The Giving Crisis Is Real. Here’s What to Do

Plus, Spelman College receives a $100 Million gift; and a defense of nonprofit voter-registration efforts (opinion) ADVERTISEMENT [Philanthropy Today Logo]( You can also [read this newsletter on the web](. Or, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, [unsubscribe](. 2024 TRENDS [Has the Giving Crisis Reached the Point of No Return?]( By Rasheeda Childress [STORY IMAGE]( The giving crisis is finally beginning to hit nonprofits where it hurts — the pocketbook. But organizations are fighting to win back everyday donors. ADVERTISEMENT GIFTS ROUNDUP [2nd Big HBCU Gift This Month: Spelman College Lands $100 Million]( By Maria Di Mento [STORY IMAGE]( The donation from Ronda Stryker follows a Lilly Endowment grant to UNCF to boost endowments at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Plus, CUNY, MIT, and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center receive multimillion dollar gifts. OPINION [U.S. Law Permits Charities to Encourage Voting and Help Voters Register, Making GOP Concerns About This Assistance Unfounded]( By Philip Hackney [STORY IMAGE]( Congress needs to assess whether any cure it seeks to implement will be better or worse than the disease that it thinks afflicts the U.S. electoral system. WEBINARS [February 8 at 2 p.m. ET | Register Now]( [STORY IMAGE]( More nonprofits are relying on major gifts to hit fundraising goals, as giving at lower levels ebbs. Whether you want to attract new donors or inspire greater giving among current supporters, join us for Proven Strategies for Connecting with Major Donors. You’ll learn directly from two veteran fundraisers which strategies are working best in the current climate to attract support from wealthy individuals, proven ways to keep them in the fold, and how to deepen ties with them in the year ahead. SPONSOR CONTENT | NewsMatch [How Funders Support Journalism with Ease and Precision]( ONLINE FORUMS [Tomorrow: January 23 at 2 p.m. ET | Register Now]( [STORY IMAGE]( Join us for a review of the risks and rewards of Fundraising in the Age of A.I. Our panel of nonprofit, higher-ed, and tech leaders will explore the emerging benefits of A.I. fundraising tools. You’ll learn which questions you should be asking now, how technology may reshape fundraising, and get a glimpse of what’s on the horizon with Daniel Hadley of the University of Utah, Elizabeth Searing of the University of Texas at Dallas, and Kim Snyder of Roundtable Technology. [January 30 at 2 p.m. ET | Register Now]( [STORY IMAGE]( Start the new year with insights from the Chronicle. Join CEO Stacy Palmer and a panel of reporters for Key Nonprofit Trends to Watch in 2024. They’ll explore the fundraising outlook for the year ahead, ways nonprofits are solving hiring and retention challenges, and the increasing impact of trust-based philanthropy. Learn from the insightful journalists who cover these issues: Rasheeda Childress, Alex Daniels, and Jim Rendon. SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to nonprofit news and analysis. Nonprofit News From Elsewhere Online Orchestrators of a conservative campaign to eradicate diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in America’s universities drafted existential funding pleas to right-leaning philanthropies, including the Jack Miller and Taube family foundations, the Arthur N. Rupe Foundation, and the Searle Freedom Trust, warning that America was under attack from a left-wing social revolution. Most of the foundations decline to comment. At least one agreed to provide funds. ([New York Times]( Plus: Opinion: Critics of D.E.I. Forget That It Works ([New York Times]( Background from the Chronicle [Diversity Work Isn’t Working. It’s Time to Consider a New Approach. (opinion)]( GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley projects an image as a reformer, but as a cash-strapped state legislator in South Carolina in the 2000s, she secured a $110,000-a-year job raising funds for a hospital foundation, accepting contributions from corporate interests while pushing for one of the hospital’s key projects in the legislature. She has said she kept the two roles separate, and S.C. Republicans dropped an ethics investigation into the matter with little explanation. ([New York Times]( More News - A Major D.C. Nonprofit Is Winding Down Operations After 23 Years ([Washington Business Journal]( - World Economic Forum Wants Corporations to Give $1B to Climate by 2030 ([Devex]( - Lawsuit Over Parody Twitter Account Could Spell Doom for Eviction Defense Nonprofit ([Courthouse News]( - Another San Francisco Nonprofit Under Scrutiny — This Time for Luxury Gifts, Tahoe Trip Under a Police Contract ([San Francisco Chronicle]( - Lori Lightfoot Launches New Chicago Nonprofit ([Crain’s Chicago Business]( - Why Is the Radio Full of Christian Rock? Thank This Nonprofit ([Rolling Stone]( - Private Foundations Bankrolled Mich. Governor’s Population Commission. Few Knew. ([Detroit News]( - Virginia Lawmakers Rebuke State Dept. for Not Paying Group That Helped Afghans ([Washington Post]( - Anthropologist: ‘The Conservation of Species Depends Almost Exclusively on Philanthropy and Goodwill’ ([El Pais English]( - The Culture War Tearing American Environmentalism Apart ([Atlantic]( Legacies - Nancy E. Adler, Who Linked Wealth to Health, Dies at 77 ([New York Times]( - Claire M. Fagin, Powerful Advocate for Nurses and Nursing, Dies at 97 ([New York Times]( 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 | The California Endowment [A Resolution for Philanthropy in 2024]( Impact Investing may just be one of the best ways to support communities this year. EDITOR'S PICKS 2024 TRENDS [The Next Hurdle for Trust-Based Philanthropy: Showing Impact]( By Alex Daniels [STORY IMAGE]( Proponents have pressed for a less top-down relationship with nonprofits, and new approaches are now widespread. But their effectiveness isn’t yet known. OPINION [Politics and Charity in 2024: Why It’s Time to Draw a Hard Line]( By Craig Kennedy [STORY IMAGE]( This year’s election demands greater scrutiny of nonprofits involved in political activities. INTERVIEW [How A.I. Could Solve Humanity’s Biggest Problems — If Philanthropy Catches Up]( By Sara Herschander [STORY IMAGE]( The president of the McGovern Foundation is focused on how the nonprofit sector can use A.I. to deploy useful tools and solve wicked problems. ADVERTISEMENT RECOMMENDED WEBINAR [Join our webinar]( — Charities’ dependence on wealthy donors is growing as giving at lower levels ebbs. Women continue to influence big giving and now wealthy millennial and Gen Z households are making their mark. How are big-gift fundraisers successfully cultivating donors? Are economic pressures causing any shifts in strategy? Join us on Thursday, February 8, at 2 p.m. Eastern for a 75-minute webinar to learn directly from fundraising leaders about the outlook for 2024 and how best to connect with wealthy donors in the year ahead. [Register now.]( JOB OPPORTUNITIES [Apply today](http://). [Director of Development, Theatre & Education Industry]( The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles [Senior Director for Advancement, Health Care]( University of Missouri [Senior Director of Advancement, the Wily Network]( The Wily Network [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. © 2024 [The Chronicle of Philanthropy]( 1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037