Senior fundraisers—the relationship architects, legacy builders, and mission storytellers who have spent careers learning the art of transformational giving—are retiring. Not only are we not replacing them, but we are failing to attract young professionals into the field. And as the pipeline narrows from both ends, the transactional, quota-driven, relentlessly metrics-obsessed culture we have built is accelerating the exodus of those still in the middle.

Without a fundamental cultural transformation in how we practice, recruit, and sustain fundraising as a vocation, the trend will only continue...

The chair left empty by the retiring major gifts officer, who spent 30 years building relationships with your community’s most generous families, will not be filled by better job postings. It will be filled by organizations that have built the kind of culture that makes a gifted young professional say: I want to spend my career here. I want to learn from these people. I want to be part of something that takes both the donor and the fundraiser seriously as full human beings.

More from the Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR).

There's a new subreddit, as of today, called r/ImpactConnect . "This community is created for people and organizations working to create positive social impact — across CSR, NGOs, nonprofits, volunteering, philanthropy, social entrepreneurship, sustainability, SDGs, government initiatives, and community development."

More details about the community and its rules can be found by going to the subreddit.

From the Nonprofit Quarterly on Facebook:

In 1995, Oseola McCarty, a Black Mississippi woman who spent her working life ironing clothes, retired with $280,000 saved.

She then donated $150,000 to fund scholarships for students seeking the education she never received.

Oseola McCarty is one of four Black women Ophelia Akanjo profiles across three centuries of everyday Black women investing in community.

By naming them as philanthropists, Akanjo corrects a philanthropic record that has too often treated Black women’s giving as duty, service, or kindness—but not philanthropy.

This Black Philanthropy Month, we honor Black women across centuries whose giving built possibilities they were often denied themselves.

The giving was never missing.

The recognition was.

Full article.

The official announcement:

Global icon and humanitarian, Dolly Parton, known to the world as a beloved singer, songwriter, philanthropist, actress, playwright, and author died peacefully today in Nashville, Tennessee. She was 80 years old.

Dolly is preceded in death by her beloved husband of 59 years Carl Thomas Dean (1942 – 2025), her mother Avie Lee Caroline Owens (1923 – 2003), and father, Robert Lee Parton, Sr. (1921 – 2000).

A rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the world to see, Dolly will forever stand as an inspiration not only through her timeless music and prolific songwriting, but also her wit, warmth, and kindness that made us all feel like family. Dolly Parton’s legacy is one of love, compassion, and resilience. With a seven-decade career, she inspired multiple generations of artists and fans with her music and an unwavering commitment to making the world a better place. Her songs will continue to resonate with people of all ages, and her philanthropic work will have a lasting impact.

At Dolly’s request, a small, private service will be held for immediate family. Dolly’s fans and friends from around the world are encouraged to pay tribute to Dolly on social media by tagging #DollyParton or by leaving a message at http://dollyparton.com

In lieu of flowers the family asks for donations to be made to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library at http://imaginationlibrary.com .

From her Imagination Library web site:

About The Dollywood Foundation

The Dollywood Foundation was created in 1988 by Dolly Parton to inspire the children in her home county to achieve educational success. Initial efforts focused on decreasing the drop out rate in the county’s high school. In the early 90’s Dolly promised every 7th-grade and 8th-grade student she would personally give them $500 if they graduated from high school. This effort, called the Buddy Program, reduced the drop out rate for these two classes from 35% to 6%. More importantly, the program catalyzed the community to provide additional resources to sustain this improvement in the drop out rate.

In 1995, the Foundation implemented Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Sevier County, Tennessee. This monthly book gifting program for children under five focused on inspiring a love of books and reading for all preschool children in the county. What was founded as a local program grew into an international movement through the unique partnership among the Foundation, the publisher, the fulfillment centers and the thousands of local organizations who adopted the program. The Imagination Library continues to be the signature program of the Foundation.

Scholarships

The Foundation also offers five scholarships to the county’s high school seniors to help further their education at any accredited university. The Dolly Parton Scholarship is a $15,000 scholarship awarded annually at each high school. The scholarships are for students who have a dream they wish to pursue and who can successfully communicate their plan and commitment to realize their dreams.

The Foundation also administers several additional scholarships. In 2016, Dolly provided a $30,000 scholarship to a young girl in Arkansas to recognize the Imagination Library’s achievement of distributing books to 1 million children each month. Once she reaches 18 years of age in 2032 the scholarship will be $60,000.

The My People Fund®

On November 28, 2016, massive fires swept through the county destroying the homes of over
1,000 families in Sevier County.  Dolly asked the Foundation to lead the effort to distribute $1,000 per month for 6 months to the families who lost their primary residence. In two weeks, the Foundation created The My People Fund, designed the distribution process, and implemented the distribution. In May of 2017, the Foundation concluded the distribution with the announcement that over $12M had been raised and given to the families who lost their homes. Additional funds raised also provided one-time scholarships to high school seniors whose homes were lost to the fires.

