Hilary Marshall is trying new approaches to recruiting former patients at Massachusetts General Hospital to become donors.

John Hunting's Beldon Fund is closing this month, 10 years after it started operating.

Michael A. Foley, for The Chronicle

Nick Rees, of Ohio's Buckeye Ranch, says his charity moved quickly to fire an employee caught embezzling.

From the issue dated May 21, 2009 About Giving THE BELDON FUND set out to spend all its money in 10 years and will soon shut down, but it is not going quietly, adding its voice to the debate about the ideal life span for foundations. GIVING BY CORPORATE FOUNDATIONS in 2008 fell by about 3 percent from the previous year, the Foundation Center reported. THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION wants the help of grant makers and nonprofit groups, several officials told participants at the Council on Foundations' annual conference. A FAMILY MEMBER of a donor to Brandeis University is suing the institution, charging that it violated the donor's intentions. THE FACE OF PHILANTHROPY: A New York charity assists elderly Jews in the former Soviet Union, known as "double victims," because they were terrorized by the Nazis and persecuted under Communism. RECENT GRANTS by foundations, corporations, and other grant makers. RECENT GIFTS to nonprofit organizations and institutions. About Fund Raising THE DECLINE IN NEW DONORS that charities have been seeing for several years has only worsened in the sour economy, so organizations are fine-tuning their approaches to try to recoup. FUND RAISERS' MEDIAN PAY in 2008 was $63,500, virtually the same as in the previous year, according to a new study. CHARITIES ARE ATTRACTING more donors through the Internet, according to a new survey, but the size of the average online gift has slipped (Technology). UPDATE ON CAMPAIGNS for endowments, capital improvements, and other needs. INTEREST RATES for planned gifts, issued by the Internal Revenue Service. About Charities and Federal Aid THE FEDERAL STIMULUS MONEY is seen as a lifeline for struggling charities, but some nonprofit leaders fear it holds out false hope for many groups that are not equipped to compete for the funds or to use the infusion of cash wisely should they get it. COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS have been able to expand services with the additional federal money, much of which was disbursed within two weeks of passage of the economic-stimulus law. THE INFUSION OF VOLUNTEERS SUPPORTED by stimulus money allotted to AmeriCorps and other programs is serving as a dress rehearsal for the expansion of national service called for in the Serve America Act. SINCE THE RECESSION BEGAN, charities that provide emergency food and shelter have struggled to keep up with increased demand; the $100-million for such efforts in the stimulus law should help relieve the pressure. EFFORTS TO ASSIST the homeless are set to receive $1.5-billion, and many charity leaders hope the extra resources will prod organizations to change the way they provide shelter to the needy. ARTS GROUPS have been hit especially hard by the recession, and many are hoping that the $50-million allotted to the National Endowment for the Arts will help slow the layoffs. SOME FOUNDATIONS are reaching out with money and expertise to help states and cities make the best use of the federal stimulus funds. About Managing THEFT BY EMPLOYEES is always a possibility, but in a time of staff cuts and shrinking resources nonprofit groups should be prepared for an uptick in such incidents. THE PICOWER FOUNDATION has been sued for more than $5-billion over its role in the Madoff investment scandal. IF THE NATION'S HEALTH-CARE SYSTEM is revamped, will a tax exemption for nonprofit hospitals still be necessary?, asked Sen. Charles E. Grassley at a discussion of health-insurance issues held by the Senate Finance Committee (Tax Watch). PRESIDENT OBAMA'S 2010 BUDGET proposes spending on social-service, arts, health-care, and other domestic programs that his predecessor sought to squeeze in his recent spending plans. THE PRESIDENT is sticking with his proposal to limit charitable tax deductions for the wealthy, and he continues to support keeping the estate tax at its present level, according to documents released last week. IN HIS BUDGET REQUEST, President Obama has asked Congress for $50-million for the Fund for Social Innovation, to support the work of successful nonprofit groups. DOROTHY VOGEL, a former librarian, and Herbert Vogel, a retired postal worker, have collected more than 4,000 pieces of artwork. Now they are helping to make sure that pieces of their beloved collection are on display in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. (Dispatches). THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE is looking for help from charities in determining the tax issues it should focus on in issuing advice to tax-exempt organizations (Tax Watch). WRITE-OFFS: Tips on filing informational tax returns offered by the Internal Revenue Service, plus the tax agency offers a new site map to help people find charity information on its Web site. PRESS CLIPPINGS: Foundations are struggling to figure out how best to work with the Obama administration, says American Prospect magazine, and Town & Country's annual philanthropy issue examines charitable efforts in the United States and abroad. About Philanthropy Careers GRADUATE PROGRAMS in nonprofit management and related fields are becoming more attractive to prospective students as the job market continues to shrink. WHEN CONSIDERING AN ADVANCED DEGREE in nonprofit work, be sure it fits your career goals, experts say, and sit in on a class or two before you choose a program. AT GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY, a "cause consulting" program helps students pursuing a master's in public relations put their new skills to work for nonprofit groups. FOUNDATION EXECUTIVES earned a median $134,680 last year, a 6.4-percent increase over 2007, according to a new survey from the Council on Foundations. STUDYING WEALTHY PEOPLE led Terry Odendahl into the nonprofit world, and now she will take over leadership of a fund that makes small grants to grass-roots environmental groups around the globe (New on the Job). PEOPLE: Appointments and promotions in the nonprofit world. LEGACIES: George A. Brakeley Jr., who died this month at age 93, was called the "dean of American fund raising." NEW BOOKS: A businessman's advice to charity managers, a guide to using technology to aid charitable causes, and a look at charities "in a flat world." About Technology CHARITY WEB SITES scored low on a survey of visitors' satisfaction, below both government and online-banking sites. AN ONLINE SYSTEM that helps domestic-violence shelters in Minnesota share information about open beds and available services may expand to help victims nationwide. A NEW YORK CHARITY that developed a system for monitoring and guiding e-mail communication between high-school students and their mentors has begun offering the system to other charities. GLOBAL GIVING, a Web site known for connecting donors with overseas development projects, is sponsoring a competition to attract more American charities that visitors to the site might support. TECHNOLOGY BITS: A new tool lets charities assess how educational achievements benefit their counties, and a foundation creates an island in the virtual world of Second Life. Opinion and Letters Pablo Eisenberg says it's time to start limiting the salaries of charity chief executives. Francie Ostrower looks at the tricky relationship between donors' intent and the longevity of their foundations. Sean Stannard-Stockton argues for an under­standing of giving as self-expression. LETTERS on filling senior nonprofit positions in a recession, limiting advocacy by tax-exempt groups, and the relationship between charities and their board members.