Ecotrust Announces Its First Native American Leader

Plus, U.S. companies, nudged by Black employees, have stepped up donations to HBCUs. Also, some trans people have been turning to crowdfunding to leave Fla. since the state passed anti-LGBTQ+ laws 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](. TRANSITIONS [Ecotrust Names Its First Native American Leader]( By M.J. Prest [STORY IMAGE]( Also, the Birthright Israel Foundation’s new CEO will start in September, and the nonprofit law expert Peter Swords has died at age 88. ADVERTISEMENT CORPORATE GIVING [U.S. Companies, Nudged by Black Employees, Have Stepped Up Donations to HBCUs]( By Annie Ma and Thalia Beaty, Associated Press [STORY IMAGE]( Some HBCUs have received a new look from companies amid the reckoning over racial injustice spurred by the killing of George Floyd. But the colleges also have been pitching themselves, emphasizing their ability to deliver returns on the investment in student mobility. HEALTH CARE [Some Trans People Turn to Crowdfunding to Leave Fla. After Anti-LGBTQ+ Laws]( By Thalia Beaty, Associated Press [STORY IMAGE]( GoFundMe saw a 39 percent increase from April to May in the number of fundraisers created to help trans people leave the state because of the changing laws. Webinars [Attract Corporate Support for Your Fundraising Event]( [STORY IMAGE]( In-person events are back, bringing lots of joyful reunions, but rising costs for food, entertainment, and more are a challenge. Securing corporate support for your next gathering is a smart way to defray costs and strengthen ties with corporate donors. Join us for a 75-minute webinar on Thursday, June 8, at 2 p.m. Eastern, to gain insights into the corporate-giving landscape in 2023, which strategies are working now, and why. [Register now.]( SPONSOR CONTENT | Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University [The Key to a Widespread Challenge for Nonprofits]( Nonprofit News From Elsewhere Online Mississippi no longer sits at the bottom of the public-education tables, thanks to a collaboration of teachers, advocates, philanthropists, and politicians. The transformation began two decades ago, when former Netscape CEO and native son Jim Barksdale came home to retire and donated $100 million to create a reading institute. Over the years, state legislators put more money into early-childhood education as the state and the Barksdale Reading Institute recruited top administrators and retrained teachers in a phonics-centered curriculum. The results of those and other reforms are that Mississippi has moved to the middle of the pack on nationwide assessments — its fourth-graders are at the top when adjusted for demographics — while its graduation rate has edged past the national average. ([New York Times]( Before a major nonprofit network of shelters for LGBTQ people in Washington, D.C., collapsed last year, warning lights were flashing about its culture and management. Employees of Casa Ruby sometimes waited for months to get paid, residents complained of substandard conditions and drug use and sex work on the premises, and landlords sued for unpaid rent. Local government officials reported hundreds of complaints against the organization, including fraud and sexual assault, some of which spurred investigations. Meanwhile, founder Ruby Corado, who returned home to El Salvador last year as prosecutors’ probes into Casa Ruby intensified, was eventually making $260,000 annually and bought a $600,000 house in a D.C. suburb. A court-appointed receiver for the dissolved organization found it had $2 million in debt and no meaningful assets and alleges Corado funneled more than $800,000 into her personal accounts. Corado said her salary reflected the demanding nature of the job and that the transfers were an effort “to create a ‘self-sustaining’ source of income that would make the nonprofit less dependent on government agencies,” without elaborating. ([Washingtonian]( More News - This Nonprofit Health System Cuts Off Patients With Medical Debt ([New York Times]( - The Sackler Family of Art Patrons Must Pay $6 Billion to Combat the Opioid Crisis — in Exchange for Immunity From Civil Lawsuits ([Artnet News]( - Prosecutors Scrutinize Political Nonprofit Groups for Fundraising Fraud ([New York Times]( - N.H. Families Struggle to Afford Food Amid Inflation, End of Covid-Era Food Assistance ([Boston Globe]( - Inside the Little-Known Group Setting the Corporate Climate Agenda ([MIT Technology Review]( - Mo. Nonprofit Launches Initiative to Provide Free Emergency Contraception by Mail ([Missouri Independent]( Big Gifts - Private School Near Monterey, Calif., Gets $45 Million to Boost Teacher Literacy Training ([Monterey County Weekly]( - Homelessness Nonprofit Receives $25 Million Donation to Combat Addiction With Primary Care, Housing ([Philadelphia Inquirer]( Arts and Culture - Whitney Museum Sells Breuer Building to Sotheby’s for About $100 Million ([New York Times]( - Amid Anti-LGBTQIA+ Legislation, This Museum Is Championing Queer Artists ([Harper’s Bazaar]( - Philadelphia Insectarium Evicted: ‘Every Window and Every Mirror Was Shattered’ ([WHYY]( - ‘It’s About Connections’: Alicia Graf Mack Remakes Juilliard Dance ([New York Times]( - Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and Theater Offensive Team Up for Inaugural ‘Community Organization-in-Residence’ to Feature LGBTQ Programming ([Boston Globe]( 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 ECONOMIC OUTLOOK [Uncertain Economy — and the Nation’s Debt Debate — Snag Nonprofit Finances]( By Sara Herschander [STORY IMAGE]( Spending cuts the federal government is considering come at a time when the uncertain economy is making fundraising tough, leading one prominent nonprofit expert to reach a breaking point. SPECIAL REPORT [3 Years After George Floyd, Foundations Say They’ve Changed. Many Racial-Justice Nonprofits Disagree.]( By Alex Daniels, Marc Gunther, and Sono Motoyama [STORY IMAGE]( Foundations say the summer of protests following his murder changed them forever. But for many racial-justice nonprofits, the free-flowing supply of grants proved to be short-lived. BUILDING BRIDGES [Nonprofits Advancing Pluralism Jump at New Grants From an Ambitious Collaboration]( By Alex Daniels [STORY IMAGE]( The New Pluralists has attracted $47 million from foundations as divergent in their political views as Rockefeller Brothers Fund and Charles Koch’s foundation as part of its work to build bridges. Eventually it hopes philanthropy will pour $1 billion into similar efforts. FUNDRAISING LEADERSHIP [Unrealistic Fundraising Expectations Are Causing Stress. Here’s How to Set More Practical Goals.]( By Rasheeda Childress [STORY IMAGE]( It’s crucial to consider past fundraising, collaborate in goal setting, remember that fundraising is a long-term project, and — especially important right now — factor in the economy. OPINION [Vague and Generic Narratives Are Holding Back Nonprofits. Here Are a Few Tricks to Cut Out the Jargon]( By April Bo Wang [STORY IMAGE]( The overuse of grandiose and unclear language prevents nonprofits from telling stories that inspire the people they need to reach. ChatGPT, Google, and regular humans can help them change those patterns. SPONSOR CONTENT | The James Irvine Foundation [Investing in an Economy of Belonging]( How one organization is working towards reinstituting morals in our economy. ADVERTISEMENT RECOMMENDED WEBINAR [Join Our Next Webinar]( — In-person fundraising events are back in full force, but rising costs for food, venues, and more, are making it harder than ever to stay within budget. How can your nonprofit attract corporate support for its fundraising events that help advance its mission? Join us for a 75-minute session on Thursday, June 8, at 2 p.m. Eastern to learn from two experts who have proven track records in securing corporate support for events. You'll gain insights into the corporate giving landscape in 2023 and better understand what businesses seek from nonprofit partnerships. Plus, you’ll learn how to approach corporations, common pitfalls to avoid, and what’s working best right now to secure corporate support. [Register now.]( JOB OPPORTUNITIES [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