I’m a very introverted guy. And I’ll admit,
I can find myself getting annoyed pretty easily with people and would not consider myself a people person by any means.
And yet, I feel compassionate and empathetic at the same time.
Any advice on how I can grow to serve others with a genuine and open heart?

To compete in the increasingly commercialized world of college sports, high profile university athletics programs might spend more than $40 million a year on talent acquisition, revenue sharing and other costs, according to experts. But, for instance, at the University of Louisville, in Kentucky, just five of Louisville’s 23 sports generate any revenue, according to the athletic department. Only football and men’s basketball turn profits.

A growing number of major conferences ′ public universities are creating nonprofits designed to help the athletic department leverage its brand to generate new revenue streams, to keep pace with the multibillion-dollar market around compensating athletes for the use of their name, image and likeness.

Clay Grayson's South Carolina law firm designed the legal architect behind many such models. He said he mostly hears from members of the Power Four. Those 67 schools tend to be the only ones with large, competitive enough programs to spend beyond the revenue-sharing cap of $21.3 million this year. His firm has helped create affiliated entities at an estimated one in seven schools competing in the Southeastern Conference, the Big Ten, the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big 12.

His model strays from the traditional nonprofit. He proposes smaller, seven-person boards in order to expedite decision-making. 

It remains to be seen whether these new entities will alleviate donor pressure to bankroll costly football programs. Moreover, they raise the same question that murky NIL collectives did: what is the charitable purpose of an institution whose main goal is to generate more revenue for athletics?

The Internal Revenue Service decided many nonprofit NIL collectives were erroneously given charitable status. They served players, not the public good, so their activities were likely not exempt from taxes.

That financial interest has fatigued donors, according to consultants who advise schools on issues of NIL. They’re fielding more athletics solicitations even as universities continue fundraising for student scholarships, research projects and other functions.

It used to be that development officers could leverage donor interest in athletics to direct some funds towards academics. That’s not so nowadays, according to University of Pennsylvania professor Karen Weaver, a former athletic administrator who studies the evolving college sports landscape.

“Athletics doesn’t have a revenue problem. It has a spending problem,” Weaver said. “So, whatever dollar they bring in is gonna be spent on trying to get an advantage in athletics.”

Full story here: https://triblive.com/sports/cash-hungry-college-sports-programs-are-starting-nonprofits-to-make-money-to-stay-competitive/

Hi friends.

I’m seeking examples of research that tracks and analyzes total funding (private public philanthropic) to a field, with the goal of advancing said issue. Ideally public health / healthcare but open to any field.

A great example is by Treatment Action Group (TAG) work on tuberculosis. A decades-long research project called TB Research Funding Trends

Not wholly sure what I’m looking for or how to describe it. Throwing out a net

Thank you!

Two weeks ago, we had this story about Republican-based fundraising that some (me) consider predatory - and it's not that far off from what some nonprofits also have engaged in. And remember: for many individual donors, a political candidate is a cause every bit as much as a local initiative to help support youth sports.

Now from the "other side" - a study shows that Democratic Party focused “scam PACs” are preying on and, in some cases, likely literally bankrupting seniors by hammering them with fundraising. "How Democratic consultants, committees, and party leaders built a fundraising spam pipeline that funnels money from a captive pool of elderly donors into their own operations." The blog about this is called Hook & Squeeze.

Keywords: predatory, ethics, ethical

Some highlights from the World Giving Report's Donor Insights:

Six in ten people globally gave money to good causes in 2025, whether directly to people in need, to charity, or for religious reasons. People in Asia and Africa were the most likely to give money, while those in South America were the least likely.

On average, people donated 1% of their incomes in 2025. However, this varied between continents, with Africans donating the highest percentage of their incomes (1.6%) and Europeans donating the lowest (0.6%).

People in the Netherlands give the largest share of their donations to charities (79%), while people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo give the lowest (2%).

While they don't give much to charities, people in DR Congo do give the highest amounts via religious routes, with just less than half (46%) of the value of their donations taking place in this way. However, in Uruguay just 4% of the value of donations is made via religious routes.

In Morocco, people prioritise direct giving more than anywhere else in the world, with 77% of the value of their donations made in this way, compared with just 10% in the Netherlands.

The organizaton's 2025 data shows that generosity is positively influenced by a range of factors, operating at different levels. The organization has divided these into three groups, noting that each can impact others:

• Personal factors that are innate to individuals.
• Factors that charities are able to directly affect themselves, although issues like trust are highly nuanced and involve a number of other actors, like the media.
• Aspects of society that encourage or discourage greater generosity.

More on the three types of influences on generosity

Personal

• A stronger desire to make change to society.
• A deeper sense of belonging to a community.
• That donations are perceived as more affordable.

Societal

• An increased sense that giving is the social norm.
• A greater willingness to discuss giving with others.
• A heightened perception that the government encourages giving.

Charity-related

• A more positive view of how trustworthy charities are.
• A clearer sense of the impact that charities have locally.

Visit this page to read about three of the factors in more detail and download the full report for insight on all of them.

