philanthropy

I often think about the motivations that lead someone to give to one organization over another. A couple of months ago, an article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy: “A Growing Divide Emerges as 2007 Fund-Raising Year Comes to a Close” took at look at the reasons why charities that provide social services (or poverty-focused charities) tend to lag behind the fundraising achievements of colleges, arts institutions, and hospitals. For me, it has never been an either/or scenario. Here’s my story:  read more »

There's an important conversation going on over at Tactical Philanthropy, one that I think will greatly influence the next stage of how the public measures the effectiveness of nonprofits. It all began with Sean Stannard-Stockton's predictions for philanthropy in 2008. A list of his expectations for changes to the nonprofit sector in the coming year. Before I get into the prediction that started all of the clamor, I do want to mention one that struck home to our own little (ok, not so little) organization...  read more »

There’s an interesting discussion going on over at Tactical Philanthropy about, overhead, general operating support, and donor choice about “where the money goes.” These are all topics we’re familiar with here at United Way. What struck me in reading it was how some nonprofit information sites like Guidestar play into the illusions that

a) overhead is bad, and

b) that donors are interested in micromanaging how their gifts are used.

I think that what donors are really interested in is the results their gifts achieve, communicated in accessible and compelling ways. If they don’t have that, they resort to lesser proxies like overhead rates, etc. Our new investment strategy, which combines general operating support with accountability for results, goes a long way toward putting the focus where it belongs. If you want to see my post, look here.  read more »

The NYTimes Magazine has lots of great articles on the topic of philanthropy this week!

Highlights:

Can celebrities really help advance a cause?

Economists tackle the question: What really makes people give?

Is it possible to show a return on investment when it comes to philanthropy?

In thinking outside-the-box news, The Washington Post has published a radical idea from Michael Goldstein, founder of the MATCH School. In a nutshell Goldstein proposes that we let students drop out of High School and then let them come back when they are ready. Whaaaa?? Click here to get the full story.

There has been a lot of talk about boys being left-behind in education lately. This Boston Globe article explores how “Boys Clubs” have helped raise MCAS scores. Link.

According to this article on cnn.com, most middle-class Americans still cannot afford housing despite drops in pricing. Link  read more »