Higher Ed’s Dirty-Money Problem

Plus, leadership lessons for 2020 and beyond, and a businessman gives Notre Dame $25 million to endow an institute for data and society [Philanthropy Today] Was this newsletter forwarded to you? [Please sign up]( to receive your own copy. Individual giving [Higher Ed’s Dirty-Money Problem]( By Nell Gluckman The Chronicle of Higher Education Colleges claim to use tainted money for noble ends. Does anyone believe them? ADVERTISEMENT [advertisement]( Roundup [Leadership Lessons for 2020 and Beyond]( [Image]( TAPS; COLOR OF CHANGE; COMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR GREATER BUFFALO; JOHN D. & CATHERINE T. MACARTHUR FOUNDATION Leaders from diverse backgrounds shared their lessons on making a difference, including a focus on building bonds among people of different views, learning how to measure and get results, and seeking ways to do better. (PREMIUM) Gifts Roundup [Businessman Gives Notre Dame $25 Million to Endow New Institute for Data and Society]( By M.J. Prest Chronicle contributor Also, Michigan Medicine receives $20 million to develop new lifesaving therapies, a financier provides money to help those leaving foster care gain independence, and a nurse who got her degree at age 59 leaves scholarship money for students who face extraordinary demands, such as caring for a parent or spouse. More Big Gifts Plus, see all gifts of [$1 million or more]( in the Chronicle’s database. Paid for and Created by Stony Brook University [Protecting Our World]( Stony Brook University is increasing its impact in conservation, biodiversity, and sustainability globally in efforts to transform our perception and interaction with the natural world. ADVERTISEMENT [advertisement]( Catching Up Here are some important stories the Chronicle has published during the past two weeks: Major Gifts [A Banner Year for Big Gifts in 2019, With Jim Walton and Eric and Wendy Schmidt Leading the Way]( By Maria Di Mento Chronicle reporter The Chronicle’s annual top-10 list of the largest gifts announced by individuals or their foundations total more than $6.2 billion in 2019. (PREMIUM) Fundraising [California’s New Privacy Law Draws Attention From Nonprofits]( By Emily Haynes Chronicle reporter While nonprofits are not covered by the law setting new privacy standards, the marketing companies that many large groups work with do have to comply. Some industry groups and nonprofits fear rising costs to raise money; others see an opportunity to take stock of the data they collect and how they use it. (PREMIUM) Fundraising [Youth, Education, and Health Groups Hit Hardest by the Sharp Decline in Americans Who Give]( By Emily Haynes Chronicle reporter Some 20 million Americans who gave to charity in 2000 had stopped giving by 2016, a new study shows. (PREMIUM) Nonprofit News From Elsewhere New York State will spend $45 million to protect religious schools and institutions after recent anti-Semitic attacks. Religious organizations, including schools, day camps, community centers, and museums can apply for up to $50,000 to fund various security measures, and community leaders have called for more resources. Legislators will also consider loosening a new law that forbids the use of cash bail for most misdemeanor and nonviolent felony offenses to allow it for hate crimes. Advocates say cash bail unfairly burdens poor and minority defendants. Five people were stabbed by an attacker at a synagogue in Monsey, N.Y., on December 28. ([Wall Street Journal]( — subscription) The NAACP is urging some of its local chapters to rethink their support of the fossil-fuel companies from which they receive donations. In the past decade, the organization has stepped up its research and advocacy on environmental justice, even as some of its chapters have joined with local utilities to criticize clean-energy measures as burdensome for minority communities. Officials at the national level have been talking to their local chapters about the particular cost to minority communities of burning fossil fuels, including higher rates of asthma and other health problems, as well as minority communities’ vulnerability to the effects of climate change. ([New York Times]( The Catholic Church’s slowness to reach out to its priests’ sexual-abuse victims has hit minority worshippers particularly hard. Some have relied on the church for basic needs, including food, and may have stayed quiet. They may also be less able to hire lawyers to help press their claims and less able to defend themselves when the church hires lawyers to investigate those alleging sexual abuse. One reliable source says minorities make up nearly half of the U.S. Catholic population, but most dioceses do not collect demographic data on sexual-abuse