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News Briefing: Americans Still Giving, Despite Economic Meltdown

2008-11-21T10:08:17-05:00

Angelina Jolie carefully crafts her image as a philanthropist and devoted mother. [New York Times]

Resilient Americans are still giving to nonprofits, despite the economic meltdown. [Associated Press]

A DARA report finds that U.S. aid is not always apolitical. [Washington Post]

The popular host of public radio's "The Infinite Mind" earned over $1 million giving marketing lectures for drug makers, ties that were not mentioned on the program. [New York Times]

The director of the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum is leaving to become the president of the Royal College of Art in London. [New York Times]

The drastic measures under consideration to rescue MOCA have shocked many arts leaders. [Los Angeles Times]

Changing the Paradigm to Meet Community Need

2008-11-20T12:48:15-05:00

When leaders from New York’s nonprofit, business, and public sectors convened yesterday to discuss the impact of city budget cuts and decreased grants and donations on the area’s nonprofits, concerned philanthropy professionals from across the city packed a midtown Manhattan auditorium to hear what they had to say. The forum, co-hosted by Foundation Center, NYRAG, the United Way of New York City, and Citi, provoked from all panelists and speakers the sentiment that now, more than ever, collaboration is critical. Or as Linda Gibbs, Deputy Mayor for Health & Human Services succinctly put it, “we won’t get results if we’re factionalized.” While suggestions for achieving such collaboration ranged from the practical (consolidate back office services to improve efficiencies) to the impractical (a $25 billion Distressed Nonprofit Fund created through the liquidation of foundation assets), they all underscored the distress, as well as the opportunity, to be found in the current economic crisis.

On the distress side:

Paul Light, Paulette Goddard Professor of Public Service at NYU Wagner, believes that 100,000 nonprofits will close down in the next two years, including at least one big brand organization.
Geoffrey Canada, President and CEO of Harlem’s Children Zone, compared the impending economic storm to that of Hurricane Katrina, and reminded the audience that the challenge will be to address the needs of the “new poor” – those who have recently lost their jobs or homes – without forgetting the “old poor” – those for whom aid has never been more critical.
Deputy Mayor Gibbs told the audience that she has had to ask Directors to make targeted cuts in agency budgets, sometimes resulting in complete program elimination.
Bradford Smith, President of the Foundation Center, reminded those in attendance that the depth of the global recession has not yet been discerned.

But as Gordon Campbell, President and CEO of United Way of New York City, highlighted in his role as moderator when he quoted our country’s next Chief of Staff, crisis also presents the opportunity to do important things that you would have otherwise avoided.

Among the opportunities suggested:

Stephanie Palmer, Executive Director of the New York Mission Society, cited an example her organization is undertaking this year to cut down on expenses: the streamlining of its Annual Report to the bare essentials. She urged attendees to take advantage of the current climate in making similar changes to their organizations.
Phillip Henderson, President of the Surdna Foundation, reminded the audience that there is great hope and excitement with the coming of a new administration. He advised the nonprofits in the room to cultivate and strengthen their relationships with individual donors during this time, as they are a reliable source of unrestricted revenue, and demonstrate to other funders a real sign of institutional strength.
Paul Light appealed to the foundation officials in the room when he asked “if foundations can’t raise their annual payout 2% at this time, why do you exist?” And further pressed the issue by claiming that if they don’t voluntarily raise it, Congress will legislate it for them.
Clara Miller, President and CEO of the Nonprofit Finance Fund, pointed out that “there is a downside to stability – institutions can become calcified.” In exploring best practices, there is opportunity for organizations to look outside themselves, to seek ideas from, for example, the technological solutions that the Obama campaign harnessed.

When nonprofits view each other only as competitors, they lose sight of the common purpose to which they all are working so hard toward. At a time when competition for donor dollars will be fierce, it is reassuring to hear a call for collaboration and cooperation among sector leaders, who are, after all, in the trenches together. Only time will tell if this crisis encourages the sharing of information, resources, and expertise that it appears to demand. Perhaps the sector will emerge stronger because of it.

