Drop in Small Donations Poses a Threat for Nonprofits as Recession Looms, Report Says

Plus, why one foundation leader doesn’t want gratitude from grantees (opinion), and University of Florida Scripps Biomedical Research gets $100 million gift ADVERTISEMENT [Philanthropy Today Logo]( Did someone forward you this newsletter? [Sign up free]( to receive your own copy. GIVING DATA [2022’s ‘Collapse’ in Small Gifts Threatens Nonprofits as Recession Looms, Report Says]( By Drew Lindsay [STORY IMAGE]( Charities are losing the supporters who could help them navigate a downturn, according to data from the year’s first half. ADVERTISEMENT OPINION [No Thank You: Why One Foundation Leader Doesn’t Want Gratitude From Grantees]( By Lisa Pilar Cowan [STORY IMAGE]( Grant makers aren’t giving away their own money so the conversation with their partners should always be about equals working to change the world — not as benefactor and supplicant. GIFTS ROUNDUP [Inventor of the UV Coating on Sunglasses Gave $100 Million to U. of Florida Scripps Biomedical Research]( By Maria Di Mento [STORY IMAGE]( Plus, Jackie and Mike Bezos gave $710 million to Fred Hutch Cancer Center, and Massachusetts General Hospital got $50 million to expand sickle cell disease research and to support other programs. Webinars [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., to learn from your peers how to: encourage board members to prioritize fundraising and teach non-fundraisers and volunteers how to advance fundraising. [Register today.]( Briefings & Forums [Tomorrow: Leading Nonprofits Through Tumultuous Times]( [STORY IMAGE]( With the world unsettled by threats of famine, inflation, polarization, and a pressing need for equity, how can leaders steer their nonprofits, and advance their missions in such a turbulent climate? Join us tomorrow, October 18, at 2 p.m. Eastern, for a free briefing. Two executives will discuss the domino effects of recent crises and the shifting philanthropic response, plus, planning and budgeting for a possible recession, strategies for retaining staff in a tight job market, and setting revenue goals amid economic uncertainty. [Register today.]( SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to nonprofit news and analysis. Nonprofit News From Elsewhere Online The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will put another $1.2 billion into the global effort to wipe out polio. A nearly 35-year campaign by the world’s health officials came extremely close to eradicating the disease, leaving the wild strain contained to Afghanistan and Pakistan. But the floods in Pakistan suspended an immunization program there, giving the virus a chance to take hold and eventually spread into southeastern Africa. Before Bill Gates announced this new pledge, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, launched in 1988, was $2.6 billion short of the $4.8 billion it says it needs to get polio vaccines and other health services to 370 million children by 2026. The remaining gap could be closed at a pledging summit for the World Health Organization in Germany this week, Gates said. This gift will put the Gates Foundation’s contributions to the campaign at $5 billion. ([Bloomberg]( Financial shenanigans are plaguing youth sports leagues, which sometimes take in big money that is subject to little oversight in the nonprofit, often volunteer-run organizations. Embezzlement cases have been brought in, Michigan, Nebraska, Oregon, Virginia, and Wisconsin, sometimes spurring countersuits. In Oregon, shortly after officials with the Bend FC Timbers club fired its executive director, former professional soccer player Tara Bilanski, last year, they found an $80,000 hole in the club’s books. That has led to embezzlement accusations against Bilanksi and another employee, and a counter suit. Some of these clubs have seven-figure budgets but lack trained money managers, while no centralized body keeps track of improprieties or legal actions in youth sports. One former youth sports treasurer who started a watchdog nonprofit devoted to the issue said embezzlement has been pervasive in the clubs for years. ([Washington Post]( More News - Faith Groups Curb Work in Haiti Amid Continuing Chaos Since 2021 Kidnapping ([Associated Press]( - Philadelphia Museum of Art Reaches Tentative Deal to End Strike ([New York Times]( - 3 Twin Cities Foundations Experiment With New — and Dramatically Different — Forms of Philanthropic Giving ([Pioneer Press]( - How Volunteers Open Their Homes to Women Seeking Abortions ([New York Times]( College Endowments - Harvard Predicts Looming Markdowns to Private Fund Holdings ([Financial Times]( — subscription). Plus: How Alternative Investments Saved the Day for Big University Endowments ([Barron’s]( - Princeton Will Stop Taking Oil Money. Now the Pressure Is On at Harvard, MIT, and Columbia ([New Republic]( Nonprofits and the Law - Nonprofit Sues N.M. Hospital Over Claims of Illegal Lawsuits on Medical Bills ([KRQE]( - Ariz. Attorney General’s Office Asks Feds to Investigate Conservative Nonprofit True the Vote ([Politico]( - 1st Guilty Plea Entered in $250 Million Federal Food-Program Fraud by Minn. Nonprofit ([Associated Press]( EDITOR'S PICKS COMPENSATION SURVEY [Salaries of Foundation CEOs Aren’t Keeping Pace With Inflation; Racial Diversity Grows Among Grant Makers]( By Alex Daniels [STORY IMAGE]( A new study by the Council on Foundations finds that grant makers are boosting benefits to make up for lack of pay raises. Meanwhile, the boards of foundations aren’t keeping up with strides in race and gender diversity of staff. OPINION [Today’s Unyielding Social-Change Culture Would Have Stifled My Potential as a Nonprofit Leader of Color]( By Eboo Patel [STORY IMAGE]( When grant makers turned down the author’s request 20 years ago to fund his fledgling organization, he quickly attributed it to institutionalized racism. His mentors’ response: Don’t you dare blame outside forces for preventing you from succeeding. Instead, refine your work and build something better. DATA [Wealthy Donors Want Their Giving to Be Different Than Their Parents’, New Study Says]( By Maria Di Mento [STORY IMAGE]( But 82 percent of parents who give believe their children share their philanthropic goals. OPINION [Urgent Philanthropic Action Is Needed as the Nation’s Water Crisis Claims Lives and Livelihoods]( By Andrea Keller Helsel and Ted Kowalski [STORY IMAGE]( Climate giving too often focuses solely on future crises even though communities are already suffering the effects of drought, flooding, and other climate-driven water problems. Efforts to address the challenges facing two Western rivers demonstrate a better path forward for grant makers. ADVICE [‘What’s Your Pet’s Nickname?’ Fundraisers Forge Ties to Donors Via Digital Focus Groups, Surveys]( By Drew Lindsay [STORY IMAGE]( An animal-welfare group is among those finding that monthly surveys bring supporters closer. ADVERTISEMENT  RECOMMENDED WEBINAR  [Join Our Webinar]( — Collaboration among frontline fundraisers, leaders, trustees, and program staff is a powerful formula for fundraising success. But those 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 us on demand, or live Thursday, October 27, at 2 p.m. Eastern to learn from two veteran fundraisers how to: - Encourage board members to prioritize fundraising — and give them tools to land big gifts - Show donors the value of their gifts in all communications - Teach non-fundraisers and volunteers how to advance fundraising Don't miss this chance to understand how to inspire donors and coworkers to partner in advancing your mission. [Register today.]( JOB OPPORTUNITIES [Vice President and Chief of Advancement]( National Immigration Forum [Search other jobs.]( NEWSLETTER FEEDBACK [Please let us know what you thought of today's newsletter in this three-question survey](. 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