Dear
Friend,
With the primary race for the White House getting closer to the end, now is
a good time to take a close look at how each candidate stands on the subject
of philanthropy. All
four candidates remaining, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Senator Barack
Obama,
Governor
Mike Huckabee,
and
Senator
John McCain, are basically positive in their stances on the non-profit sector. Clinton
and McCain are both for charitable-giving incentives, Huckabee, Clinton and
McCain all favor federal money for religious groups, and all four favor an
increase in support of national service programs such as Americ Corps and
the Peace Corp.
For more detailed information on the candidates' view on charity, I refer
you to The Chronicle of Philanthropy, February 22, 2008, pg. 22
Sincerely,
Douglas M. Lawson, Ph.D.
_____________________________________
Did you know?
RETIRE AS A PHILANTHROPIST
Charles Feeney, at 76, is determined
to disburse his Atlantic Philanthropies Foundation's assets of $4 billion
by 2020. One of the areas he is concentrating his giving is to people
over age 60. His Purpose Prize of $100,000 each year goes to "social
entrepreneurs" over 60 who are tackling some of society's biggest
problems. In addition, his foundation is giving financial help to
older adults who strive to live healthier independent lives with dignity,
purpose and meaning.
Wall Street Journal, February 16-17, 2008, p.
R3
WORLD HEALTH OFFICIAL TARGETS GATES FOUNDATION
Dr. Arata Kochi of
the World Health Organization recently complained in a memo about the
possible negative consequences of the Gates Foundation's financial commitment
to malaria research. His basic concern is that the Gates Foundation's
recommendations backed up by their money could have "dangerous consequences
on the policy-making process in world health". We hope this
riff can be patched up quickly because the eradication of malaria is
more important than a bureaucrat's complaints.
New York Times, February
16, 2008, p. A6
A PHILANTHROPIST'S PHOTOGRAPHS AID THE HOMELESS
Lynn Blodgett, 53,
a data processing CEO, has photographed homeless people for the past
four years in 12 cities producing several thousand portraits. Last
year he put the best into a book, Finding Grace: The Face of America's
Homeless, which American Photo magazine called one of the top 10 books
of 2007. The royalties from the sale of the book go to Blodgett's
charity, the Finding Grace Initiative, which makes grants to groups promoting
low-cost housing.
Forbes, February 25, 2008, p. 98
THE WELATH GAP AMONG UNIVERSITIES CONTINUES TO GROW
As we continue
to follow the Harvard, Yale lead of wealthy American Universities to
utilize their endowment income to assist students of all economic status,
it is important to note that fundraising for the richest schools continues
to grow. In 2007 all colleges and universities raised a total of
$30 billion, a 6% increase over 2006. However, nearly one-third
of that increase - $518 million - came from just 20 wealthy schools that
raised $7.7 billion of the $30 billion total. We hope this fundraising
growth continues for all higher education institutions both public and
private. We commend the wealthy schools for beginning to give back
to their students and families.
New York Times, February 20, 2008,
p. A21
The Council for Aid to Education, February 11, 2008 A21
SAVING THE WORLD WITH YOGURT
Gary Hirshberg, CEO of Stonyfield Farm,
is trying to save the world through the profits of his company and others. In
his new book, Stirring It Up, he outlines how he is convinced that his
company and others can change the world by sharing their profits with
efforts to help the environment and make the world a better place for
all of us. In his book he discusses other corporations trying to
do this including Wal-Mart; Interface; and News Corp. We wish to
thank Mr. Hirshberg for his book and efforts at Stonyfield Farm to make
all this actually happen.
USA Today, February 18, 2008, p. 10B
AUTHOR SPENDS $250,000 TO EXPLAIN $1 MILLION DONATION
As reported
in an earlier Trends, Patricia Cornwell, a popular crime novel writer,
recently contributed $1 million to the John Jay College in New York to
finance a crime scene investigation academy. Wanting to set the
record straight after remarks she made in a published interview, she
took out a full page ad in the New York Times, The Washington Post, and
USA Today. To date, the president of John Jay, Jeremy Travis, reports
that the college has received no complaints about Cornwell's remarks.
New York Times, February 18, 2008, p. A17
THE ANNUAL PHILANTHROPIC RALLY FOR PBS
This is the time each year
that those who wish to cut the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's
budget are in full swing. It is also the time when philanthropic
supporters of PBS both in Congress and the private section rally their
troops. We wish the supporters of PBS the best and we hope they
win out again this year.
New York Times, February 17, 2008, (Arts & Leisure
p. 1)
AFTER BEING MAYOR, IS PHILANTHROPY ENOUGH FOR BLOOMBERG?
