Porch Parties Are a Charming — and Safe — Way to Raise Money

Plus, a retired Boston Pops musician gives Boston University’s medical school $100 million. Also, innovative ways to connect with donors ADVERTISEMENT [Philanthropy Today Logo]( Did someone forward you this newsletter? [Sign up free]( to receive your own copy. FUNDRAISING [Porch Parties Are a Charming, Intimate Way to Raise Money. Here’s Why.]( By Rasheeda Childress [STORY IMAGE]( With many organizations returning to in-person events, these smallish gatherings at people’s homes are popping up — and have appeal to people wary of germy indoor events. ADVERTISEMENT GIFTS ROUNDUP [Retired Boston Pops Musician Gives Boston U. $100 Million for Medical School]( By Maria Di Mento [STORY IMAGE]( Plus, an extensive public parks effort in Houston receives $100 million, Bard College lands $25 million for Indigenous studies, and a health-care nonprofit receives a big gift from MacKenzie Scott. VIDEO [Smart Fundraising: How to Streamline and Innovate]( By Sara Herschander [STORY IMAGE]( In the lead up to the year-end fundraising season, nonprofits can benefit from trying out innovative strategies for connecting with donors, say three development leaders during an online briefing organized by the Chronicle. Webinars [Key Ways to Boost Midlevel Giving]( [STORY IMAGE]( Many charities attracted new donors in the past few tumultuous years and now have an opportunity to inspire them to become loyal midlevel donors. How can your nonprofit attract, recognize, and build community among these generous supporters? Join us on demand, or live on Thursday, October 13, at 2 p.m. Eastern, to learn from a veteran fundraiser and a consultant how to maximize giving at this level. You’ll get proven tactics and real-world examples you can adapt for your organization. [Register today.]( [Build a Culture of Fundraising to Raise More Money]( [STORY IMAGE]( Nonprofit staff members who work outside the development department don’t always know how to build ties with donors — or feel comfortable asking people for money. How can you foster an organizational culture that motivates staff, volunteers, and board members to strengthen relations with donors and advance fundraising? Join our webinar on Thursday, October 27, at 2 p.m., learn from your peers how to: encourage board members to prioritize fundraising and teach non-fundraisers and volunteers how to advance fundraising. [Register today]( Nonprofit News From Elsewhere Online The Ice Bucket Challenge, a social-media giving trend that overtook the internet in 2014, ultimately contributed to the creation of a new drug treatment for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Some $2.2 million raised through the challenge went into the development and trial of the new drug, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration last week. Participants in the challenge recorded themselves pledging to donate money to the ALS Association, dumping a large bucket of water over their head, and challenging a friend to do the same. The new drug is not a cure but slows the effects of the disease in a development that ALS Association CEO Calaneet Balas says has “dramatically accelerated the fight against ALS.” The Ice Bucket Challenge raised more than $115 million in funding over all, which the ALS Association says has been used to fund 130 research projects in 12 countries. ([NPR]( More News - These Job-Training Programs Work, and May Show Others the Way ([New York Times](. Plus: Read more about how [Year Up]( a training program featured in this report, persuades donors to support its growth - Museums Vote to Allow the Sale of Art to Care for Collections ([New York Times]( - Victoria and Albert Museum Drops Financial Ties With Sackler Family Over Links With Opioids ([Guardian]( - Ernest Robles Started the Hispanic Scholarship Fund With a $30,000 Mortgage ([NPR]( - College Athletics Sees Surge in Nonprofits Paying Players ([Associated Press]( Arts and Culture - Gov. Gavin Newsom Signs “Landmark” Bill to Aid Small Performing-Arts Nonprofits ([Deadline]( - Biden Calls for Latino, Women’s Museums to Be Built on National Mall ([Hill]( SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to nonprofit news and analysis. EDITOR'S PICKS RESEARCH [Fundraisers Earned More in 2021 and Anticipate Higher Wages to Come]( By Emily Haynes [STORY IMAGE]( More than three-fourths of fundraisers said they planned to stay at their current organization, according to a survey, and among those staying, three-fourths said they expected to earn more in 2022 than last year. ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE [Philanthropy’s Response to Flint Offers Lessons for Dealing With Water Crises — and Government Failures]( By Eden Stiffman [STORY IMAGE]( Lessons from the city’s lead and water crisis are especially important now as other cities like Jackson and Baltimore struggle with drinking-water issues resulting from failing infrastructure and decades of disinvestment. OPINION [Nuclear Weapons Are an Ever-Present Danger — and Grant Makers Need to Pay Attention]( By Istra Fuhrmann and Alexandra Toma [STORY IMAGE]( Preventing nuclear war remains one of the most underfunded areas of philanthropy at a time when the war in Ukraine has raised risk levels. With the biggest grant maker in the field preparing to pull its funding, new donors are urgently needed to step in and fill the gap. OPINION [If Foundations Want to Encourage Transparency, They Should Look in the Mirror]( By Clara Miller [STORY IMAGE]( Grant makers are big proponents of transparency for everyone but themselves. To live up to their professed standards, they should embrace the same practices required of public companies and make available information about their entire operations, including how they invest endowment dollars. DISASTER AID [How Philanthropy Should Respond to Natural Disasters]( [STORY IMAGE]( Patty McIlreavy, CEO of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, talks about philanthropy’s responsibility for disaster prevention and recovery, common pitfalls for donors, and issues of equity. ADVERTISEMENT RECOMMENDED WEBINAR [Join Our Webinar]( — Many charities have attracted new donors in the past few tumultuous years, and now fundraisers have an opportunity to inspire them to become loyal midlevel donors. This key group often accounts for more than a third of a nonprofit’s total gifts each year. How can your nonprofit attract midlevel donors, recognize their generosity, inspire loyalty, and build community? Join us on demand, or live on Thursday, October 13, at 2 p.m. Eastern, to learn from a veteran fundraiser at the Arbor Day Foundation where the ranks of midlevel donors are growing, as well as from a consultant who advises numerous charities on how to maximize giving at this level. You’ll get proven ways to engage donors — virtually and in person — and real-world examples you can adapt for your organization. Register before Oct. 6 to get the early-bird rate. [Sign up today.]( JOB OPPORTUNITIES [SVP for Community Impact]( Dogwood Health Trust [Search Director (Remote Location)]( Aspen Leadership Group [Chief Executive Officer]( YWCA Richmond [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](. [Manage]( your newsletter preferences, [stop receiving]( this email, or [view]( our privacy policy. © 2022 [The Chronicle of Philanthropy]( 1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037