Americans Are Volunteering Less. What Can Nonprofits Do to Bring Them Back?
Recent surveys showing a decrease in volunteering largely blame the pandemic, but the problem isn’t new. Nonprofits need to figure out how to turn Americans’ desire to lend a hand to neighbors into more formal commitments to help their communities.
By Leslie Lenkowsky
Contributor
I Know Trusting Grantees Works Because It Propelled My Own Successful Career
When others doubted me, one man showed his faith in my ambition to become a business leader. Today, I’m putting that same trust in the grantees and low-income mothers my foundation supports.
By Holly Fogle
Contributor
The Rule of Law Faces Threats in the U.S. and Abroad. Philanthropy Needs to Pay More Attention.
Addressing myriad societal problems depends on a strong rule of law. Unfortunately, developing, promoting, and enforcing this fundamental component of healthy democracies isn’t on most donor radars.
By William H. Neukom
Contributor
Lloyd Morrisett’s Philanthropic Legacy Is Bigger Than Big Bird
The man who co-created “Sesame Street” also presided for decades over a foundation that has left a lasting mark on the entire field of communications and mass media.
By Lee D. Mitgang
Contributor
Refugees Like Me Know What Our Communities Need, but Donors and Large Nonprofits Aren’t Listening
Despite growing philanthropic recognition that the most successful movements are led by oppressed groups themselves, organizations that aid refugees remains mired in their colonial roots and a continued reliance on white so-called experts.
By Sana Ali Mustafa
Contributor
Charities Too Often Mislead With Impressive-Sounding Data. Donors Must Learn to See Past the Facade.
Relying on simple metrics to demonstrate a nonprofit’s effectiveness to potential donors creates a false narrative about how sustainable change happens.
By Robin Pierro
Contributor
Jeff Bezos Says Giving Is Hard. That Trope Goes Back to Andrew Carnegie
When invoked too zealously, it can deflect attention from what grantee leaders often find most difficult about philanthropy: a lack of urgency, a failure to deliver resources expeditiously, and the imposition of burdensome restrictions.
By Benjamin Soskis
Contributor
End the Charitable Tax Exemption and Remove the Conflict of Interest Baked Into Big Philanthropy
At a time of growing distrust in philanthropy and stagnant or declining giving, it’s no longer tenable to maintain a system that allows donors to reap rewards through the nonprofits they fund.
By Jeff Cain
Contributor
How Grant Makers Can Help State Policy Makers Advance Smart Approaches
This month, a new crop of young elected leaders is stepping into power in state houses and city council chambers nationwide. Philanthropy needs to invest in programs to help them do their jobs effectively and fulfill the promises of the campaign trail.
By Tom Perriello and Karundi Williams
The Risks and Rewards of Sharing Power With Your Community
What does it look like to partner with those whose expertise comes largely from lived experiences? An early-childhood program shows why bringing parents to the decision-making table was critical to its work.
By Mia Halthon and Ira Hillman