Robert Hildreth has been focusing his philanthropy on the needs of Hispanic immigrants.

Image courtesy of Volunteer Toronto

Michelle Nunn has led the Points of Light Institute through a challenging merger of two groups with different views of volunteerism.

Photograph by Chris Casaburi

As charities nationwide seek to copy the Harlem Children's Zone approach, they are turning to its founder, Geoffrey Canada, for advice.

From the issue dated October 15, 2009 About Gifts and Giving A BOLD PUBLIC MOVE to help a group of illegal immigrants arrested at a Massachusetts factory changed Robert Hildreth's approach to philanthropy, and gave birth to the charity he created this year. THE CALVERT GIVING FUND, aiming to put its donors' money to work immediately, invests its assets in enterprises that promote the common good. THE FACE OF PHILANTHROPY: An American journalist on assignment in Afghanistan discovered there was nowhere to bring stray or injured animals, so she started her own rescue operation. DON FISHER, who founded the Gap clothing-store chain, was the major benefactor of Teach for America and the KIPP charter-school group (Legacies). MARIST COLLEGE has received a 60-acre estate worth some $75-million and a $10-million cash gift that it will use to establish a leadership institute. EMERGENCY GRANTS made by foundations: a sampling. About Fund Raising DONATIONS FELL at nearly six in 10 United Ways around the country last year, United Way Worldwide reported. STREET FUND RAISERS, who seek donations by stopping pedestrians or knocking on doors, need to focus their efforts on professional women in their 30s, says a new study from Europe. RECRUITING NEW CHILD SPONSORS  — donors who give monthly contributions to help poor children abroad — may be more difficult because of the recession, according to a survey released by World Vision. About Managing Nonprofit Groups HARLEM CHILDREN'S ZONE, with its distinctive approach to fighting poverty, is already a model for many charities, and now President Obama has proposed spending $10-million to extend its central idea even further. THE VOLUNTEERISM MOVEMENT is gaining momentum, with even prime-time TV joining the boosters of community service, but are charities ready for the influx of helpers? SHORT SERVICE PROJECTS and one-stop background checks: four innovative approaches to eliminating the obstacles to volunteering. AS THE USE OF UNPAID LABOR GROWS, tensions between staff members and volunteers are inevitable, and nonprofit leaders must learn how to blend the two camps. PATRICK CORVINGTON, a senior associate at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, has been nominated by President Obama to head the Corporation for National and Community Service. THE POINTS OF LIGHT INSTITUTE, a merger of two organizations with distinctly different approaches to promoting volunteerism, is headed by a woman who has proved adept at bridging the two cultures. AT A TIME when many nonprofit groups have been forced to pull back, some successful grass-roots charities are looking to expand their operations, even to other cities. SEVERAL NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS have come to the defense of Acorn, the community-organizing group currently under fire from Congress. PARTNERSHIPS struck as long as a decade ago between Big Brothers Big Sisters and Boys & Girls Clubs have borne fruit, and may offer lessons for other charities looking to share resources. NONPROFIT HOSPITALS would be required to adopt and widely publicize financial-assistance policies, under legislation now being considered by the Senate Finance Committee. SMALL NONPROFIT GROUPS would get a tax break to help them pay for their workers' health insurance, under a bill before the Senate Finance Committee. INDEPENDENT SECTOR urged Congress to ease rules governing how charities make payments to defined-benefit pension plans, as the House Ways and Means Committee met to discuss such action. THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE has offered a clarification of its rules governing how grant-making charities can support nonprofit groups that engage in lobbying. THE NEW PRESIDENT of the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, Kerry Sullivan, plans in part to encourage the bank's employees to volunteer (New on the Job). AWARDS: A Denver couple have received the William E. Simon Prize for Philanthropic Leadership from the Philanthropy Roundtable. PEOPLE: Appointments and promotions in the nonprofit world. About Technology GAME ON: From now through November 9, in a contest sponsored by the Case Foundation, individuals and charities will compete to attract the greatest number of donations through their online networks. SCIENTISTS in remote areas of the globe are getting solar-energy systems to help power research on endangered species, through the efforts of the Wildlife Conservation Network and a dedicated volunteer. About Grant Makers THE GATES FOUNDATION has set aside $400-million for possible loans, investments, and other vehicles that would be an alternative to grant making in furthering its charitable work. ON THE JOB FOR JUST A YEAR, Bradford K. Smith, president of the Foundation Center, is working to expand and diversify the data the center provides to fund raisers and grant seekers. NEWLY ANNOUNCED grant programs. FRANK KAREL, who had a long career at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, will be remembered as an innovator in the way foundations communicate with the public (Legacies). Also in This Issue Opinion: Diana Aviv and Neil Nicoll propose a loan fund to help cash-strapped charities continue to provide critical services. Evan Hochberg says the volunteerism movement needs to be tempered by adherence to the basic principles of supply and demand. Letters: on the prudent use of endowment money and diversity in the nonprofit world. New Books: A critical look at the international aid system, an examination of civil society, a guide for grant seekers, case studies of groups started or inspired by the humanitarian organization CARE, and a photographic history of International Medical Corps' 25 years of operation.