- What is the proper role of philanthropy in supporting business efforts that have a charitable purpose? Marcia Stepanek, the editor-in-chief of Contribute Media, on the JustMeans blog looks at this question, which came up at a recent New York University nonprofit conference.
- More foundations should offer program-related investments, and more charities should seek them out, says Neil Edgington, a nonprofit consultant, on her blog. The investments are low-interest loans that are usually made for construction projects but also can help groups diversify their revenue sources and improve their fund-raising abilities, she writes.
- While applauding a U.S. State Department delegation that went to Russia to discuss how Twitter and other Internet tools can be used to achieve social change, Allison Fine, a social-media expert and a Chronicle contributor, says the department should have included an actual person who works with new media and charitable causes.
- The appointment of Amie Batson, a former World Bank official, to lead global-health efforts for the U.S. Agency for International Development has pleased some charity officials, says Deirdre Shesgreen, communications director for the Infectious Diseases Center for Global Health Policy & Advocacy, on the group’s blog.
