Fla. Private Eye Charged With Cyberattack on Global Charity
Prosecutors said a private investigator who allegedly tried to infiltrate a New York-based international charity’s computer network said he was doing research to determine if nonprofits were unknowingly funding Middle Eastern charities taken over by jihadist groups, Reuters reports.
Google-Backed San Francisco Charity Turns Buses Into Showers for Poor
The Guardian profiles Lava Mae, a Google-supported San Francisco charity that outfits decommissioned city buses with showers and toilets for the homeless, an article that also looks at the tech company’s growing social-service giving.
Crowdfunding Site Fundly Merges With Charity-Software Firm
Software provider NonProfitEasy has acquired Fundly, a crowdfunding platform popular with charities, Forbes reports, terming the union a signal of “the maturing of the crowdfunding industry.”
Intel Drops $6 Million Sponsorship of Youth Science Contest
After 17 years funding the Science Talent Search, a prestigious math and science competition for U.S. high-school students, the computer-chip giant Intel is ending its support of the contest, The New York Times reports.
Facebook Teams With Charter Group on Free School Software
The Silicon Valley giant announced a partnership Thursday with a nonprofit charter-school network to build educational software that will be offered to public schools at no charge, USA Today and The New York Times write.
Heritage Foundation Donor Data Possibly Taken in Hack Attack
The conservative think tank was hit this week with a data breach that it said may have compromised donor information, Politico reports.
Tech Mogul Tries New Model to Draw Silicon Valley Giving
Tech entrepreneur Alexandre Mars and his Epic Foundation aim to reshape Silicon Valley philanthropy by steering donations to the kind of small social-service charities typically overlooked by the tech set, the San Francisco Chronicle writes.
Opinion: Tech Giants Don’t Extend Innovation to Education
Despite a remarkable record of innovation in areas ranging from space travel to urban transit, Silicon Valley billionaires have failed to apply that disruptive energy to their education giving, to the potential detriment of their industry, according to a TechCrunch opinion piece.
In a Second Go-Around, Response to ‘Ice-Bucket Challenge’ Is Muted
The ALS Association has received $500,000 in donations this month, less than 1 percent of the contributions it reaped from the social-media-fueled campaign a year ago.
By Megan O’Neil
Contributor
Salesforce Charts Its Own Course in Tech Giving for Schools
CEO Marc Benioff is taking a different philanthropic tack than other tech moguls in backing public education, TechCrunch and Business Insider write in reporting on the company’s latest, $6-million donation to the San Francisco school district.
Carnegie Mellon U. Gets $35-Million Gift From Indian Company
The donation from information-technology firm Tata Consultancy Services will fund a research and education building on the Pittsburgh campus, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and The Times of India report.
Facebook’s New Donate Button Helps Charities Build Donor Lists
Users are directed to external sites to make contributions; ALS Association is among the early users in hope of recapturing “ice-bucket” magic.
By Megan O’Neil
Contributor
Facebook Rolls Out ‘Donate’ Button for All Charities
The social-media giant announced Monday that it is making its “donate now” button, previously tested with a select group of partner charities, available to all nonprofits to use on their Facebook pages and linked advertisements, TechCrunch and Adweek report.
Howard Buffett Nonprofit Invests Millions in Congo Hydropower
The philanthropist and his foundation are placing a big bet on hydroelectricity to spur development in the Democratic Republic of Congo, pledging nearly $60 million for power projects in the war-torn central African nation, Reuters writes.
‘Fortune’ Magazine Hails Firms That Tie Profit and Social Aims
Vodafone, Google, and Toyota lead the business magazine’s inaugural “Change the World” list of corporations that are “doing well by doing good.
Solar Company’s Charitable Work Offers a Popular Perk: Travel Abroad
SolarCity, whose chairman is Elon Musk, has created a foundation that aims to light up 1,000 schools worldwide this year, including in earthquake-ravaged Nepal.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor