Bad Economy Spawns New Strategies for Corporate Givers

With the economic downturn shrinking their bottom lines, corporations are exploring numerous ways to stretch their charitable dollars, The Wall Street Journal reports in a package of articles on the state of giving.

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.

Other articles focus the growing popularity of donor-advised funds and nonprofit groups’ innovative tactics for surviving tough economic times. In an opinion column, Pablo Eisenberg, a senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership (and a frequent Chronicle contributor), argues that big donors need to reform practices “more tailored to the needs of foundations and their trustees than to the requirements of nonprofits.”