Philanthropy appears set to increase among the wealthy, according to a survey of millionaires in 20 countries. The United States, Ireland, South Africa and India lead in donations of both money and time.
Closing the gender gap at the top of corporations fosters innovation, creates a more balanced work environment and positively affects the bottom line. Yet, achieving gender balance requires new thinking, innovative approaches and courage.
The authors present highlights from a series of seminars in which more than 80 trustees from charities of all kinds debated how they could make their charities more effective and shared ideas about improving trusteeship.
Families should consider an array of factors as part of their charitable planning, such as their legacy, the particular assets, market conditions, investment objectives, interest rates and cash flow needs, as well as the mission of the charitable organizations.
To realize the social benefits their donors seek, foundations must clearly define their missions, create spend policies that correspond with those missions and set investment strategies that suit those policies.
Putting a financial value on social outcomes can help funders determine whether an organization is worth supporting, understand the impact that grantees are having and identify where organizations need help.
In the post-Madoff era, the foundation and non-profit sector continues to struggle with how to invest philanthropic assets most appropriately and how to ensure that boards and staff are managing investments prudently.
Disasters bring out the urge to help, but would-be donors often are not sure about where to donate. Schwab Charitable Fund looks at the hierarchy of disaster relief, considers the importance of general disaster expertise vs. local expertise for a charity, and discusses how to encourage accountability. A targeted list of recommendations for donors is included.
In addition to having an external mission, many family foundations create an internal one specifying how the foundation will function in family-building, education and the transfer of family values from one generation to the next. Foundation Source offers concrete examples of how some families are using their foundations to make a difference within the family as well as in the external world.
The new health care reform legislation adds a 3.8 percent tax on net investment income for many charitable donors starting in January 2013, while not allowing charitable deductions to be used to offset the tax. This article from Hemenway & Barnes explains how an interest-free loan to a charity can provide the same tax benefits as a charitable deduction.