News Briefing: America's Attic Is Ready for Its Public

2008-11-20T10:47:10-05:00

Veteran civil rights activist Julian Bond will not seek another term as chairman of the NAACP. [Baltimore Sun]

Los Angeles' Museum of Contemporary Art is seeking large cash infusions from donors after falling into economic crisis. [Los Angeles Times]

The Wallace Foundation awards $7.7 million to nine Seattle arts groups and the Washington State Arts Commission. [Seattle Times]

The National Museum of American History reinvents itself after an $85 million overhaul. [Washington Post]

A MacArthur Foundation study describes new-media usage. [New York Times]

News Briefing: Wal-Mart Gives Fresh Food to Help Combat Hunger

2008-11-19T12:28:42-05:00

Wal-Mart plans on giving more than 90 million pounds of fresh food annually to the nation's largest nonprofit addressing hunger, Feeding America. [New York Times]

Eli Broad decides to build his own museum in Los Angeles. [New York Times]

News Briefing: At Meeting, Smithsonian Practices New Openness

2008-11-18T10:20:12-05:00

The Smithsonian Institution holds its first public board meeting as part of its new commitment to openness and accountability. [New York Times]

The U.S. military hopes to undermine the roots of terrorism in Africa by building clinics, digging wells, inoculating cattle, and offering other services. [Chicago Tribune]

Leaders of six nonprofits discuss what their organizations are doing to address the tough economic times. [CNN]

News Briefing: College Leaders' Salaries Climb

2008-11-17T10:02:09-05:00

As families face difficulties in sending their children to college, the pay increases for chief executives at universities is raising concern. [Washington Post]

University of Texas to lay off 3,800 people from the medical center in Galveston Island. [New York Times]

As much as people might like to sit still until their finances feel stable again, many nonprofits need support now. [New York Times]

News Briefing: Ex-Official of Diabetes Foundation Is Indicted in Theft

2008-11-14T10:42:22-05:00

A former official of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation led a false invoicing scheme that resulted in the theft of more than $1 million from the organization. [New York Times]

The former director of a Brooklyn nonprofit is arrested on charges that he stole more than $500,000 in federal aid. [New York Times]

A Winchester man reaches a deal with Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley Battlesfield Foundation to sell some of his family's land. [Washington Post]

An U.S. aid worker is shot and killed in Pakistan. [San Jose Mercury News]

News Briefing: US Cracks Down on Islamic Charity

2008-11-13T10:17:55-05:00

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center plans on opening and running 25 oncology centers abroad over the next decade in partnership with GE Healthcare. [New York Times]

A group of civil rights attorneys file a federal lawsuit claiming racial discrimination by the Louisiana Road Home program. [Associated Press]

The Bush administration cracks down on the Union of Good, an Islamic charity suspected of bankrolling Hamas. [Associated Press]

When funding comes with strings attached, a nonprofit's ability to invest in staff training, improved IT, and other infrastructure systems is compromised. [Financial Times]

News Briefing: 'Idol' Gives Back Over $64 Million to Charities

2008-11-12T10:21:48-05:00

A New York Times executive becomes the president and chief executive of National Public Radio. [New York Times]

American Idol allocates $64 million in grants to six charities. [Associated Press]

Foundation endowments feel the pinch of the economic climate. [Philadelphia Inquirer]

As formalized philanthropy in the Middle East surges, nonprofits around the world can expect billions of new donated dollars. [Wall Street Journal]

Giving Section of the NY Times Covers Wide Range of Issues

2008-11-11T09:47:48-05:00

The annual Giving section of the New York Times includes dozens of articles on charity and philanthropy, with a special focus on the effects of the financial crisis on the sector.

