Posts by Maria Di Mento
November 30, 2009, 11:55 AM ET
The Positive Power of Mistakes, Plus More: Monday's Roundup
- Foundations should do more to discuss their mistakes with their peers and the public, says Grant Oliphant, president of the Pittsburgh Foundation, in a video discussion from the Communications Network, a group of foundation communications officials.
- The list by Barron’s magazine of the 25 “best” philanthropists is well intentioned but “too cute by half,” writes Mitch Nauffts, editorial director for the Foundation Center, on the center’s blog.
- Social entrepreneurship is relatively new to East Asia, but in Hong Kong and other parts of China it is gaining momentum, writes Nora Gao, business development manager for the Social Venture Group, a philanthropy consulting company in Shanghai. Her views appear on the company’s blog.
- Seth Godin, the author and marketing expert, writes on his blog that you can’t trust fund raisers who aren’t willing to donate their own money ...
November 24, 2009, 11:29 AM ET
Rethinking Charity Registration, Plus More: Tuesday's Roundup
- Should the government register nonprofit groups like the U.S. Patent Office, which is testing a new way to approve patents by seeking public input through the Internet and so-called crowdsourcing? Lucy Bernholz, a foundation consultant, asks this question on her blog.
- While American environmental groups have chosen to promote the “bright side” of dealing with climate change, like creating so-called green jobs, charities in Europe and elsewhere have produced much darker, and potentially more successful, marketing, writes David A. Fahrenthold, a science writer for The Washington Post.
- While there are half a dozen or more efforts to bring computers and other information technology to poor parts of the world, their results have been mixed so far, writes Mark Beckford, a vice president at NComputing, a California company. His views appear on Next Billion, a blog about global...
November 23, 2009, 12:58 PM ET
Debating the Effectiveness of Antipoverty Efforts, Plus More: Monday's Roundup
- A robust and much-needed debate has erupted about how to solve global poverty with a flood of new books on the issue, writes Nicholas D. Kristof, a New York Times columnist. The discussion, he says, is one that will help define the future of America.
- With last week’s news that 49 million Americans lack consistent access to adequate food, Katherine Gustafson, a freelance writer, wonders if the growing problem demonstrates a lack of compassion by the country. Her views appear on the Change.org blog.
- The fund-raising consultants Robert I. Evans and Avrum D. Lapin ask on eJewish Philanthropy whether nonprofit groups have forgotten the power of a well-placed thank you.
- While applauding the work of Philanthropedia, an organization that connects people with giving experts, Richard Marker, a donor consultant, wonders on his blog how different the effort is from United...
November 20, 2009, 11:27 AM ET
Are Nonprofit Trustees Ready to Handle Today's Difficult Financial Decisions? Plus More: Friday's Roundup
- Gene Takagi a California nonprofit lawyer, asks whether nonprofit boards are prepared to handle the difficult financial decisions they face in the tough economy, on Nonprofit Law Blog.
- The public is debating the motives behind the Goldman Sachs Group’s $500-million philanthropic pledge, but its giving has helped charities in tough times, writes Charles Best, the founder of DonorsChoose.org, which has received support from Goldman. Mr. Best’s views appear on a New York Times blog that is debating the Goldman controversy.
- J.D. Lasica, a social-media consultant to nonprofit groups, explains why charities should emulate the group Bread for the World when they develop social-media policies for their employees on Socialbrite.
November 19, 2009, 12:06 PM ET
Goldman Sachs Pledge Not Enough? Plus More: Thursday's Roundup
- Goldman Sachs Group’s $500-million philanthropic pledge will do little to quell public anger about the billions of dollars its employees are paid and its role in last year’s financial crisis, says Mark Gilbert, a columnist for Bloomberg News. Read The Chronicle’s article about the Goldman Sachs commitment.
- In response to a Wall Street Journal editorial, Luis Ubiñas, president of the Ford Foundation, defends his organization’s decision to support a charitable fund created by a teacher’s union, saying teachers are key to improving the nation’s public schools.
- There are too many international aid groups, which leads to confusion among donors and creates an inflated demand for aid workers that then forces charities to spend more on salaries than they should, says Olesya Dmitracova, a writer for Reuters AlertNet, as part of an article about how to improve of foreign aid.
