Fundraising Campaigns Move Forward Despite Pandemic Disruption

Plus, philanthropy can’t save our faltering democracy (opinion), and discriminatory databases and application forms can keep nonprofits from diversifying their boards ADVERTISEMENT [Advertisement]( [logo] [Read this newsletter on the web](. FUNDRAISING [Fundraising Campaigns Move Forward Despite Pandemic Disruption]( By Emily Haynes [image] The pandemic has led to changes in campaign timelines, fundraising priorities, and of course, how fundraisers ask for the major gifts that are critical to helping nonprofits of all kinds — aid groups, arts organizations, and others — reach ambitious goals. Experts believe some of these changes may stick around in the years to come. ADVERTISEMENT [Advertisement]( OPINION [Our Democracy Is Faltering, but We Can’t Rely on Philanthropy Save It]( By Ellen Friedman [image] When private wealth and philanthropy continually come to the rescue, we lose sight of the benefits of a representative democracy in which taxes provide for the common good and elected representatives uphold and respect the democratic process. ADVICE [Having Trouble Diversifying Your Board? The Culprit May Be Your Discriminatory Database and Application Forms]( By Kathy Johnson Bowles [image] These tools can stifle diversity from the start, especially if those conducting the board search are making assumption about identity, leadership qualities, and expertise that reflect stereotypical white male notions about achievement. GRANTS ROUNDUP [Amazon Commits $125 Million to Housing Equity Fund]( By M.J. Prest [image] Also, Morgan Stanley gave $100 million to the National Equity Fund to help low-income renters in Atlanta, and First Premier Bank has granted $50 million to endow need-based scholarships for students at universities in South Dakota. Paid for and Created by CCS Fundraising [CCS Survey Shows Improved Fundraising Trends and Evolved Donor Engagement Tactics]( Gain insights into fundraising outcomes, impacts, and evolving donor engagement tactics via CCS Fundraising’s newly released third-edition report, Fundraising Impact of COVID-19, highlighting results that indicate improved virtual solicitations. Nonprofit News From Elsewhere San Francisco lawmakers are turning to philanthropists to help fund an ambitious post-pandemic recovery effort for the city's public schools. They hope to raise $2 billion over five years to implement proposals from a new commission that could include, for example, smaller class sizes, summer school, or Saturday school. The measure's main sponsor aims to put public-school services and funding, which comes to about $12,000 per student in California, on par with the state's private schools, which charge $20,000 to $60,000 a year per student. To fully fund the project for the district's 53,000 students would require "several billionaires writing a $50 million check annually for five years." Critics of the plan say that by focusing on San Francisco, this type of philanthropy would worsen educational inequities across the state. ([San Francisco Chronicle]( — subscription) A nonprofit coalition of advertising agencies is producing a series of commercials aiming to get mothers involved in climate-change advocacy. The $10 million campaign, by the Potential Energy Coalition, will feature mothers who are climate scientists explaining that climate change will affect everyone's children. Opinion research shows that mothers are more concerned about the effects of climate change than the general public. The ads urge political advocacy in addition to the usual small, personal actions that groups often encourage, and they are a counterpoint to polluting-industry "advertisements featuring happy families and children breathing clean air." ([Los Angeles Times]( More News - How One Nonprofit Is Turning Empty Schoolyards Into Vibrant Public Parks ([Fast Company]( - Philadelphia Nonprofit Can’t Open Drug Safe-Injection Site, Federal Appeals Court Rules ([Wall Street Journal]( — subscription) - Giving People Money Turns Out to Be an Incredibly Effective Tool in Ending Homelessness ([Fast Company]( - Rising Covid Needs Force Federations to Dip Into Their Endowments ([Jewish Insider]( - Smithsonian Partners With PBS to Share Educational Programs Online ([Washington Post]( - Streamlined Nonprofit Application Needs Fixing, IRS Told ([Law 360]( — subscription) Arts and Culture - Cuomo Announces a ‘New York Arts Revival’ ([Washington Post]( - The Arts Are in Crisis. Here’s How Biden Can Help. ([New York Times]( - How 8 Countries Have Tried to Keep Artists Afloat ([New York Times]( - Diego Rivera Mural to Get Landmark Status, Blocking Potential Sale ([New York Times]( Subscribe to the Chronicle The Chronicle of Philanthropy is dedicated to helping nonprofits care for their clients and staff, manage financial setbacks, and stay connected with donors. Please consider subscribing, so that we may continue to provide essential news, resources, and analysis to the nonprofit world. [Subscribe Today]( Editor's Picks LEADING [Why Women Don’t Get Ahead]( By Jim Rendon [image] For a variety of reasons, women continue to be held back from chances to earn more and gain powerful positions at nonprofits large and small. The situation is even tougher for women of color. DISPATCHES [Taking Off Blinders: How the Insurrection at the Capitol Changes My Grant-Making Perspective]( By Lisa Pilar Cowan [image] I had a clever column worked out to open 2021, one that would detail my New Year’s resolutions to be a better grant maker. I had talked with the colleague who illustrates these dispatches for the Chronicle about the most amusing ways to show me as cleareyed and resolute. CORPORATE PHILANTHROPY [How to Navigate Corporate Giving in 2021]( By Kyle Mitnick [image] The pandemic has transformed vast swaths of the economy, and corporate philanthropy is no exception. Covid-19 and the need for remote work have caused many companies to reassess their philanthropic priorities. The way that businesses and charities work together is evolving, too. OPINION [Philanthropy Can’t Replace Our Broken Government — but It Can Help Rebuild It]( By Loren McArthur [image] The Trump administration’s failures during the pandemic have revealed government’s essential role in protecting the public welfare. Philanthropists should work to restore that role, rather than simply stepping in to try to fill the breach. OPINION [Investors Trust the Companies They Support. Here’s How Grant Makers Can Do the Same.]( By Andrea Levere and Dan Nissenbaum [image] Providing support that helps nonprofits improve their management and finances and removing requirements that divert attention from crucial missions is especially important in the pandemic and social upheaval now challenging nonprofits. Job announcement Senior Vice President for Philanthropy and Special Advisor to the President at New York Philharmonic. [Visit jobs.philanthropy.com]( for more details. ADVERTISEMENT [Advertisement]( Paid for and Created by Ellucian [Advancement in Uncertain Times]( How can institutions break silos and foster a sense of shared responsibility for supporting and furthering the institution’s mission? Advancement teams are key to helping chart the path forward toward solutions. How to Craft an Annual Fundraising Plan in Uncertain Times [Join Our Webinar]( — A savvy development plan is the bedrock of the best fundraising. It helps organizations hit or surpass goals, track results, change course if needed, and focus limited resources on activities that will bear the most fruit. But how can you plan for a full year amid so much uncertainty? Join the Chronicle and our expert guests on Thursday, January 14 at 2 p.m. to learn how to set priorities, create a road map to achieve your goals, measure success, and allow for flexibility. Three expert guests — two fundraising executives and a consultant — will outline key questions to consider when creating a fundraising strategy, including how to balance short-term needs with long-term goals and prepare your trustees and executives to make decisions quickly as circumstances shift. You'll also get key steps to take to ensure a plan delivers, learn how to reassess your priorities, tactics, and metrics during uncertain times, and get sample elements of development plans to help you create a smart fundraising strategy for 2021. [Register today to get the early-bird rate.]( Job Opportunities [Development Officer (Texas-based) ProPublica/Texas Tribune Investigative Unit]( The Texas Tribune and ProPublica [Director of Special Events and Grants]( Springpoint [Executive Director for Annual Giving]( Carnegie Mellon University [Senior Vice President for Philanthropy and Special Advisor to the President]( New York Philharmonic [Search the Chronicle's jobs database]( to view the latest jobs in philanthropy. What did you think of today’s newsletter? [Strongly disliked]( // [It was OK]( // [Loved it](. [logo]( This newsletter was sent to {EMAIL}. [Manage]( your newsletter preferences, [stop receiving]( this email, or [view]( our privacy policy. © 2021 [The Chronicle of Philanthropy]( 1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037