victims. ([Associated Press]( More News Bill Gates’s Big Takeaway From 2019: Raise His Taxes ([Vox]( Ark. Still Sees Giving by Clintons: 10 Groups Aided by Family Charity ([Arkansas Democrat-Gazette]( Celebrities Like Gisele Bundchen and Martin Scorsese Donate Fraction of Wealth to Their Own Charities ([New York Post]( Charities Are One of the Biggest Winners of This Bull Market ([Barron’s]( — subscription) Obituary: Harvey Sandler, Who Donated Millions to Boca Raton Causes ([Sun Sentinel]( Nonprofit Leaders Remain Disproportionately White and Are Less Likely to Address Racial Inequality ([Milwaukee Independent]( Elite Schools in England Refuse $1 Million Donation From 96-Year-Old White Man Intended Exclusively for Poor White Boys ([Blavity]( The Promise of Nonprofit Journalism ([NiemanLab]( Health Care Nonprofits Emerge to Support Ohio’s Medical Marijuana Patients ([Akron Beacon Journal]( Nonprofits and the Medical Profession Tackle Human Trafficking as a Health-Care Crisis ([Washington Post]( Arts and Culture What the Death of a Manhattan Music School Says About Opportunity in the Classical World ([Gothamist]( British Museum Cools on BP Ahead of Arctic Exhibition in a Win for Climate Activists ([City A.M.]( Taxes and Government IRS Says Charity Crypto Donations Must Be Declared ([Bitcoinist]( The IRS Tried to Crack Down on Rich People Using an ‘Abusive’ Tax Deduction. It Hasn’t Gone So Well. ([ProPublica]( Subscribe to the Chronicle As donors become increasingly selective in their giving, it’s more important than ever that you have unlimited access to the tools and resources needed to show your impact. A subscription to the Chronicle of Philanthropy provides you with the knowledge you need to generate excitement for your nonprofit, grow your donor base, and stay ahead of emerging trends. [Subscribe Today]( What Everyone Else Is Reading [Charles and Margery Barancik, Fla. Philanthropists, Die in Car Crash (Transitions)]( Also, Boy Scouts of America appoints a new CEO, and Margot Brandenburg is joining the Ford Foundation as mission investments senior program officer. [The Year’s Big Stories in the Nonprofit World That Point to Key Changes Ahead]( Concerns about tainted money, undue pressure on fundraisers, the inequality gap, and the role of philanthropy in fixing democracy are among the issues we covered in the past year that will continue as major forces in the year ahead. [Key Research Findings for Fundraisers and Other Nonprofit Executives: Roundup]( Why the language men use in grant proposals works better than what women write, why it’s important not to delay in making pitches to beneficiaries of services, how big a difference nonprofit transparency makes to donors, and other results from scholarly studies. [Working With Donor-Advised Funds: The Basics]( Donor-advised funds continue to boom. Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about receiving donations from the accounts. [The 7 Most Interesting Big Donors of 2019]( Taking on racial inequities was a major theme among several of the major donors profiled by the Chronicle this year. Monthly Giving: What’s Working Now [Join our next webinar]( — Persuading people to give every month has multiple benefits: Monthly donors give more than other supporters, are twice as likely to continue contributing from year to year, and provide a more predictable source of revenue. How can your nonprofit attract more monthly donors and boost the bottom line? Join us for a 75-minute webinar to learn what is — and is not — working for other organizations. Our experts will share best practices and new tips to help you inspire loyalty, resolve common payment problems, and give sustaining donors appropriate recognition. Plus, you’ll get dos and don’ts for marketing and real-world examples of messages that get results. Don’t miss this chance to learn how to enlist — and keep — monthly supporters. [Sign up today]( to join us on January 16 at 2 pm Eastern. Want More News and Ideas About Fundraising? See our brand new free weekly newsletter chock full of stories to give you an edge, keep you up to date, and inspire you with advice from your peers. [Subscribe here](. 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: [Vice Chancellor for Advancement]( University of North Carolina at Pembroke [Advisor]( Science Philanthropy Alliance [Development Director, Sports Non-Profit]( Athletes for Hope [Executive Director, Echoing Hope Ranch]( Echoing Hope Ranch [Search the Chronicle's jobs database](. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Sign up]( for other newsletters, [stop receiving]( this email, or [view]( our privacy policy. © 2020 [The Chronicle of Philanthropy]( 1255 23rd Street, N.W. 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