any substantial change in charitable giving.

“Every time people want to fool around with the tax code, [charities] say it will be the end of philanthropy,” said Bruce Flessner, a Minneapolis fund-raising consultant. “I don’t think it will kill giving.”

Full-text article by Holly Hall is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 3.2.09.

Obama's Tax Plan Could Cause Giving by the Wealthy to Drop by Several Billion Dollars Annually

President Obama’s tax proposals — including a limit on charitable giving deductions that could be taken by America’s wealthiest people — could cause giving by America’s wealthy to drop by several billion dollars a year, according to estimates released today by the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy.

Full-text article is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 3.2.09.

Trading Filet Mignon for Chicken Pot Pie

With unemployment at record highs and the stock market at alarming lows, even the wealthy — no matter whether they personally lost money or not — are toning down the benefit, that yearly fund-raising ritual, in a number of ways.

Full-text article by Tracie Rozhon is available via The New York Times, 2.25.09.

Jewish Groups Criticize Change in Charitable Deduction in Obama Budget

A trio of Jewish organizations criticized a proposed change in the charitable tax deduction included in President Obama's 2010 budget.

The United Jewish Communities, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and the Orthodox Union all expressed concern about a provision in the budget that would lower the charitable deduction for taxpayers earning more than $250,000 to 28 percent from 35 percent. The groups said such a change would have a significant neagive impact on giving.

Full-text article by Eric Fingerhut is available via JTA.com, 2.27.09.

Short-Changing Charities

Although President Barack Obama hopes to help the poor by providing government-regulated health care, his plan to pay for it might actually cause those same people harm.

Full-text article by Daniel Indiviglio is available via Forbes, 2.26.09.

Obama Plan Would Reduce Charitable Deduction for Some Wealthy Donors

President Obama today proposed to cap the rate that high-income taxpayers can use to claim charitable deductions as part of a plan to finance changes to the country’s health-care system.

In a document outlining his 2010 budget plans, the president proposes to limit the tax rate for itemized deductions at 28 percent for families making more than $250,000.

That would reduce by as much as 20 percent the amount wealthy taxpayers could reduce their federal tax payments for charitable donations. Under the current system, taxpayers who are in the 33 percent or 35 percent tax brackets use that rate to claim deductions.

Bruce Flessner, a fund-raising consultant at Bentz Whaley Flessner, in Minneapolis, says the plan would likely have little impact on organizations that have a broad base of donors. But large institutions — particularly colleges and universities and academic medical centers — could be particularly hard hit if the plan moves forward.

Full-text article by Suzanne Perry is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 2.26.09.

Are Charitable Contributions Really At Risk Under Obama Budget?

Under the president's plan, itemized tax deductions for charitable giving and mortgages would be capped for those earning more than $250,000 a year. Changes would be phased in gradually over the next few years. So in 2010, instead of getting a 33% or 35% deduction for charitable donations, Americans in the top income brackets, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis, would get somewhere in the neighborhood of 28%.

Critics are already voicing concern that charities, hard hit by a decline in donations because of sinking stock prices on Wall Street, could suffer further. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), the No. 2 Democrat in the House, said the potential loss of philanthropic giving is "clearly one of our concerns." And CNBC's Maria Bartiromo said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" today that the Obama blueprint comes with "such unintended consequences" and said of charitable donations, "Get ready for those to go off a cliff."

Giving In Bear Times

Forbes gathered three experts in philanthropy to discuss strategies for giving when the markets are down.

Full-text article by Michael Maiello is available via Forbes, 2.16.09

Charitable Giving in 2008

Despite an economic recession, America's wealthiest individuals gave record amounts to charity last year.

At least 16 individuals made gifts of $100 million or more in 2008, The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports. That's more people than ever have done so in the 12 years that The Chronicle has been keeping such a tally.

Full-text article by Maria DiMento is available via the Chronicle of Philanthropy, 12.31.08.

After Madoff, Donors Grow Wary of Giving

Ever since news reports began surfacing last week that a number of charities appeared to have lost millions of dollars invested with Bernard Madoff, Bill White has been fielding phone calls and emails from nervous donors to the two New York nonprofits he runs.

Full-text article by Elizabeth Bernstein is available via the Wall Street Journal, 12.23.08.

Year-End Giving Survey Results

Charity Navigator recently surveyed the charities in our database to see if the recession is having an impact on year-end giving. The majority of those that responded anticipate a decline in holiday giving this year versus last. Read our survey results to find out what types of charities have little confidence in their ability to meet year-end giving goals and if charities in certain regions are more hopeful than those in other parts of the country.

Survey results are available via Charity Navigator's website, 12.17.08.

Food Pantries Adopt New Approaches as Demand Grows

As demand for their services continues to rise, food pantries are taking new approaches to provide more people with food and other resources, reports The New York Times.

Full-text article available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 12.10.08.

The Biggest Givers: Feeling Pinched, Some U.S. Philanthropists Give More

Meanwhile, nonprofits, from women's shelters to community theaters, are scrambling to find innovative ways to attract donations as they anticipate that 2009 will be the most difficult fundraising climate in years.

Full-text article by Ali McConnon and Lawrence Delevingne is available via BusinessWeek, 11.29.08.

Economy Has Harmed Finances of Many Charities

Many charities have already seen decreases in private donations and government grants because of the recession, a new survey finds.

Full-text article by Debra E. Blum is available via the Chronicle of Philanthropy, 12.8.08. [Subscription required.]