Race, Money, and a Shakespeare Theater’s Fight to Survive

Plus, a Los Angeles couple is giving $50 million for environmental programs at USC ADVERTISEMENT [Philanthropy Today Logo]( Did someone forward you this newsletter? [Sign up free]( to receive your own copy. You can now follow The Chronicle on [Apple News]( [Flipboard]( and [Google News](. ARTS AND CULTURE [Race, Shakespeare, and a Theater’s Fight to Survive]( By Drew Lindsay [STORY IMAGE]( The Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s artistic director — the first person of color in the role — departs amid criticism that her plan to save the American theater drove away donors and patrons. Supporters say bias and racism marred her tenure. ADVERTISEMENT GIFTS ROUNDUP [Los Angeles Couple Give $50 Million for Environmental Programs at USC]( By Maria Di Mento [STORY IMAGE]( Plus, the founder of Politico is giving $20 million to start a new journalism institute, and five universities landed big gifts. Webinars [Thursday: Optimize Your Data and Segment Donors]( [STORY IMAGE]( Join us on Thursday, May 11, at 2 p.m. Eastern for a 75-minute session to learn simple steps you can take right away to enhance your donor records and customize your outreach to give supporters information and appeals that resonate. We’ll share real-world examples of personalized messages that make the most of donor data to improve fundraising results. Can’t make the live event? Watch on demand. [Sign up now.]( SPONSOR CONTENT | Amazon Web Services [Supercharge Your Fundraising Efforts with Financial and Tech Support]( Nonprofit News From Elsewhere Online In the years leading up to and since the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade, some abortion providers say Planned Parenthood has taken an overly corporate and cautious approach to abortion care. Non-affiliated clinics have been dismayed to find that their Planned Parenthood counterparts are loath to pitch in with efforts to aid women from states that have effectively outlawed abortion, and some Planned Parenthood clinicians complain that they feel unsupported. Other clinics have faced existential competition from new Planned Parenthood facilities, and still others have welcomed patients who have been turned away from Planned Parenthood clinics because they couldn’t pay four-figure sums for procedures. Some critics say the giant nonprofit has become corporatized, focused on risk management and the bottom line, while others point to founder Margaret Sanger’s opposition to abortion. A Planned Parenthood representative said its clinics are some patients’ only health care and they “cannot therefore endanger its entire operation just to protect abortion.” The representative pointed to a corps of “navigators” who help patients travel to far-flung appointments, a new mobile clinic, grants to help providers expand into underserved areas, and its support for a website of nationwide abortion providers. ([New Yorker]( The president of Bard College in New York State has defended his yearslong pursuit of donations from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Leon Botstein presided over a small institution that was still struggling to recover from the 2008 financial crash when Epstein sent an unsolicited $75,000 contribution in 2011. Over the next several years, Epstein’s diary shows “two dozen or so visits” scheduled with Botstein, and Epstein came to Bard College at least twice. Botstein pointed out that Bard believes in second chances and has a program for convicted felons. He called Epstein a “monster” but said when he was wooing the financier he knew only that Epstein was “an ordinary — if you could say such a thing — sex offender who had been convicted and went to jail.” The only subsequent donation from Epstein would be 66 laptop computers. With a small pool of alumni and inadequate government funding, Botstein said, “We’re completely at the mercy of the very wealthy.” ([New York Times]( More News - Meals on Wheels Is a Climate-Relief Model ([Next City]( - The Art World Redefines Ownership ([New York Times]( - Donate “Nazi Auction” Proceeds to Charity, World Federation of Diamond Bourses Urges Christie’s ([IDEX]( - Who Helps the Earthquake Helpers? ([New Humanitarian]( Opinion - Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott Comes to the Rescue of Rural Health Providers ([Buffalo News]( - Outsourcing Government Work to Nonprofits Carries Risk of Fraud, Mismanagement ([St. Louis Today]( Arts and Culture - Laura Pels, Devoted Supporter of Nonprofit Theater, Dies at 92 ([New York Times]( - South Ala. Receives $20 Million Gift for New Performing-Arts Center ([WKRG]( Note: In the links in this section, we flag articles that only subscribers can access. But because some journalism outlets offer a limited number of free articles, readers may encounter barriers with other articles we highlight in this roundup. SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to nonprofit news and analysis. Editor's Picks ADVICE [How Some Fundraisers Are Using ChatGPT Technology to Do Their Jobs Better]( By Emily Haynes [STORY IMAGE]( The chatbot can automate mundane, time-consuming tasks like writing social-media posts, drafting thank-you notes to donors, and completing grant applications. INDIVIDUAL GIVING [Online Giving Declined Slightly in 2022, but Monthly Giving Was a Bright Spot, Report Finds]( By Emily Haynes [STORY IMAGE]( The drop in online giving masks the turbulence of the year for individual nonprofits — with some performing well but others experiencing sharp declines. Recurring donors gave more money over all than those offering one-time gifts, highlighting a path nonprofits seeking to boost retention might want to follow. OPINION [What Covid-19 Vaccination Efforts Taught Philanthropy About How to Close the Racial Health Gap]( By David Etzwiler and Jeniffer Harper-Taylor [STORY IMAGE]( Grant makers need to adopt what worked during the pandemic when vaccination rates for Black people improved sharply and apply those approaches to address other stubbornly high health gaps. INTERVIEW [How Cleveland Foundation’s Leader Has Worked to Revitalize the City’s Economy]( By Alex Daniels [STORY IMAGE]( Ronn Richard, who is retiring from the fund, says one key to success has been hiring foundation staff from the business world — and using the organization’s clout and assets to revive troubled neighborhoods. OPINION [What Was the Philanthropic Pluralism Manifesto Really About?]( By Craig Kennedy [STORY IMAGE]( A recent call by philanthropy leaders for greater civility and respect of those with different views appears to be an opening response to critics, especially those in Congress, who want to reform laws governing the field. SPONSOR CONTENT | The James Irvine Foundation [The Road to Equality in the Workplace]( An organization on a mission to build a Black worker-led movement that successfully organizes for quality jobs and economic and social mobility. ADVERTISEMENT RECOMMENDED WEBINAR [Join Our Next Webinar]( — The most successful fundraising shops can segment donors — grouping them according to their areas of interest and their preferred methods of communication. How can you ensure your data is reliable and then use it to maximize your fundraising results? Join us on Thursday, May 11, at 2 p.m. Eastern (or on demand) for a 75-minute session to learn simple steps you can take right away to enhance your donor records and customize your outreach to give supporters information and appeals that resonate. We’ll share real-world examples of personalized messages that make the most of donor data to improve fundraising results.[Register today.]( JOB OPPORTUNITIES [Development Director of the Dora Maar Cultural Center]( Dora Maar Cultural Center [Development Manager, Fundraising]( Wayside Youth & Family Support Network [Director of Development]( if, A Foundation of Radical Possibility [Search other jobs.]( [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. © 2023 [The Chronicle of Philanthropy]( 1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037