Philanthropy

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  Program-Related Investing Has Yet to Attract Foundations

  By Michael S. Fischer  |  May 23, 2013

  Program-related investments can help foundations achieve their charitable goals while generating financial returns, but U.S. foundations have been slow to adopt their use.

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  Andy Friedman: Which Wealth Transfer Tactics Will Survive Congress?

  By Gil Weinreich, AdvisorOne  |  May 22, 2013

  Act now to transfer wealth, Washington Update analyst Andy Friedman warns, because Congress is likely to close some loopholes while forging a budget compromise needed to raise the debt limit.

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  IRS Scandal Has Charities Worrying About ‘Collateral Damage’

  By Michael S. Fischer  |  May 16, 2013

  Charitable nonprofits worry that investigations revving up in Washington over the IRS' targeting of conservative groups will further delay applications for tax-exempt status and impede their activities.

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  Chasing Big Donations? Think Local

  By Michael S. Fischer  |  April 23, 2013

  Of gifts to nonprofits of at least $1 million, 47% of the donations and 52% of the dollar value came from donors in the same state from 2000 to 2011, according to a new study.

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  6 Bad Athlete Charities

  By Dan Berman, AdvisorOne  |  April 15, 2013

  All that money and all those good intentions don’t make foundations immune from mismanagement. Maybe they should have hired better advisors.

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  10 Most Generous U.S. Cities for Online Donations in 2012

  By Michael S. Fischer  |  April 12, 2013

  Overall charitable giving in the U.S. last year was relatively flat, but online giving saw double-digit growth, according to recent research by Blackbaud.

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  Crowdfunding Volumes Explode, Heading to $5B in 2013

  By Michael S. Fischer  |  April 8, 2013

  Crowdfunding platforms raised $2.7 billion globally in 2012 and could exceed $5 billion by year end, according to a report released Monday.

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  What Advisors Don’t Know About Variable Annuities: VA Mechanics

  By Mike Henkel, Achaean  |  April 2, 2013

  To understand how VAs differ and where they fit in a client’s portfolio, first understand their common traits, like how a guaranteed withdrawal rate actually works.

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  Nonprofits’ Online Fundraising Grew 21% in 2012

  By Michael S. Fischer  |  April 1, 2013

  Email lists still dominate over social media, but response rates are falling, according to a study by M+R Strategic Services and Nonprofit Technology Network.

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  Obama’s Effort to Limit Charitable Deductions Faces House Pushback

  By Michael S. Fischer  |  March 21, 2013

  The Senate’s budget seeks to limit the amount by which affluent taxpayers can itemize deductions, including charitable donations. But the plan is unlikely to go far in the House.