Items relevant to more than one category may appear more than once in this summary. From the issue dated June 14, 2007 About Fund Raising ONLINE GIVING to the biggest American charities rose sharply last year, according to the annual Chronicle survey of donations made over the Internet. CHARITY BADGES and other Internet tools make it easy for supporters to raise money on their own for their favorite nonprofit groups. A CAREFUL REDESIGN of the donation section of its Web site — which didn't come cheap — yielded big fund-raising gains for the American Heart Association. INDISCRIMINATE USE OF E-MAIL to raise money is wearing out donors, some experts say, and could endanger its future as an effective fund-raising tool. NONPROFIT MAILERS would get a temporary discount on the new postage rate for "flats" under a recommendation by the Postal Regulatory Commission. CONNECTIONS AMONG 12 CHARITIES in Arizona raise questions about how much organizations should tell federal workers who are considering giving through the government's annual drive. UPDATE ON CAMPAIGNS for endowments, capital improvements, and other needs. INTEREST RATES for planned gifts, issued by the Internal Revenue Service. About Gifts and Giving THREE UNIVERSITIES have been promised gifts of $100-million. CORPORATE GIVING rose 4.7 percent last year, according to early findings of a new study. A DONATION of $25-million to Cornell University will support faculty research in the life sciences; other recent gifts to nonprofit organizations and institutions. PEOPLE WHO GIVE primarily to charities are more likely to see nonprofit groups, not political groups, as agents of change on important issues, a new study finds. THE FACE OF PHILANTHROPY: The Braille Institute of America, in Los Angeles, this month runs its annual contest to help blind children test their reading skills. About Managing Nonprofit Groups WILL THE NEW FORM 990, expected to be unveiled this week, improve the way charities report their activities to the Internal Revenue Service or will it just increase their paperwork? A CRUSADER for the move to reinvent retirement has a new book out arguing for support of older people who wish to embark on "encore" careers. NONPROFIT GROUPS have a poor track record in tapping older workers for jobs, says a report from the Conference Board. SABBATICALS for nonprofit leaders appear to be on the rise, offering a respite for overextended executives and a chance for organizations to groom new managers. THE HUMANITIES INSTITUTE, at the University of Texas, offers research sabbaticals that give charity officials the opportunity to study pertinent topics in a way they wouldn't have time for on the job. THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE is investigating more than 350 charities for possibly improper political activities during the 2006 election cycle; some of those organizations may respond with legal challenges of their own. IRS EFFORTS to track charities' possible ties to terrorists were harshly criticized in a report from the Treasury Department's inspector general, leading the tax agency to promise improved scrutiny. NONPROFIT BUSINESS VENTURES almost never generate enough money to sustain the work of the charities that start them, says a new report. FOR A LONGTIME FUND RAISER who loved his personal connections to donors, taking over the leadership of a small family foundation is not much of a stretch (New on the Job). HOTLINE: How to start a charity, what to do when a grant recipient misuses an award, and other topics are covered in our bimonthly advice column. AN IRAQI REFUGEE now practicing medicine in New Jersey has become the unlikely voice of a little-known religion, Mandeanism, whose fate is imperiled by the displacement of people in his homeland. REPORTS ON CHARITIES by the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance. About Technology TEXT MESSAGING could become a path to better health, as a Boston charity tests a way for people to use their cellphones to track their progress in exercising and controlling weight. INNOVATIVE USES OF THE WEB for social causes have won honors, and $50,000 in prize money, for three charities. About Grant Makers CONFRONTED WITH GLOBAL CHALLENGES, grant makers on both sides of the Atlantic need to find ways to forge new alliances, speakers told participants at the annual meeting of the European Foundation Centre. HOME DEPOT HAS ANNOUNCED a new $100-million grant-making effort to provide low-cost housing and promote environmental conservation; other new grant programs. RECENT GRANTS by foundations, corporations, and other grant makers. Also in This Issue OPINION: Scott Schaffer laments the failure of so many charities to see the crucial importance of technology for their performance. LETTERS: on Montana's approach to its meth problem, on the life span of foundations and trusts, and on one church's recovery from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. BOOKS: A guide to getting boards involved in fund raising, a handbook on grant-proposal writing, and a toolkit to help charities undertake an array of solicitation techniques, plus summaries of other publications on giving circles, giving by grant makers to gay and lesbian causes, and reducing racial disparities in child-welfare systems. PEOPLE: Appointments and promotions in the nonprofit world.