A New Approach to Research Empowers the Girls and Young Women a Foundation Serves

Plus, how to jump-start individual giving, and progressive grant makers need to train their leaders as well as conservatives do (opinion) ADVERTISEMENT [Advertisement]( [logo] Was this newsletter forwarded to you? [Please sign up to receive your own copy.]( You’ll support our journalism and ensure that you continue to receive our emails. [Read this newsletter on the web](. GRANT MAKING [A New Approach to Research Empowers the Girls and Young Women a Foundation Serves]( By Alex Daniels [image] Girls and young women helped design the surveys and interviewed their peers — and gleaned more information than a rigid scientific study ever could, according to the foundation’s leaders. ADVERTISEMENT [Advertisement]( INDIVIDUAL GIVING [How to Jump-Start Individual Giving]( By Lisa Schohl [image] Start with your board — and much more advice to help you connect you to people with the interest and capacity to make sizable gifts. OPINION [Foundations, the Solution to Our Democracy Deficit Lies in Plain Sight]( By Deepak Bhargava and Gara LaMarche Conservative grant makers have done an outstanding job of training their leaders. Now progressive funds need to do the same — and put the focus on what activists of all generations need most. Paid for and Created by Lamar University [Lamar University implements virtual solutions during remarkable times]( From creating live classroom settings to implementing student discussion boards, Lamar University professors are overcoming virtual obstacles with technology and ingenuity, living and teaching fine arts through a Zoom call. Coming Thursday: Win Loyalty From Big Donors Join our webinar and learn from the experts. [See details below](. Nonprofit News From Elsewhere President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden gave $30,704 of their $607,336 income — about 5 percent — to charity last year, according to tax returns just released. Of the10 organizations to which the Bidens contributed, the Beau Biden Foundation, which focuses on child abuse and is named after the president’s deceased son, received the largest gift, $10,000. Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Douglas Emhoff had income of $1,695,225 and contributed $27,006 to charity. ([Associated Press]( A court order to get homeless people off the streets of Los Angeles in the next several months has advocates debating emergency measures and long-term solutions. Most agree that the fundamental driver of homelessness is skyrocketing rents and that the solution is to build more affordable housing. But the court order would shift some funds from a city housing-construction loan program into temporary accommodations. Zoning restrictions and continuing opposition to multifamily projects also keep the housing supply tight. In the meantime, more people fall into homelessness in Los Angeles County each day than are rehoused. ([Vox]( The Museum of Fine Arts Houston, which in May 2020 became the first major museum in the country to reopen after the pandemic closure, offers a cautionary tale for museums around the nation that are looking to fully reopen. Many employees at the Houston museum thought the early reopening was an unnecessary gamble with their safety. Staffers had to enforce mask rules and social distancing and even had to navigate the grand opening of a new building when the museum offered free entry. The larger crowds coincided with a countywide alert to stay home and avoid large gatherings. Some employees were denied the option to work from home and were offered medical leave instead, while others had to stand outside in the Houston summer taking visitors' temperatures for long stretches. In its defense, the museum noted it was able to avoid layoffs by remaining open, and it started offering free weekly Covid testing in June and, later, free vaccines. ([Texas Observer]( More News and Opinion - Opinion: Charitable Donations as a Form of Influence-Peddling Should Be Stopped ([Los Angeles Times]( - This Nonprofit Is Helping Communities Stop Pandemics in Their Tracks ([Devex]( - Biden White House Officials Hold First Meeting With Representatives of Atheist and Secular Groups ([Religion News Service]( - Wealthy Americans’ Giving Took on Local Focus During Pandemic ([Bizwomen]( - Reagan Foundation Demands 'Trump Train' Bus Remove Image of Gipper in MAGA Hat ([Salon]( - Dartmouth Announces $20 Million Gift for Diversity in STEM Fields ([Valley News]( The Arts - “Strike MoMA” Protests Led to 5 Activists Being Banned From the Museum ([Observer]( - Workers at the Whitney Museum Move to Form a Union ([New York Times]( How to Inspire Loyalty Among Major Donors [Join our webinar]( — America’s wealthiest donors gave a total of $24.7 billion last year to help charities address Covid-19 and racial injustice, while nonprofits that tackle hunger, homelessness, and other issues related to poverty received far more from philanthropists than ever before. But attracting gifts from big donors is competitive in the best of times, and the events of the past year upended nearly everything about major-gift fundraising. How can your nonprofit cultivate wealthy supporters — and secure large gifts — during times like these? Join us Thursday, May 20, at 2 p.m. to learn from savvy big-gift fundraisers about what is working — and what is not — in the new normal. Earl Granger III, head of development at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, and Princess Gamble, fundraising executive at the Smithsonian Institution, will share fresh and creative ways to connect with high-net-worth donors, convey impact, and deepen ties despite social distancing. Both experts will draw on years of big-gift fundraising experience. In previous roles, Gamble helped lead the National Museum of African American History and Culture's $350 million capital campaign, and Granger successfully led a $1 billion campaign at William & Mary. [Register today]( and then join us on May 20 to learn from two fundraising leaders. Editor's Picks CAMPAIGNS [World Vision Launches $1 Billion Campaign]( By Eden Stiffman [image] The Every Last One campaign is the group’s largest-ever fund drive. The Christian humanitarian organization aims to meet its ambitious goal by 2023 to help 60 million people around the world lift themselves out of poverty. GIVING RESEARCH [Charitable Giving Expected to Return to Pre-Pandemic Patterns in 2021]( By Michael Theis [image] Human-service charities whose programs were in high demand in 2020 may chart declines in year-over-year revenue in 2021, according to a new report. ADVOCACY [140 Foundations, Activists, and Others Urge Grant Makers to Use Their Shareholder Power to Advance Racial Equity]( By Dan Parks Grant makers are urging investment managers to vote for corporate board members and proposals that will put pressure on companies to do more to aid people of color. OPINION [Philanthropy’s Failed Covid Test]( By Benjamin Soskis [image] While large sums have been given, the wealthiest are still richer than before the pandemic hit. And grant makers have been reluctant to say they will permanently lift restrictions on grants. What’s more, when it comes to vaccines, the world’s neediest are still waiting. OPINION [Low Pay and Poor Working Conditions Forced a Vital Nonprofit to Shut Down. I Was Complicit in Its Demise.]( By Lisa Ranghelli Blinded by my class and race privilege, it never occurred to me to probe the organization’s salary structure more closely and provide the support its leaders needed to continue their important work. Job announcement Annual Giving Coordinator at Starr King School for the Ministry.[Visit jobs.philanthropy.com]( for more details. ADVERTISEMENT [Advertisement]( Paid for and Created by Dipont Education [The Making of a Global Educator]( For Carol Santos, global education is the ideal education for any student. So when an opportunity to create a school entirely from scratch in China presented itself, she was thrilled and excited at the chance to create a curriculum that integrated the best of Chinese and Western practices. 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]( Job Opportunities [Donor Engagement Manager]( Coral Restoration Foundation [Annual Giving Coordinator]( Starr King School for the Ministry [Director of Gift and Estate Planning]( The University of Texas, Austin [Senior Director of Development-Data & Direct Response]( Mercy for Animals [Search the Chronicle's jobs database]( to view the latest jobs in philanthropy. What did you think of today’s newsletter? 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