The Year in Review
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Yes, I write a lot about donor-advised funds. That’s because their surge in popularity is the biggest story in philanthropy – and, to my mind, a growing threat to an…
Read More Violent Opposition, For Now
[Note: This was cross-posted October 1, 2014 by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy.] Arthur Schopenhauer said, “All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is…
Read More Identity Laundering
Some charitable gifts are made with open hearts and great altruism. Other charitable gifts are made largely to curry favor or gain attention. And then there are gifts that use…
Read More Waiting. And Waiting.
There’s an epidemic of deferred philanthropy in this country. What do I mean? Let’s imagine that your house is burning. Firefighters arrive on the scene, and they offer you three…
Read More Sins of Commission
A central principle of nonprofit development is that individuals should not get paid on a commission basis. According to the Association of Fundraising Professionals, paying nonprofit fundraisers commissions is unethical…
Read More Self-Interest
My recent blog post, “Wall Street Muscles In,” certainly got some attention: my largest readership ever for a single post, and a record number of comments both in this space…
Read More Wall Street Muscles In
I really wish I’d been wrong in my earlier warnings about the growth of commercial donor-advised funds. But the latest Philanthropy 400 rankings from the Chronicle of Philanthropy indicate that…
Read More Missing the Obvious in Nonprofit Ratings
[Note: This post is simultaneously being published as an opinion piece in the October 6, 2013 edition of the Chronicle of Philanthropy.] Americans love ratings and rankings. We like to…
Read More Point, Counterpoint
Dear Readers: You may be familiar with epistolary novels – that is, novels told entirely in letters between the characters. Today is an epistolary blog post. My first! (Perhaps yours…
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