November 18, 2009, 12:27 PM ET
An Appeal to Fix a 'Broken' USAID, Plus More: Wednesday's Roundup
- As the nominee to lead the U.S. Agency for International Development, Rajiv Shah needs to make big changes in the “broken” organization, including having it work more closely with charities, corporations, and foundations, writes Carol Adelman, director of the Hudson Institute’s Center for Global Prosperity, on the group’s blog.
- Allison Fine, a social-media expert and a Chronicle contributor, says she is concerned about the implications of charities ditching MySpace — whose users tend to be less wealthy and less educated than those on Facebook — in favor of the latter social-networking site. “Social change needs to happen everywhere,” says Ms. Fine.
- As Baby Boomers and younger adults spar over nonprofit leadership roles, Rosetta Thurman, a charity consultant, examines on her blog how each generation stereotypes the other.
- Congress should increase government...
November 17, 2009, 12:10 PM ET
A Lack of Marketing Expertise, Plus More: Tuesday's Roundup
- On eJewish Philanthropy, the writer Gail Hyman says Jewish charities have done a notoriously poor job of hiring people with marketing expertise.
- While corporate philanthropy is important, companies should do more to improve their practices and products to benefit the environment and offer sustainable jobs with good benefits, says Seth Goodman, the co-founder of Honest Tea, a beverage company. Mr. Goodman’s views appear on a Washington Post blog that asks whether corporate philanthropy remains relevant.
- Holden Karnofsky writes on The GiveWell blog that it’s not yet time to put to bed the controversy over how the microlending charity Kiva collects donations.
- The phrase “social impact” is overused jargon and needs to be replaced with a better expression, writes Elizabeth Clawson, a nonprofit communications worker, on her blog.
November 16, 2009, 11:15 AM ET
Downplaying the Estate Tax's Impact on Charitable Giving, Plus More: Monday's Roundup
- National nonprofit associations are misguided in their attempt to get Congress to change the federal estate tax because the tax is not a major factor in charitable giving, argues Bill Beach, the director of the Center for Data Analysis at the Heritage Foundation, on the Washington think tank’s blog. The estate tax will decline to zero in 2010, which many charities say will hamper bequests.
- Most donors don’t give money to needy people on the street because they feel that it’s more effective to contribute to “knowledgeable intermediaries” such as homeless shelters, writes Timothy Ogden, editor in chief of the online publication Philanthropy Action. So why are so many people drawn to the idea of establishing a “connection” with small business owners overseas through a Web site like Kiva, instead of contributing to a knowledgeable intermediary like a microfinance institution, Mr. ...
November 13, 2009, 11:45 AM ET
Defending Profit-Minded Corporate Philanthropy, Plus More: Friday's Roundup
- There’s nothing wrong with companies wanting to help their business through their philanthropy and socially-responsible activities, says Jessica Stannard-Friel, a student at Harvard Business School. Corporate giving will be more sustainable if businesses do find it beneficial for their bottom lines, says Ms. Stannard-Friel, in response to a New York Times article that raised questions about Goldman Sach’s giving.
- The New York Times’s 2009 Giving section failed to provide a fresh look at the nonprofit world and offered incomplete coverage of new trends affecting philanthropy, argues Brian Reich, a media and technology expert, on his blog.
- Marc A. Pitman shows how one hospital has adopted an unusual alternative to passing the hat to raise money for its United Way fund-raising drive on The Fundraising Coach. He also encouraged Twitter and Facebook users to chime in with...
November 12, 2009, 11:13 AM ET
A Critique of the USAID Nominee, and More: Thursday's Roundup
- While some people might have preferred a “visionary” like the nonprofit founder Paul Farmer to lead the U.S. Agency for International Development, Rajiv Shah, the administration’s pick, may be no less well-suited for the job, says Matthew Bishop, co-author of the book Philanthrocapitalism, on his blog. Mr. Bishop calls Mr. Shah one of the “more creative thinkers” at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he worked previously, and says he should ask his old employer to form an advisory group of philanthropists focused on fighting poverty abroad.
- Roger Carr, a writer and public speaker, points to a new social-networking Web site for people who participate in charity fund-raising walks on Everyday Giving.
- Thanks to focused and generous donors in Omaha, the city has been able to work with philanthropy to revitalize its downtown, a collaboration other cities should...