April 2008

"Giving is true loving." - Charles Spurgeon

Gridiron Giving
The NFL's All-star Philanthropists

PHILANTHROPY MAGAZINE - It takes brains. It takes guts. Most importantly, it takes a lot of heart. These guys would know. After all, it's what makes them the NFL's All-Star Philanthropists. (And it probably helps on the field, too.) Some players sacrifice their time. Some give their money. For others, it's a combination of both. What unites these pigskin philanthropists is their determination to give deeply of themselves. read more...

Breaking the Silence
Shifting nature of inheritance has families discussing values

NEW YORK TIMES - With the largest intergenerational transfer of wealth in American history now under way many families are reconsidering the meaning of inheritance, thinking not just about the money but about the values they want to pass with it. As the nature of wealth in America changes, many people are beginning to talk more openly about their money and the purpose it has for them. read more...

Money Buys Happiness, If Spent on Others
Study finds that it is indeed better to give than receive

AFP - Money can buy happiness -- as long as it is spent on other people or on pro-social causes, scientists said. Research to be published in the journal Science on Friday proves the scientific grounds behind the adage it's emotionally better to give than to receive, said Elizabeth Dunn, a psychologist at the University of British Columbia in this city on Canada's Pacific Coast. "We found that people who reported spending more money on others were happier," said Dunn. read more...

Philanthropy Alone Will Not Fix Africa
Charity can only do so much

CHRONICLE OF PHILANTHROPY - After more than 20 years of organizing events to raise millions of dollars to fight poverty in Africa, the musician Bob Geldof has learned that philanthropy alone is not enough. “After 20 years, I arrived at the point where charity can only do so much,” said Mr. Geldof. "What makes the real difference is policy changes at the highest levels of government, coupled with charitable efforts." read more...

How We Fight Poverty
United Nations asks churches to step in

CHRISTIANITY TODAY - The secretary general of the United Nations did the unimaginable a few weeks ago: He met with a diverse group of evangelicals near Washington, D.C., and asked for help from the church. Speaking on behalf of 192 nations, Ban told evangelicals, "We cannot do it alone. We need good allies such as you. We need … the faith community to help be a voice to the voiceless people. With faith and the will, we can make a difference." read more...

Nonprofits Adjust to New IRS Rules
New IRS rules for disclosure require more detail

BUSINESS FIRST - Much as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act forced public companies to disclose more thorough information about their financials, new federal laws soon will require nonprofits and charities to provide greater detail about executive compensation and other governance practices. read more...

College Students Learn How to Give
Building future philanthropists through practice

CINCINNATI ENQUIRER - College students are using real money to learn one of life's great lessons: How to give away money. Through a program called Campus Connect, $4,000 are given to classes at several area universities and the students are challenged to find the best charity to use it. read more...

Charities Seek Donors to Replace Wall Street
Fear of suffering among nonprofits in an economic downturn

NEW YORK TIMES - Charities that benefit from the largess of Wall Street, law firms and corporations in New York have begun defensive planning for the end of this social season and next year. Many fortunes have been wiped out at Bear Stearns, and the rest of the financial world is bracing for more bad news and layoffs, a harbinger of tougher times for fund-raising. read more...

Q&A: Acumen Fund's Big Ambition
Non-profit venture fund aims to impact 50 million by 2010

RED HERRING - The Acumen Fund, a non-profit global venture fund with a mission, celebrated its seventh anniversary this week. A relative newcomer to the world of philanthropy, Acumen has drawn a lot of attention for its entrepreneurial approach to doing good: investing in new companies in developing countries that use technology to make a difference in the lives the people at the bottom of the pyramid. read more...

The Shack
A novel by William P. Young

In this novel, the main character Mackenzie Allen Philips’ youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation, and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever. buy at Amazon.com...

PBS Nightly Business News Report
A Guide to Giving - Part 1

Philanthropy is a mission, and it is also an industry. In 2005 alone, charitable contributions to nonprofits topped $250 billion. The three part series "A Guide to Giving" explores trends in personal and corporate philanthropy and also examines nonprofit accountability.

In the first part of this series about trends in the charitable giving industry, NBR correspondent Erika Miller finds out how many individuals and corporations contribute to charities and how those groups make the decision to give.

Watch the video...