Read a transcript of The Chronicle’s online discussion today with experts on how charities should handle the economic turbulence.

Our guests:

• Dan Cardinali, president of Communities in Schools, a Washington charity that works nationwide to prevent students nationally from dropping out of school. The group has taken some creative approaches to handling the problems caused by the downturn in the economy.

• Rick Dunham, a fund-raising consultant in Addison, Tex. Mr. Dunham specializes in fund raising for Christian charities and he has also worked with organizations such as the University of Southern California and Children’s Medical Center, in Dallas.

• Clara Miller, chief executive, of the Nonprofit Finance Fund, in New York, which provides financial resources for nonprofit groups.