Bob Collins, of the Christian Legacy Foundation, says his group has lost gifts because of the bad housing market.

Peter Yates, for The Chronicle

Jeffrey S. Raikes has been named as the next chief executive of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Lawrence Jackson/AP Images

Benjamin Todd Jealous's appointment as leader of the NAACP has provoked controversy.

From the issue dated May 29, 2008 About Gifts and Giving THE DISASTERS THAT STRUCK ASIA this month — the cyclone in Myanmar and the earthquake in China — have thus far prompted donations of more than $41-million to help the victims, relief groups reported. A MILLIONAIRE INVESTOR and major donor, Robert W. Wilson is on track to donate 70 percent of his wealth before he dies — but he still thinks making money is more fun than giving it away. AMONG ALUMNI DONORS, T. Boone Pickens must hold some kind of title: He has just given his alma mater, Oklahoma State University, $100-million to endow professorships, following a $165-million gift for athletics in 2006. THE FACE OF PHILANTHROPY: The Texas School for the Deaf educates 500 students a year and trains educators and family members so they can better interact with hearing-impaired people. RECENT GIFTS to nonprofit organizations and institutions. RECENT GRANTS by foundations, corporations, and other grant makers. About Fund Raising ASSETS OF DONOR-ADVISED FUNDS grew 25 percent in 2007, according to the latest Chronicle survey, but many already see signs that such growth will not be repeated in 2008. TAKE NOTE of where donors' checks come from and get to know your local community foundation: advice for charities on tapping donor-advised funds. FUND RAISERS in the United States saw their pay go up 5 percent last year, to a median of $63,000, according to the annual salary survey by the Association of Fundraising Professionals. THE DECISION by United Way of America to focus its activities on health, education, and poverty has some charities that work outside those areas worried that they may lose out. THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES approved a bill reinstating a provision allowing people 70½ and older to make charitable donations from their individual retirement accounts tax-free (Tax Watch). FISK UNIVERSITY'S EXPERIENCE shows what a determined president and a talented chief fund raiser can do for a financially floundering institution, says Bob Levey. INTEREST RATES for planned gifts, issued by the Internal Revenue Service. UPDATE ON CAMPAIGNS for endowments, capital improvements, and other needs. About Managing Nonprofit Groups THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE has denied tax exemption to an organization in part because its spending on charitable work was not "commensurate" with its financial resources. THE J. PAUL GETTY TRUST has eliminated 114 staff positions and cut other costs in an effort to enhance its arts programs. MIDSIZE NONPROFIT BOARDS need to become more engaged in the stewardship of their organizations, says a new report from the Urban Institute. A FEDERAL JUDGE has rejected an effort by Johnson & Johnson to force the American Red Cross to stop using its famous red-and-white logo on retail products. THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE has dropped an investigation into a church where Sen. Barack Obama spoke last year (Tax Watch). THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE has posted an online reminder to small nonprofit groups of the deadlines for filing the informational returns known as "e-Postcards" (Tax Watch). GUIDELINES regarding the tax forms that charities must file related to business activities unrelated to their mission have been issued by the Internal Revenue Service (Tax Watch). About Technology AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, testing different approaches to raising money online, learned that small changes to its donation page can reap large rewards. WORKING WITH CELLPHONE COMPANIES and charities, the Mobile Giving Foundation hopes to turn text messaging into a viable supplement to other types of fund raising. ISSUELAB, a Chicago charity, uses the Internet to promote research by nonprofit organizations. About Careers in the Nonprofit World BILL AND MELINDA GATES turned to another Microsoft executive, Jeffrey S. Raikes, to take over the reins of their foundation, replacing Patty Stonesifer, who has led the fund for 11 years. BENJAMIN TODD JEALOUS, a 35-year-old foundation executive, will become the youngest president ever of the NAACP, but some on the organization's board are not happy about the selection or the process of voting on his appointment. THE NATURE CONSERVANCY, still working to regain momentum after a damaging investigation of its business practices, chose an outsider as its new leader — Mark R. Tercek, an investment banker. LEARNING CIRCLES, which offer professional peers the chance to share ideas and help one another solve problems, are gaining popularity among nonprofit leaders. CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICES like yoga, meditation, and retreats help prevent burnout among charity employees who work for social change. TO NURTURE THE NEXT GENERATION of leaders, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation put $5-million into a program to subsidize internships for college students at nonprofit organizations. FOUNDATION PROGRAM OFFICERS often suffer feelings of isolation, from grantees and sometimes even colleagues, leading many grant makers to think that more professional training might be the answer. PEOPLE: Appointments and promotions in the nonprofit world. AWARDS: Honors for people and organizations in philanthropy. Also in This Issue OPINION: Francie Ostrower on the need to beef up nonprofit boards, and Joel J. Orosz on the Gates foundation's choice of a new leader. LETTERS: on grant making and "structural racism" and the change in leadership at the Ford Foundation. Editorial cartoons about the nonprofit world.