Smoke and Mirrors

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[Note: This post was co-published in The Chronicle of Philanthropy on July 22, 2020.] A great magician relies on diversion. The eyes of the audience go where the magician is drawing…
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Vested Interests

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[Note: This post was co-published in the Chronicle of Philanthropy on March 3, 2020.] Over the past few months, a fierce legislative battle has arisen  in California over the mildest of…
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Strange Math

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[A version of this piece appeared in the Chronicle of Philanthropy on July 13, 2017.] Here’s the world’s simplest math problem. My wife Pat and I often meet a pair of friends…
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Wall Street’s Charitable Gold Rush

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[Note: This article was co-posted February 25, 2015, in Inside Philanthropy.] The unbridled growth of donor-advised funds (DAFs) is the biggest story in philanthropy. Some startling facts: Contributions to DAFs…
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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…
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Tsunami

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[Note: This post was published as an op-ed in the Chronicle of Philanthropy on October 28, 2014.] Each fall the Chronicle of Philanthropy publishes its “Philanthropy 400,” a list of…
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Donor-Advised Fund Reform?

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A November 21, 2011 op-ed in the New York Times by Boston College law professor Ray D. Madoff raises some good points. We all know that donors receive federal tax deductions…
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