Items relevant to more than one category may appear more than once in this summary. From the issue dated May 3, 2007 About Gifts and Giving SINCE THE SHOOTINGS at Virginia Tech, charities established in response have raised more than $1-million. COLLEGE COURSES IN PHILANTHROPY, supported by a handful of donors and family foundations, teach students about the nonprofit world and provide hands-on experience in giving away real money. A DOZEN SPORTS SUPERSTARS, including Lance Armstrong and Andre Agassi, have set up a charity that hopes to encourage philanthropy among professional athletes. A DESIRE TO "GIVE BACK" and a belief in the causes they support are what motivate the philanthropy of wealthy Americans, a new survey says. THE PRESIDENT AND MRS. BUSH gave $78,100 to charity last year, while the Cheneys donated more than $100,000, according to information released by the White House (Tax Watch). THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA announced a gift of $100-million from Frank Batten Sr., founder of Landmark Communications, for a school devoted to leadership training. THE MEDICAL SCHOOL at Indiana University has been promised $30-million; other recent gifts to nonprofit organizations and institutions. THE FACE OF PHILANTHROPY: Drive to Survive is a foundation-sponsored program in Baltimore that seeks to cut down on drunk-driving accidents among teenagers. About Fund Raising THE LARGEST DONOR-ADVISED FUNDS boasted assets of $19.2-billion last year, an increase of more than 21 percent, according to a Chronicle survey. THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE is considering recommendations that would try to curb the improper use of donor-advised funds. THE LOSS OF $3-BILLION in federal revenue as a result of a tax break to encourage giving following Hurricane Katrina has prompted second thoughts among lawmakers about extending another giving incentive. UPDATE ON CAMPAIGNS for endowments, capital improvements, and other needs. INTEREST RATES for planned gifts, issued by the Internal Revenue Service. About Managing Nonprofit Groups THE CHOICE OF MARK W. EVERSON, head of the Internal Revenue Service, to lead the American Red Cross is seen by some charity observers as a sign the Red Cross is serious about improving its operations, by others as a bad mistake. BLACK CHURCHES in New Orleans are struggling to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina, and that is hobbling their ability to carry out their traditional role of providing social services and helping people through traumatic times. A COALITION OF GRASS-ROOTS GROUPS is seeking to ensure that the Gulf Coast will be rebuilt in an equitable way. SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS need to think more like business entrepreneurs, a foundation executive told participants in a meeting organized by the Social Enterprise Alliance; notes from the conference. ADULT VOLUNTEERS in the United States numbered a little over 61 million last year, a slight decline from the year before, the Corporation for National and Community Service reported. FIGHTING GLOBAL POVERTY has become a priority of U.S. policy largely as a result of prompting from nonprofit organizations, Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state, told a meeting sponsored by InterAction, a coalition of international aid groups. THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE recalculated the value of artworks for which taxpayers claimed deductions in 2006 and found that more than 60 percentof the pieces were valued incorrectly (Tax Watch). A NURSE MIDWIFE, Loral Patchen heads a Washington charity that works to keep teenage moms from getting pregnant again too soon (A Day in the Life). LEGISLATORS IN MOSCOW have accused the U.S. government of using American charities to interfere in Russia's parliamentary and presidential elections. PUBLICITY FOR A FUND-RAISING WALK and an annual report designed to look like a photo album were among this year's winners of the Wilmer Shields Rich Awards, honoring foundations' communication efforts. HOTLINE: How volunteers can avoid unreasonable demands, how job seekers can avoid the "overqualified" tag, and answers to other questions submitted to our advice column. About Technology AN ENVIRONMENTAL CHARITY is encouraging donors to purchase "carbon credits," stocks that help regulate carbon-dioxide emissions, and donate them to a charitable fund. THE U.S. HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM has teamed up with Google to use the Internet company's mapping technology to educate the public about the genocide in Darfur. THE VERIZON FOUNDATION will put $31-million over the next three years into its online education and literacy programs. NOMINATIONS ARE NOW BEING ACCEPTED for a program that honors nonprofit groups that are using the Internet effectively for fund raising, membership, and activism. TECHNOLOGY BITS: A public-relations company has purchased a business that specializes in online communications, and Hewlett-Packard is seeking grant applications from charities that aid entrepreneurs in the United States. About Grant Makers THE DEATH OF HELEN WALTON, widow of the founder of Wal-Mart, could mean a significant infusion of assets into the Walton Family Foundation, possibly making it the second-largest U.S. grant maker. RECENT GRANTS by foundations, corporations, and other grant makers. Also in This Issue OPINION: Pablo Eisenberg highlights the key problems bedeviling the Smithsonian. Gwen I. Walden looks at diversity in philanthropy, Ruth McCambridge at how class dynamics influence grant making, and Leslie Lenkowsky at limiting the lives of foundations. And against the backdrop of the killings at Virginia Tech, Ellen Alberding insists there is much more foundations could be doing to help curb gun violence. BOOKS: An account of how two young people started the 'me to we' movement, essays on nonprofit groups and technology, and a look at foundations and their efforts to improve education. PRESS CLIPPINGS: The Weekly Standard defends the burgeoning size and wealth of the nonprofit world; and Portfolio looks at trends in arts patronage. PEOPLE: Appointments and promotions in the nonprofit world. AWARDS: Honors for people and organizations in philanthropy.