Informed Opinions. Workable Solutions.

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Al is not afraid of taking on controversial issues in the nonprofit world, including the impact of the widening wealth gap, the inefficiency and misdirection of major foundations, the disruption brought by donor-advised funds, the ethical and financial implications of Wall Street’s growing influence in the charitable world, and the power imbalance between funder and charity.

But Al offers more than criticism: he proposes solutions and new frameworks, and he does this with color and humor. In other words, hard truths need not be hard to read.

Al is an op-ed contributor to The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Harvard Business Review, and other national journals. (See the links below for a sampling of his published articles.) His blog has attracted a diverse national audience, and he has been cited as an expert on charitable issues in media outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Forbes, The Atlantic, ProPublica, Vanity Fair, and National Public Radio.

Al’s effectiveness as a writer carries over to his public speaking. Al has a reputation as a dynamic keynoter and presenter who can break down complex issues and connect with audiences. Nonprofit leaders, academics, and philanthropists call Al provocative, memorable, and stimulating.

Interview by Forbes Magazine

Sample recent keynote addresses

The Pandemic and Development: How the current crises are amplifying the wealth divide, and how gift planners need to react.
Misgiving: How our infatuation with charitable endowments is hurting the very people and causes we’re trying to help.

Informed Opinions. Workable Solutions.

Interview by Forbes Magazine

Sample recent keynote addresses

Published Articles

Fidelity Charitable: Using Grants to Win Friends, Influence People, and Silence Critics

In a K-Shaped Recovery, Nonprofits Should Lean on Major Donors

Commercial DAFs Keep Touting Their Donors’ Crisis Giving. Here’s What They Aren’t Saying.

Nonprofit Leaders, Get Used to the Uncertainty and Focus on the Big Picture

Nonprofit Fundraising in the Age of Coronavirus

Save Lives Now, Grant Makers and Donors

Why Vested Interests Don’t Want Donor-Advised Funds to Do More for Charities

How to Connect With Donors: What the N.H. Primary Teaches Nonprofits

Donor-Advised Fund Sponsors Have Found a New Way to Hype Payout Rates as Fund Assets Reach $110 Billion

Carved from Live Oak: What Makes an Effective Nonprofit Leader

Donor-Advised Funds and Community Foundations, Reimagined

Growth or Mission? The Silicon Valley Community Foundation Made the Wrong Choice.

Affairs of the Heart

Key Questions About Donor-Advised Funds Ignored in New Study

Is Philanthropy Becoming the Exclusive Preserve of the Very Wealthy?

A Power Imbalance Gets in the Way of Setting Smart Policy on Donor-Advised Funds

Donor-Advised Fund Payout Numbers Don’t Add Up

‘Pay It Forward Fund’ Sends Wrong Message to Donors

Nice Work If You Can Get It: Why Foundation CEOs Are Overpaid

Fidelity Charitable’s Executive Pay Strategy Shows Arrogance—and an IRS Flaw

Donor-Advised Funds and the Shifting Charitable Landscape: Why Congress Must Respond

The Godfather of Spend-down: What Donors Can Learn from Julius Rosenwald

Strings on Donor-Advised Funds Are Making Charity Supporters Angry

A Closer Look at a Donor-Advised Fund’s Questionable Payout Numbers

The False Allure of Charitable Endowments

Wall Street’s Charitable Gold Rush

Is It Immoral for Charities to Push “Amazon Smile”?

Donor-Advised Funds Let Wall Street Steer Charitable Donations

Charity Navigator’s Superficial Ratings Miss Major Flaws in Charities

Tax Laws Should Discourage Giving to Funds That Waylay Help for Charities

Latest Blog Post

Wealth and Charity

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