Independent Sector Names a New Chief Executive

Plus, what donors need to know before giving to charity ADVERTISEMENT [Philanthropy Today Logo]( Did someone forward you this newsletter? [Sign up free]( to receive your own copy. TRANSITIONS [Independent Sector Appoints New CEO]( By M.J. Prest [STORY IMAGE]( Also, the MacArthur and Rockefeller foundations both name new chief operating officers. ADVERTISEMENT INDIVIDUAL GIVING [Donor Beware: Pause Before You Give to Any Cause]( By Sarah Webber [STORY IMAGE]( How donors can avoid avoid scams and make better informed decisions when donating to nonprofits. Webinars [How to Navigate Corporate Giving in 2022]( [STORY IMAGE]( Many companies boosted giving and adjusted their grant-making practices and priorities in response to the health and racial-justice crises. Join us on demand, or live Thursday, September 29, to learn which changes continued in 2022, how to best appeal to corporate grant makers now, and tips for cultivating potential new partners. The early-bird rate ends September 22. Save your spot. [Sign up today.]( Nonprofit News From Elsewhere Online Former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant helped redirect welfare funds through a nonprofit to a sports complex championed by former NFL quarterback Brett Favre, newly disclosed text messages show. Nancy New, who ran a nonprofit that managed tens of millions of dollars in federal welfare money disbursed by the state, presented the texts as part of a civil suit the state is pursuing against 38 people to recoup $24 million in welfare funds. New has already pleaded guilty to 13 felonies and is cooperating with the lawsuit. She said Bryant helped her and others scrape together $5 million that Favre was trying to raise for construction of a new volleyball stadium for the University of Southern Mississippi, where his daughter played the sport, and that Bryant even approved a $1.1 million make-work contract for Favre whose proceeds would be channeled to the project. The texts also show Bryant advising Favre and New on putting together a funding proposal to submit to the welfare agency. Bryant, who has said he put a stop to the volleyball project, did not address the text messages but said New and her lawyers “are more concerned with pretrial publicity than they are with civil justice.” Neither Bryant nor Favre has been charged with a crime, and the state’s lawsuit, although it deals with widespread fraud, does not address the stadium scheme. Current Gov. Tate Reeves fired a lawyer who had represented the welfare agency after he tried to subpoena documents related to the volleyball project. ([Mississippi Today]( Saturday’s National Museum Day finds the country’s museums emerging from the pandemic only to confront rising costs, a tight labor market, and a public that is paring down its entertainment and cultural spending. Attendance is still down at many institutions, according to the American Alliance of Museums. In a survey by the alliance last winter, 61 percent of museums responding reported an average 38 percent decrease in net operating performance in 2020, and 27 percent saw another 33 percent average drop in 2021. Curators are trying new ways to woo visitors, from holding more events to hosting community services, including food banks and wellness clinics. Other museums have raised admission fees or cut staff and programs. A spokesman for the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle said the price of gasoline has likely deterred many of the regional visitors the museum typically gets. Arts leaders hope that free admissions at nearly 1,000 museums and cultural sites tomorrow will entice people to return later as paying customers. ([NBC News]( Patagonia Gift - Patagonia Billionaire Who Gave Up Company Skirts $700 Million Tax Hit ([Bloomberg]( - Philanthropy, the Billionaires’ Way ([New York Times]( More News - ‘This Is Not the End’: L.A. Advocates Say Veto Doesn’t Shut Door to Safe Injection Sites ([Los Angeles Times](. Plus: [Safe Injection Sites for Drug Users Are a Tough Sell to Foundations]( - D.C. Nonprofits Pivot After Tex. Sends Migrants to Vice President’s Home ([DCist]( - To Feed Hungry San Diegans, One Charity Is Offering Food — and Help With Paperwork ([San Diego Union-Tribune]( - Democrats Propose Foundation to Boost Digital Equity Efforts ([Washington Post]( - Calif. Cities Lead the Way on Guaranteed Income ([New York Times]( - HUD Probe Into Valuation Bias Focuses on Appraisal Foundation ([American Banker]( - $55 million gift to Penn is aimed at stopping breast cancer before it starts ([Philadelphia Inquirer]( Opinion - A Socially Conscious but Politically Incorrect Company: Black Rifle Coffee seeks to help veterans, but finance and law firms deemed it a ‘reputational risk.’ ([Wall Street Journal]( — subscription) - The Campaign Against Our Yeshivas: Bureaucrats in Albany Are Undermining the Very Education We Want for Our Children ([Wall Street Journal]( — subscription) Arts and Culture - Who Benefits When Western Museums Return Looted Art? ([Atlantic]( - Employees of the Walters File Lawsuit Against Museum Over Efforts to Unionize ([Baltimore Sun]( - Misty Copeland Creates Program to Bring More Diversity to Ballet ([New York Times]( - Aperture Foundation Lands a New Headquarters ([New York Times]( SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to nonprofit news and analysis. EDITOR'S PICKS EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION [Pandemic Lowered CEO Salaries at Big Groups Initially — but Fierce Competition May Be Sending Them Back Up]( By Sara Herschander [STORY IMAGE]( The most comprehensive look to date at the impact of Covid and economic jolts suggests that there was a lot of belt tightening early on for CEOs — so pay increases now need to make up for that and the tight job market. SIDE MEETINGS [Philanthropy Jumps Into the Spotlight at Next Week’s U.N. Meetings]( By Alex Daniels [STORY IMAGE]( Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg, Hillary and Bill Clinton, and Melinda French Gates will be among the leaders of meetings designed to channel new funds to solving problems like the global refugee crisis, threats to democracy, climate change, and pandemic recovery. FUNDRAISING [Ask the Right Questions on Surveys to Better Target Fundraising]( By Rasheeda Childress [STORY IMAGE]( Asking donors what part of an organization’s mission excites them the most can help fundraisers tailor future interactions to their interests. But experts caution that if a group can’t follow through on the responses, don’t ask the questions. OPINION [Upstart News Outlets Are Leading a Media Revolution in Communities of Color. Grant Makers Should Take Notice.]( By Tracie Powell [STORY IMAGE]( A new breed of Black and brown journalists is reaching overlooked consumers through Facebook and Instagram. They need philanthropic investment to achieve long-term sustainability as trusted local new sources. OPINION [New Federal Climate Spending Needs People to Power It. Philanthropy Can Help by Investing in National Service.]( By Kristen Bennett [STORY IMAGE]( The absence of a Civilian Climate Corps from recent climate legislation is a wake-up call for grant makers to increase support for national service programs. Such efforts will allow more young people to respond to the environmental crisis and receive training for careers in the clean energy field. ADVERTISEMENT RECOMMENDED WEBINAR [How to Attract — and Keep — Top Fundraisers] [Watch Our Latest Webinar On-Demand]( — As fewer Americans give to charities, nonprofits are relying on big donors more than ever. Join us on demand to learn from a veteran major-gift officer and a fundraiser at an academic medical center about the approaches they are using to secure gifts in 2022. They'll offer insights into: - How they've adapted and why - Which donors to focus on and how to increase their giving - Tips for handling economic uncertainty - The most effective ways to communicate need. Don't miss this chance to gain valuable insights you can apply to your year-end strategy. [Register today and receive the recording.]( JOB OPPORTUNITIES [Vice President of Institutional Advancement, PAI]( PAI [Leadership Giving Officer]( Colby College [Senior Director, External Affairs]( Our Turn [Senior Director of Private Development, Institutional Donors]( Internews [Associate Vice President Planned Giving]( HonorHealth [Executive Director]( Madison House [Search other jobs.]( NEWSLETTER FEEDBACK [Please let us know what you thought of today's newsletter in this three-question survey](. [Chronicle of Philanthropy Logo]( This newsletter was sent to {EMAIL}. [Read this newsletter on the web](. 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