An Advocacy Group Gives Crime Victims a Voice in Prison Policy
Californians for Safety and Justice, which advocates for trauma centers for victims and changes in sentencing, is expanding nationally.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor
Big Medical Charities See Yield From Biotech Investments
Groups like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust are becoming important sources of capital for fledgling firms working on new drugs and diagnostic tools and are seeing big profits on some investments, Reuters reports.
Aid Charity Swears Off E.U. Money to Protest Migrant Deal
Doctors Without Borders says it will refuse all future funding from the European Union in protest of the bloc’s pact with Turkey to take back migrants landing in the Greek islands, writes The Wall Street Journal.
Dan Pallotta Gets It Wrong Again With Plan to Create One Big Charity Association
A new bureaucracy won’t get around the fact that nonprofits haven’t justified why they exist.
By Doug White
Contributor
U. of Massachusetts to Drop All Fossil-Fuel Investments
The UMass system said Wednesday that it will sell all of its $770 million endowment’s holdings in oil, coal, and gas, reportedly becoming the first major public university to fully embrace fossil-fuel divestment, writes The Boston Globe.
How Grant Makers Can Help Charities Beyond Giving Money
Foundation representatives can sit on committees, write letters of support, and more.
By Eden Stiffman
Senior Editor
Cash Giving to Poor Gains Ground but Fuels Backlash
New Republic magazine looks at the rising popularity of direct, unrestricted cash transfers to poor people and the pushback against the aid method among traditional relief agencies.
Land Gift for Proposed Maine Park Mired in Controversy
The Washington Post reports on the latest developments in the battle over Burt’s Bees founder Roxanne Quimby’s proposal to donate 88,000 acres of land valued at $40 million to establish a national park in Maine’s pristine North Woods, which has generated heated local opposition.
More Nonprofits Ramp Up Their Donor Stewardship
Fierce competition for support results in new and expanded donor-relations staffs and creative ways of saying thanks.
By Timothy Sandoval
Contributor
Hollywood Star Power Puts Spotlight on Saving Elephants
Conservationists have embraced the activism of celebrities like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Susan Sarandon, Lupita Nyong’o, and Leonardo DiCaprio who have promoted anti-poaching efforts and raised money for the cause, The New York Times reports.
Humanitarian Aid Reached Record $28 Billion in 2015
Relief funding, including $6.2 billion from private donors, increased 12 percent from 2014 but still failed to keep pace with the galloping need for crisis assistance, the Thomson Reuters Foundation reports, citing new data from a research group Development Initiatives.
D.C. Consultants Get Windfall From ‘Dark Money’ Nonprofits
Much of the money funneled into election and issue campaigns via nonprofit “dark money” groups ends up with a handful of political-advertising and -consulting firms in Washington and its environs, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Red Cross Draws More Criticism for Miss. Flood Response
Emails among emergency-response officials in Mississippi in the wake of record flooding across the state in March fault the American Red Cross for poor deployment of resources and a lack of coordination with local teams, reports ProPublica, which obtained the communications.
Podcast: Tips for Taking Your Fundraising Auction Digital
In this month’s Fundraising Fundamentals, two experts explain how to use data and audience engagement to move a benefit sale online.
By TONY MARTIGNETTI
Contributor
Russia’s ‘Foreign Agent’ Law Ensnaring Service Charities
Russian nonprofits addressing HIV, refugees, and other social issues are increasingly facing pressure under a law restricting groups deemed by authorities to be engaging in foreign-funded political activity, according to International Business Times.
Foundations Show Signs of Moving Beyond ‘Overhead Myth’
New efforts aim to identify charity’s “true costs” and invest in the financial health of nonprofits.
By Drew Lindsay
Contributor