Nonprofit Bail Funds Face New Challenges. Also, Charity Navigator Can Boost Donations, but There’s a Catch

Plus, to fend off threats to freedom worldwide, support local economic-development nonprofits, not foreign aid (opinion) 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](. CRIMINAL JUSTICE [Nonprofit Bail Funds, Fueled by a Surge of Funds After George Floyd Protests, Face New Challenges]( By Kay Dervishi [STORY IMAGE]( After receiving $140 million, the funds have experienced both transformative growth and major political backlash ADVERTISEMENT CHARITY RATINGS [Charity Navigator Stars Can Boost Donations — but Nonprofits Might Game the System]( By Jennifer Mayo [STORY IMAGE]( Contributions can rise 6 to 12 percent for nonprofits that climb to three or four stars, but they sometimes alter their spending patterns for better ratings — or change the way they classify expenses. OPINION [To Fend Off Threats to Freedom Worldwide, Support Local Economic-Development Nonprofits — Not More Foreign Aid]( By Brad Lips [STORY IMAGE]( Nonprofits that help local economies thrive are doing the work needed to promote individual liberty and counter authoritarianism across the globe. Philanthropy should invest in them rather that pouring more funds into big government programs. Webinars [Thursday: 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 | The James Irvine Foundation [Empowerment and Employment for Survivors of Human Trafficking]( Virtual Event [Putting A.I. to Work at Nonprofits]( [STORY IMAGE]( Some nonprofits are already harnessing A.I. to streamline operations, make more informed decisions, and lighten workloads by enabling employees to focus more on strategy and less on busy work. Get up to speed on how A.I. can help your nonprofit. Join us on Tuesday, June 13, at 2 p.m. Eastern to better understand how to use the technology with care to increase efficiencies and meet your mission. [Register today.]( SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to nonprofit news and analysis. Nonprofit News From Elsewhere Online Barely two years after its launch, a nonprofit intended to champion civil liberties against what it saw as the excesses of “woke” culture has foundered. The Foundation Against Intolerance & Racism: FAIR was the brainchild of conservative journalist Bari Weiss, a nonprofit leader, an academic, and Bion Bartning, a former American Express executive who was concerned about the race-related lessons in his children’s private school. Almost from the start, the organization suffered from tension between those who wanted a more “muscular” approach and those who shared president Bartning’s moderation. Amid complaints of mismanagement, churn was high and donors became concerned. After eventually being pushed out, Bartning said many donors contributed to the conflict within the organization, and on a larger scale. “That’s part of what’s happening in our culture. You have a lot of people with an extreme amount of wealth driving an extremist agenda,” he said. FAIR is rebooting under a new leader, former public defender Maud Maron. ([New Yorker]( Citing financial and disclosure red flags, a watchdog group is asking the Internal Revenue Service to investigate a conservative nonprofit that peddles unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud. The Campaign for Accountability says donation-funded loans ranging from $40,000 to $113,000, from True the Vote to its founder, Catherine Engelbrecht, as well as lucrative contracts to longtime director Gregg Phillips “may have violated state and federal law.” Phillips received “at least $750,000” for one contract, and the organization paid a lawyer about $280,000 over a seven-day period to file four lawsuits that were quickly withdrawn. True the Vote raised about $1.7 million in 2021, down from $5 million the previous year. Separate tax filings produced for a reporter and sent to the IRS were “riddled with inconsistencies,” and the nonprofit did not report the contracts in its tax returns for 2020, despite a disclosure requirement for contracts above $100,000. Engelbrecht “appears to have voluntarily and intentionally filed a false, incorrect, and incomplete Form 990,” the complaint says. A True the Vote spokesperson said the complaint is “without merit” and was filed as a “form of harassment.” ([ProPublica]( Plus: Voter Registration: How the Far Right Tore Apart One of the Best Tools to Fight Voter Fraud ([NPR]( Opinion: Republicans Are No Longer Calling This Nonprofit Election Program a ‘Godsend’ ([New York Times]( More News - Okla. Approves First Religious Charter School in the U.S. ([New York Times]( - GiveDirectly Reveals Democratic Republic of the Congo Staff Stole $900,000 In Mobile Cash Fraud Scheme ([Devex]( - Bush Foundation Giving Away $50 Million to Slave Descendants in Minn. and Dakotas ([Star Tribune]( Background from the Chronicle: [Minn. Foundation Awards $100 Million to Help Black People and Native Americans Build Wealth]( - Metropolitan Museum of Art to Return $550,000 in FTX Donations ([ARTnews]( Big Philanthropy - Novavax Partners With Gates Foundation Offshoot in Efforts to Develop Malaria and TB Shots ([Forbes]( - Donatella Versace Joins Elton John and David Furnish in $125 Million Fight to End AIDS by 2030 ([Vanity Fair]( - Samuelis Give U. of California at Irvine $50 Million for Health, Society, and Environmental Research ([Orange County Register]( 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. SPONSOR CONTENT | Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University [The Key to a Widespread Challenge for Nonprofits]( After thousands of conversations, this department discovered one of the top challenges among non-profit leaders was effectively supporting their teams. Editor's Picks 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. FUNDRAISING RESEARCH ROUNDUP [Nonprofits Are Harder to Find on Search Engines; What Motivates Donors and Volunteers; DAFs With the Most to Give]( By Emily Haynes and Rasheeda Childress [STORY IMAGE]( Almost 20 percent of Vanguard donor-advised funds have more than $250,000 to give. ADVICE [6 Ways Nonprofits Can Take Action Amid Economic Uncertainty]( By Michelle Legaspi Sánchez [STORY IMAGE]( Leaders should analyze finances, collaborate when possible, and communicate clearly and frequently with stakeholders, among other steps to steady a nonprofit’s course through choppy economic waters. 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. 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. 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. 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