After his
days are over as Mayor for New York City, will philanthropy be enough
for Michael R. Bloomberg who recently turned 66? Will he follow
Bill Gates who is leaving Microsoft for a career as a philanthropist
as he sets out to run his foundation, which is the largest in the world? If
Bloomberg puts most of his billion dollar fortune into his foundation,
it will still not be as large as Gates, but it will still rank as one
of the largest. All this will take place for Bloomberg in 2010 and
we will be watching closely to see if this man, who is already one of
America's leading philanthropists, will continue in that path full time.
New York Times, February 17, 2008, p. 23
CAN FUNDRAISERS' PERFORMANCES BE MEASURED?
The new school of thought
in the non-profit world is that fund raisers performances can be measured. The
performance measures include how many contacts with potential donors
were made and whether the contacts were calls, letters or visits. Also,
how much actual money was raised and over what period of time. In
the new focus on raising major gifts from wealthy prospects these and
other similar measurement standards are being used to evaluate development
officers' performances. We welcome this trend and encourage more
non-profits to utilize it in their work with development officers. In
2006 a study of almost 100 colleges and universities found that the schools
that raised the most money were the ones that were systematic in using
performance measures with their fundraisers.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy,
February 21, 2008, p. 17
STANFORD AND BROWN FOLLOW HARVARD, DARTMOUTH AND YALE'S LEAD
Stanford
University and Brown University are following the decisions of Harvard,
Dartmouth, Yale and other wealthy institutions of higher education, which
have announced that families earning less than $100,00 will not be charged
tuition. In addition, families earning less than $60,000 will not
pay room and board. This positive trend which now has momentum is
one we hope will grow.
New York Times, February 21, 2008, p. A12
THE QUIET JAPANESE-BORN PHILANTHROPIST
Lady Yoko Nagae Ceschina, a
countess from Japan, is a patron of musicians and now the New York Philharmonic
Orchestra. She is underwriting the Orchestra's landmark performance
in North Korea. From her home in Venice, she funds musicians and
musical organizations around the world. At 75, she is going strong
and we wish for her many more joyful years bringing her love of music
to others.
Wall Street Journal, February 22, 2008, p. W1
CAPITALISM AND CHARITY - A PHILANTHROPIC MARRIAGE
Many charities cannot
make it solely as philanthropic endeavors. But when wedded to a
for-profit enterprise often the results are very positive. An example
is a charity that Miles Gilburne and Nina Zolt contributed $10 million only
to find its growth very slow. The charity used books and online
tools to enhance skills of inner-city students, but as a non-profit venture
it was just not getting the desired results. The couple have changed
the charity into primarily a for-profit enterprise. In 2 books
is now much more successful using some of capitalism's virtues. This
is a new trend for non-profits that deserves close watching. We
hope it is successful.
New York Times, February 24, 2008, (Business
p. 1)
BRITISH MUSEUMS REVERSE BAN ON SELLING ART
Founded in 1889, the Museums
Association that represents museums and galleries has reversed a 30 year
ban on selling art. British museums are now urged to sell the art
that is stored and seldom seen by the public if they cannot give it to
other museums who will put it on display. This is a good new idea. We
will follow as American museums take note.
New York Times, February
26, 2008, p. E2
BOSTON MAYOR AND LIBRARIAN AT ODDS
The Boston Public Library, one
of Boston's proudest non-profit institutions is at odds with the Mayor
and City Hall that are planning to take control of the library's 200
trust funds, private contributions and bequests, which total about $54
million. The library's president, Bernold Margolis, and the Mayor,
Thomas M. Menino, are at odds over this ploy. This is a serious
matter that should be closely watched by all who are involved with philanthropy
throughout America.
New York Times, February 26, 2008, p. A11
PHILHARMONIC'S TOUR IN NORTH KOREA QUESTIONED
In spite of the goodwill
being generated by the New York Philharmonic's tour in North Korea, some
are questioning the politics of the situation. Melanie Kirkpatrick
of the Wall Street Journal questions whether in the eyes of the rules
of North Korea, this trip is really about music. "In the context
of a totalitarian regime, that's a naïve view, not to say a dangerous
one". Whether you agree with her or not, the group of 400 Americans
with the orchestra including patrons who paid $100,000 a couple is making
history and hopefully the beginning of a new day in diplomatic relations
between the two nations that have been at odds since 1953 when the Korean
War ended.
Wall Street Journal, February 26, 2008, p. D6 and A6
New York Times, February 26, 2008, p. 1
MIXING FUN AND FUNDRAISING
Giving circles are springing up all over
America. These informal philanthropic circles, such as the Wine
Ladies of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, get together to have a good time and raise
money at the same time. Daria Teutonico notes "You really can
be part of a giving circle with not a lot of money, and it's really the
collective strength of the group that makes giving circles so powerful". A
great idea!.
USA Today, February 27, 2008, p. 3A
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