Daily Update: 'Giving USA' and the Democratization of Philanthropy

[THE CHRONICLE OF PHILANTHROPY] #subscribelink [SUBSCRIBE TODAY]( [Subscribe to The Chronicle today to get access to premium content and more.]( Philanthropy Today Monday, July 17, 2017 --------------------------------------------------------------- [Sign up for this newsletter]( Top News and Features From The Chronicle --------------------------------------------------------------- [8 Aid Groups Launch Rare Shared Fundraising Drive]( [premium] The Global Emergency Response Coalition formed by Mercy Corps, Save the Children, and other groups aims to raise money to keep 20 million people in Africa and the Middle East from starving — and might offer a model for other nonprofits. [Gifts Roundup: Grocery Mogul Pledges $50 Million for Teacher Training]( Other notable donations include $25 million from hedge-fund founder Jim Simons and his wife, Marilyn, to the New York Public Library for Harlem branch renovations and other programs. [Opinion: What ‘Giving USA’ Tells Us About Democracy in Philanthropy]( [premium] The report shows megadonors are not as dominant in the nation’s giving patterns. That development has an upside, philanthropy historian Benjamin Soskis writes, but there’s still reason to worry about who can influence where charitable dollars are spent. [Number of Donors Who Gave Via Network for Good Has Jumped]( About 20 percent more people made contributions in June 2017 than in June 2016, but the number of nonprofits that received gifts rose only 1.7 percent during that time. [Podcast: A $100 Million Way to Get Better, Faster Health Care to People in Need]( The Human Diagnosis Project, a semifinalist in the MacArthur Foundation’s 100&Change contest, is building a digital system to improve access to high-level care for hundreds of millions of underserved people. Read more about the implications of competitions like this in our report on key trends in philanthropy, ["What Will Matter in 2017."]( Nonprofit News From Elsewhere Online --------------------------------------------------------------- [House Panel Advances Measure to Curb Johnson Amendment:]( The Appropriations Committee voted to keep language in a spending bill that would limit the Internal Revenue Service’s ability to investigate houses of worship for engaging in partisan political activity, reports The Washington Post. Rather than repeal the Johnson Amendment, which bars electioneering by nonprofits, Congressional Republicans are targeting enforcement of the law [via the appropriations process.]( Read a [Chronicle article]( on the Trump administration’s effort to loosen restrictions on politicking by churches. [Big Foundations Take Hit in $2 Billion Private-Equity Fund’s Collapse:]( The J. Paul Getty Trust and the MacArthur and Fletcher Jones foundations were among the multimillion-dollar investors in an energy-focused fund managed by the Houston firm EnerVest that is now essentially worthless due to debt and plunging oil prices, writes The Wall Street Journal (subscription). [Corporations Join Ranks of Obama Foundation Donors:]( Microsoft and energy company Exelon gave more than $1 million each in the first three months of the year to the charitable organization building President Obama’s library and [museum,]( the Chicago Tribune reports. The firms were among more than 700 supporters listed in the foundation’s quarterly posting of $200-plus contributors. [Different Generations Sometimes Sit Uneasily at Family Philanthropic Table:]( The New York Times’s Wealth Matters column looks at conflicts over causes and giving approaches that can arise as the children of affluent families increasingly join their parents and grandparents in leading family foundations, and at the ways some clans are bridging those generation gaps. [How a $400 Million Gift Made Sioux Falls a Health-Care Center:]( The South Dakota city’s Argus Leader newspaper looks at the genesis and impact of banking billionaire T. Denny Sanford’s mammoth [2007 donation,]( which built a regional medical network into a national leader in pediatric care and diabetes research. [Opinion: Israel Enlists in Hungary’s War on George Soros:]( The billionaire financier and philanthropist, a Jewish Holocaust survivor, has given to human-rights and other groups critical of Israel's treatment of Palestinians, leading Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to issue a statement supporting an anti-Soros campaign by Hungary’s right-wing ruling party, an Israeli journalist writes in a New York Times column. Don't Miss What Everyone Else Is Reading --------------------------------------------------------------- These were the most-read articles on our site last week: [These People Will Help Chan and Zuckerberg Spend $45 Billion]( [premium] The Facebook couple is plowing millions of dollars into for-profit companies it believes can address social problems, but key hires at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative have plenty of ties to the foundation and charity worlds as well. [Development Directors Are Not Miracle Workers]( All too often the top fundraiser is a scapegoat for weaknesses on the part of the executive director and the board. In truth, fundraising is everyone's job. [Nonprofit Leaders Meet With Pence to Express Worries Over Tax Bill]( Foundation executives said the vice president pledged support for the work of charities but was noncommittal on specific policies. [Opinion: A New Breed of Leader Is Driving Social Change]( [premium] With open minds and coalition-building skills, "system entrepreneurs" can transform how philanthropy tackles the biggest social challenges. [How to Open Doors at Foundations]( In her latest advice column, nonprofit expert Allison Fine answers a question about where to look for new sources of funding. In a quandary about your career? Need tips on leadership? [Ask Allison](. Coming Thursday: Learn From Top Fundraisers How to Craft Appeals That Work --------------------------------------------------------------- Join our next webinar to hear from two fundraising leaders at Mercy Corps who will share tips for integrating online and offline fundraising and advice on how to develop campaigns and messages based on the donor’s experience ― not your internal divisions of responsibility. They’ll also explain how, over a recent six-month period, Mercy Corps increased net revenue by $84,000 by testing anniversary cards to donors that recognize the date of their first gift. [Sign up today]( &elqTrackId=93c2fd4987594e4f98860d86a1744f47&elq=ba6e924754e641a8af2aab5894dbdf91&elqaid=14738&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=6233) so can join us Thursday at 2 p.m. Eastern. Get an Inside Look on How to Reach America's Emerging Donors: Last Week to Save 20% --------------------------------------------------------------- Women, blacks, Hispanics, and many other groups are powerful forces in every walk of life — yet many nonprofits have not tapped fully into the generosity of the people who are reshaping this country's demographics. Join The Chronicle's editorial staff in Washington on September 14 to hear from nonprofits that have been successful in tapping new players and transforming their fundraising to give donors what they really want. You'll hear from experts like Emmett Carson, who has led the Silicon Valley Community Foundation for a decade, and from the fundraisers who raised the money for the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The price rises Friday, so download this special brochure to learn how you can persuade your boss that this is a fundraising conference you can't miss. [Find out more about Philanthropy NEXT.]( Job Opportunities --------------------------------------------------------------- Find your next job in The Chronicle's jobs section, where employers have posted hundreds of the best career opportunities in the nonprofit world. Here are a few: [Chief People Officer]( Best Friends Animal Society Utah, United States [Senior Prospect Research Analyst]( Rutgers University Foundation New Jersey, United States [Director of Development]( The Park School of Baltimore Maryland, United States [Director of Philanthropy]( Health Center Partners of Southern California California, United States [Grant Specialist]( Baltimore City Community College Maryland, United States [Director of Development]( Hope for Henry Foundation District of Columbia, United States [Major Gifts Officer]( United States Naval Academy Foundation California, United States [Director of People]( Walton Family Foundation Arkansas, United States [Search The Chronicle's jobs database](. 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