News Briefing: UN Using Food Aid as Lever to Lift African Farmers

2008-11-10T10:09:18-05:00

Gerard Mortier, who was to become director of New York City Opera in 2009, parts way with the board. [New York Times]

The U.N.'s World Food Program will spend $1 billion buying food for the hungry this year, in an effort to stimulate farmers in developing countries to produce more. [Associated Press]

A medical trial involving 16,000 children across Africa may start as early as next month. [Associated Press]

News Briefing: Some Philanthropists Are No Longer Content to Work Quietly

2008-11-07T10:21:27-05:00

A new breed of philanthropists are using their money to influence public policy. [New York Times]

David G. Booth donates $300 million to the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. [New York Times]

The Chicago Tribune sits down with David Booth to discuss his record donation to the University of Chicago. [Chicago Tribune]

In Sarasota County, opportunity exists for Habitat for Humanity and the city to work together. [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]

News Briefing: Pasadena Orchestras Lay Off Top Executives

2008-11-06T10:18:08-05:00

The Points of Light Institute reimburses people who were unwittingly part of a scandal involving the sale of false travel packages. [New York Times]

The Orchestras of Pasadena have laid off their two top executives. [Los Angeles Times]

News Briefing: Gates Urges Rich Countries Not to Cut Health Aid

2008-11-05T09:47:43-05:00

Gates urges rich world governments to not cut health aid to the developing world. [Reuters]

Six French aid workers are kidnapped in Somalia. [Associated Press]

The New York City Ballet shortens its summer season. [New York Times]

News Briefing: Aid Group Says Zimbabwe Misused $7.3 Million

2008-11-04T10:21:02-05:00

The government of Zimbabwe fails to return $7.3 million that was missued to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. [New York Times]

Donor-advised funds can continue to give money to charities from earnings on the investments. [Bloomberg]

The American Lung Association dissolves its Northwest affiliate. [Associated Press]

Spending in 2009 by some of the country's largest foundations is likely to be flat as the companies behind them weather the global financial crisis. [Reuters]

News Briefing: Myanmar Cyclone Survivors Rely on Handouts, Struggle On

2008-11-03T10:16:08-05:00

Six months after Cyclone Nargis, many in the worst-hit Irrawaddy delta continue to rely on handouts to stay alive. [Reuters]

In economic crisis, the divide grows between universities with huge endowments and those that depend heavily on tuition to pay their bills. [New York Times]

The endowment of the University of Texas at Austin takes a $1 billion hit. [Associated Press]

News Briefing: U.S. Colleges Punished by Financial Crisis

2008-10-31T11:44:26-04:00

As college endowments across the country continue to shrink, some schools consider raising tuition. [Reuters]

With the economy in crisis, congregations around the country are cutting expenses. [Associated Press]

News Briefing: Starbucks Joins With (RED) in Drinks Promotion

2008-10-30T10:16:36-04:00

Starbuck announces a partnership with Bono's (RED) label, donating a portion of selected holiday drinks to the Global Fund. [Associated Press]

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission votes to approve the hardship application of St. Vincent's Hospital Manhattan. [New York Times]

News Briefing: Ex-Director To Repay Smithsonian

2008-10-29T14:23:33-04:00

As the drug epidemic wanes in Harlem, the nonprofit Hale House adapts. [Associated Press]

The ex-Director of the National Museum of the American Indian agrees to reimburse the Smithsonian $9,700 for payments he should not have received. [Washington Post]

An ambitious new art biennial opens in New Orleans this week. [New York Times]

Thousands of Starbucks employees are helping to rebuild and beautiful New Orleans neighborhoods. [Associated Press]

News Briefing: Bracing for Bad Days, Operas and Orchestras Batten Down Hatches

2008-10-28T10:16:57-04:00

A new generation develops a social conscience and sense of philanthropy. [The Times]

Fundraising runs, walks, and bike rides are becoming an increasingly popular means of raising money for a cure. [San Luis Obispo Tribune]

Orchestras and opera companies across the country cut costs, eliminate rehearsals, and cancel productions in the face of a continued economic crisis. [New York Times]

Jack Nicholson, Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks, and others participate in a fundraiser for a Paul Newman's children's camp. [Associated Press]