About Philanthropy in 2020

FUTURISTS AND CHARITY LEADERS are looking beyond the recent economic turmoil to predict how the nonprofit world will take shape in the next 10 years.

AS AMERICANS GET GRAYER, nonprofit groups will see a boom in volunteers and big gifts but also a heavier work load for organizations that deal with health and aging issues.

HISPANICS WILL MAKE UP 20 percent of the U.S. population by 2020, and many charities need to work harder to connect with them.

TECHNOLOGY OVER THE NEXT DECADE will bring more and better data that will revolutionize how charities operate and how donors make choices in giving.

THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION will produce a wave of new philanthropists, and people will give outside their borders, but needs around the world will intensify.

BUSINESS WILL PLAY A BIGGER ROLE in philanthropy, and blended business-nonprofit organizations will take shape.

OBESITY, RELIGION, and an imbalance in wealth will command charities' attention in the coming decade.

SOME NONPROFIT GROUPS are focusing on the future now.

About Managing

THE FEED THE CHILDREN battle escalates as the board accuses the fired president of taking bribes.

CHANGES IN THE ESTATE TAX have had little effect on charity bequests. (Tax Watch)

DEDUCTIONS for charitable contributions rose slightly in 2007. (Tax Watch)

THE IRS has made changes to charitable deductions for low-cost gifts. (Tax Watch)

EMPLOYEES LAID OFF from nonprofit jobs are battling a very tight job market and sometimes lowering their sights to try to get back into the work force.

SEVERAL GRANT MAKERS IN MINNESOTA are suing Wells Fargo, saying they lost millions of dollars in assets because the bank invested in risky securities.

NEARLY TWO-THIRDS OF CHARITABLE ENDOWMENTS and foundations report they are focused on rebuilding assets after suffering losses in the recession, a new report says.

HELPING THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY of Sciences navigate a transition phase in its new "green" building will be Janet Harris's responsibility in her new role as chief development officer. (New on the Job)

THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION'S SOCIAL INNOVATION FUND has produced high expectations and much debate as it outlines how it will spend $50-million.

DIVERSITY IN NEWS AND OPERATIONS is a new position at National Public Radio, expanding the role to include not just recruiting employees but also overseeing journalist content. (New Titles)

AS SOCIAL NETWORKS BECOME MORE POWERFUL charities are learning that it helps to offer employees guidance on how to use them.

FEW CHARITIES HAVE SOCIAL-MEDIA POLICIES to guide their workers, a Chronicle survey finds.

HEALTH-CARE NEGOTIATIONS begin in Congress this month, and both houses have put forward provisions that would affect nonprofit organizations.

MILTON MURRAY, a longtime fund raiser, will be remembered for conceiving and promoting a commemorative "giving and sharing" postage stamp and for inspiring a book on fund raising. (Legacies)

PEOPLE: Appointments and promotions in the nonprofit world.

MERGERS announced by charities.

STAFF AND BUDGET CUTS announced by nonprofit organizations.

About Fund Raising

ELEVENTH-HOUR GIVING brought a happy ending to 2009 for some charities, but others will have to make deeper cuts in their services because of a large drop in donations.

NEW SOFTWARE is helping a New York group pinpoint which donors will be most likely to produce large gifts and how best to approach them.

About Technology

FEWER PEOPLE are making purchases on eBay, but more are donating to charities on the site than in 2008.

A SEATTLE ORGANIZATION matches money that low-income people save with contributions of as little as $1.

THE GROWING AMOUNT OF DATA now available to charities and the public promises to transform the how foundations, donors, and charities work together.

THE PHILADELPHIA BALLET invited audiences over the holidays to use their cellphones to send text messages about the performances they attended.

About Giving

WHEN GIVING PLUMMETED in Charlotte, N.C., in part because of the ailing banking industry, Leon and Sandra Levine came to the rescue for many local nonprofit groups.

AN ARTS PHILANTHROPIST in Cincinnati has given $85-million to endow a fund that supports classical music. (Notable Gifts)

THE FACE OF PHILANTHROPY: A nonprofit group is using adventure sports to help middle-school girls gain confidence and deal with the ups and downs of adolescence.

GRANTS for Emergency Needs

Also in This Issue

Opinion: Michael Edwards calls for an overhaul of philanthropy to better serve the common good; Katya Fels Smyth fears that the Social Innovation Fund's evaluation methods may undermine its goal; Cheryl Dorsey and Paul Schmitz applaud the Obama administration's efforts to build a better marketplace for innovative nonprofit groups.

New Books: A guide to managing volunteers and advice for donors.

Letters: A missed understanding of the state of the online revolution,new ideas on how to overhaul the IRS, and the value of prime-time television's week of volunteer-focused programs.