TIGHT FUNDS IN TOUGH TIMES
Donations to nonprofit groups on The Chronicle's Philanthropy 400 list grew 4.5 percent last year, but many organizations are nervous about their fund-raising prospects in the coming months.

• Table: Philanthropy 400: by the Numbers
• Table: Causes and the Support They Garnered
• Table: Groups Whose Noncash Gifts Accounted for More Than 60% of Donations
• Table: Charities That Raised At Least Half of Their Donations at the End of the Year
• Graphic: How the Total Amount of Money Raised by the Philanthropy 400 Charities Has Grown (In Billions)

High-end retreats for donors and partnerships with corporate supporters are among the tactics employed by Philanthropy 400 charities to invigorate their fund raising in the economic slowdown.

Recruiting board members who do a great job of seeking money is a key to success for many of the charities on the Philanthropy 400. But few trustees are willing to seek donations, especially as many of them now worry about their own financial security.

• Table: Facts About Board Members and Charities

Annual fund raising at the Jewish Federation/Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago is already the envy of many charities, but David A. Sherman, the board member who chaired the 2007 campaign, found a way to kick it up a notch.

One of the most respected fund raisers in the Silicon Valley, Ervie Smith, on the board of the YMCA of Santa Clara Valley, is described as persistent, tenacious, and a "triple Type A" personality.

A passion for helping children is what drives Ann Isaly Wolfe, a member of the board of Nationwide Children's Hospital, and helped her land a $50-million gift.

"If you don't ask for it, you don't get it," says John C. Whitehead, a board member who has given $10-million to the International Rescue Committee and raised many millions more for the group from others.

Having overcome diabetes by means of transplant surgery, James C. Tyree, a trustee of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International, is more devoted than ever to raising money to find a cure.

An interactive look at the Chronicle of Philanthropy's annual ranking of the 400 nonprofit organizations that raised the most money from private sources.

This survey was conducted by The Chronicle of Philanthropy to determine which U.S. charities raised the most in donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations.

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Because The Chronicle changed the methodology for the 2005 Philanthropy 400 survey, pre-2005 rankings are not available in this year's database. To see the 2004 online database, along with previous years' rankings, please visit:
http://philanthropy.com/premium/stats/philanthropy400/2004

For more information on how The Chronicle altered the methodology for the survey, please see How The Chronicle Compiled Its Annual Philanthropy 400 Rankings