Nonprofit Crowdfunding Site Watsi Takes Cues From Silicon Valley
Watsi, a crowdfunding platform that allows donors to support people with medical expenses in the developing world, raised $3.5 million in start-up funding from foundations and philanthropists and has recruited some big-name engineers from groups like NASA and Microsoft, according to an article in Entrepreneur magazine. In 2013, Watsi became the first nonprofit accepted by the Bay Area start-up accelerator Y Combinator.
Study: Children With Atheist Parents Are More Generous Than Those With Christian, Muslim Backgrounds
A new study finds that children brought up by atheist parents are more generous than those brought up in religious households, Fusion reports. Researchers found an inverse relationship between altruism and religious observance.
Researchers Question Success of Utah Social-Impact Bond
A Utah preschool program funded by investment bank Goldman Sachs that was touted last month as the first “social-impact bond” to yield returns for an investor may have significantly overstated the results on which the payout is based, according to The New York Times.
Biggest Foundations Turn Attention to Achieving Big Change
Major U.S. philanthropies are increasingly thinking big when it comes to significant social and environmental challenges, focusing their giving on tackling root causes and achieving lasting, structural change, The New York Times writes.
Opinion: Is Can-Do Silicon Valley Doing Philanthropy Right?
A New York Times analysis looks at the growth of tech-sector giving and the attitudes and tools Silicon Valley moguls are bringing to philanthropy.
Some Nonprofits Are Now More Open to Donations From Marijuana Businesses
The industry’s profitability and the fact that people served by some charities use marijuana for medical problems have encouraged the trend, according to Associated Press.
Boston Nonprofits Find New Ways to Attract Millennials
Strategies that give young people deeper connections with nonprofits, rather than simply writing a check or attending a gala, work best, says The Boston Globe.
Mystery Money: the Art of Seeking Gifts From Donor-Advised Funds
Billions of dollars are available, but the lack of a paper trail makes it difficult for nonprofits to target pitches. Here are ways to cut through the fog.
By Alex Daniels
Senior Editor, Foundations
Opinion: Saudi Mogul’s ‘Philanthropy U.’ Off to a Fast Start
Columnist Paul Sullivan at The New York Times writes about the launch of Philanthropy University, a nonprofit initiative funded by Saudi businessman Amr Al-Dabbagh to offer education and training to nonprofit executives through “massive open online courses,” or MOOCs.
Impact Investing Can Bring Big Returns and Court Battles
The Wall Street Journal examines the growth in high-dollar impact investments by activist philanthropies, focusing on the Baltimore-based Abell Foundation’s stakes in mission-aligned areas like sustainable energy.
AARP Foundation Launches Impact-Investing Program
The philanthropic arm of the advocacy group seeks $70 million for projects aimed at helping older Americans.
By Alex Daniels
Contributor
Utah Preschool Program Yields First ‘Pay for Success’ Payout
Goldman Sachs will reap financial gains for funding a Utah program that showed positive results in keeping kids out of special education. It is the first time a U.S. social-impact bond has paid off for the investor, The New York Times writes.
New Tool Aims to Pinpoint Human Needs to Help Fight Poverty
The new Human Needs Index will track demand for food, clothing, housing, energy, and more to help nonprofits and policy makers implement long-term solutions.
By Eden Stiffman
Senior Editor
Gay-Rights Focus Turns to Stopping Violence and Intolerance
With a favorable ruling from the Supreme Court on gay marriage, activists are setting their sites on transgender issues, fighting discrimination in places like Uganda, and getting more financial support.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor
Designer and Immigrant Activist Are Among MacArthur ‘Genius’ Winners
One winner of the $625,000 stipend, Alex Truesdell, makes special tools and furniture for children with disabilities. Another founded a university in Ghana.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
Crowdfunding Website Kickstarter Reincorporating as Public Benefit Corporation
Setting itself apart from other successful tech start-ups that have gone public or sold for millions, Kickstarter is reincorporating as a public-benefit corporation as a way to ensure that the company’s mission will not be compromised by its profits, The New York Times reports.