One cause that does not receive a lot of attention from philanthropists is mental health. Under that umbrella, social isolation has emerged as a new focus of some donors, even if most of the larger grantmakers continue to ignore the issue. Researchers have accumulated a significant amount of data showing how much loneliness impacts health.… Continue Reading
The billionaire founder of Facebook Inc. Mark Zuckerberg, along with Dr. Priscilla Chan, his wife, recently announced that they are on the hunt for a chief investment officer (CIO) who will manage more than $10 billion in philanthropic contributions through their LLC, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. The organization has brought on Yale University’s longtime CIO… Continue Reading
When vetting a nonprofit that you are thinking about donating to, it is important to think about transparency. When nonprofits operate transparently, they build trust with the people supporting them. Legally, nonprofits have to disclose certain information to the public and board members must have access to financials to fulfill their role. Ideally, a nonprofit’s… Continue Reading
Choosing the right charity can be difficult, especially if no nonprofit seems to tackle a problem from the right angle or use the right strategies. Instead of settling and supporting an organization that does not exactly align with your expectations, you may want to consider creating your own charity. Establishing a charity allows people to… Continue Reading
One of the emerging trends in philanthropy is a push to hold donors more accountable for the impact that they make through their funding decisions. This trend was solidified by the introduction of Philamplify a few years ago. An initiative of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP), Philamplify provides critical feedback to select foundations… Continue Reading
Mark Zuckerberg, founder of the social media giant Facebook, recently appeared before Congress to talk about Cambridge Analytica and its exploitation of social data on Facebook. While this event has raised a lot of anxiety about data security, it has also triggered philanthropists to focus more on data security. This focus has culminated in the… Continue Reading
Recently, the nonprofit arm of Salesforce, which is known as Salesforce.org, joined forces with the United Way to create a fundamental change in corporate philanthropy. Many companies across the nation offer to match the donations that their employees make to charitable causes. Typically, the process involves employees filling out a form that identifies a recipient… Continue Reading
The field of philanthropy has changed a great deal over the past couple of decades. Whereas major foundations once dominated giving, individuals are now making bigger contributions, due in part to the increasing number of billionaires in the early 2000s. Most recently, things have begun to change at an exponential rate, with many social issues… Continue Reading
The year 2017 was a landmark one for the philanthropic community, with several gifts made in excess of $1 billion. Data from The Chronicle of Philanthropy show that 2017 was the best year for giving in the last decade. The 10 biggest gifts of the year collectively totaled more than $10 billion, which is more… Continue Reading
Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) remains one of the most effective organizations in the nation working on behalf of veterans, especially those dealing with the physical, social, and emotional wounds of war. One of the organization’s biggest focuses is helping individuals transition successfully from service to civilian life through a number of dedicated programs. In addition,… Continue Reading