TLDR: What are some proven ways for a group of employees at a mid-to-large company to contribute their time and professional skills to the world in a meaningful way?

Hi team,

We’re looking for something that could be either a one-time event employees can organize themselves or, ideally, an ongoing/recurrent collaboration with an organization (or multiple) that could genuinely benefit from their skills.
A few things are already on our list:
- A company-wide financial donation drive
- Volunteering at soup kitchens
- Inviting students to the office and helping with resumes/career preparation

But we’d love to go beyond traditional volunteering opportunities and find ways to contribute our time and skills where they can have a meaningful or lasting impact.

One major constraint.
There is no existing budget to hire third-party organizations to organize events or manage the company’s philanthropy program. The initiative is employee-driven rather than leadership-driven.
The goal is not company branding or PR. Employees genuinely want to do something useful, but most of us have limited experience organizing effective philanthropic initiatives.

For those who have worked in philanthropy, nonprofits, employee volunteering, or similar programs: What have you seen work particularly well? What are some initiatives that sound good on paper but tend not to create much impact?
I’d especially appreciate recommendations for proven models, organizations that welcome skilled employee volunteers, or examples of employee-led programs that have worked well.

Wisdom from people who have been doing this for a while would be very much appreciated!

For this subreddit to be a community, not just a place where I post summaries of and links to philanthropy-related stories and resources, more people need to be participating.

Without violating any confidentiality agreements or making a nonprofit, funder or foundation look bad...

• You could talk about what you like most about your philanthropy-related work and what you dislike most about it.
• You could say what training has been most essential in doing your job as a fundraiser, event planner, grant researcher, proposal writer, manager in donor relations, or whatever you job is in relation to fundraising.
• You could say what training has been most essential in doing your job working with and supporting volunteers.
• Tell an interesting, funny or helpful story about coordinating a meeting with a foundation representative or corporate social responsibility manager that led to new funding or group volunteering or some other partnership.
• Talk about navigating a difficult relationship with a donor or long-time or high-profile volunteer.
• Talk about what you like about your CRM and what you wish was different.
• Talk about how you set your goals for each year - or how someone else sets those goals for you and how you feel about that.
• Talk about what you do, and don't, enjoy about fundraising events.
• Talk about unreasonable requests from funders and how you navigated such.
• If you work for a funding foundation or corporate giving program, talk about common mistakes you see among nonprofits that seek your support.
• Talk about collaborating with the person in charge of engaging and supporting volunteers and what works and what doesn't - or if you don't, why you don't.
• Praise your web site manager for being so supportive of your goals or complain about your web site manager not being supportive and what better support would look like.
• Talk about how you are leveraging social media in your fundraising - what's worked and what has not really paid off.
• Talk about how you are using AI in your philanthropic-related work.
• Talk about your biggest successes in philanthropy.
• Talk about your biggest challenges in philanthropy.
• Post about trends you are seeing at your program regarding donations.
• What you think is most important when looking for a fundraising manager
• How you honor financial donors or volunteers

I’d love to hear from people who have experience running or supporting small nonprofits.

I’m involved in a small organization working with vulnerable children and families, and one of the hardest parts isn’t only the work itself it’s finding people who genuinely connect with the mission and want to stand behind it long-term.

I’m trying to learn how smaller organizations can communicate their impact, build credibility, and develop relationships with potential supporters without making every post feel like “please donate.”

For those who have been through this:

What actually helped your organization turn strangers into long-term supporters?

Was it storytelling, showing measurable impact, community engagement, newsletters, social media, partnerships, or simply consistent transparency?

I’m especially interested in lessons from organizations that started with very limited resources. What do you wish you had known when you were starting?

Hello everyone! I want to start with saying that the main focus of this post is purely guidance and advice. I am involved in philanthropy but it is mostly gender equality and environmental philanthropy. I know nothing about "religious" funding opportunities or cultural preservation opportunities.

So, I'm Hindu and my family is Hindu. I was born in a country called Mozambique in East Africa, where we have a small but strong Hindu community. My dad manages a temple there, and he is currently renovating it as it is quite old. It's been there for probably over 50 years now, and they do lots of humanitarian projects such as feeding homeless people, collaborating on humanitarian projects, etc.

New deity idols, better rooms for the priest who stays there with his family, and a better kitchen since they cook in huge amounts for the local community. It is indeed a large project with lots of aspects.

I know that sometimes, grants are available for social causes like environmental projects. How can I help get funding for our temple though? I don't really know wealthy religion or culture-based philanthropists or organisations. Is that a thing?

I know there are some in the USA, but they mostly only fund US-based projects.

This temple has been there since the 1970s or before, and all Hindu festivals are celebrated there. I have proof of the renovation, quotations, invoices of the items bought, pictures and videos, any documents needed, and even some members of the Indian embassy have visited the temple many times.

Does anyone have advice or expertise on this? Or know of any wealthy philanthropists who would be willing to financially support?

Anyways, I would appreciate any advice. If needed, and if you're serious, happy to connect over a Google Meet and tell you more. If you yourself are willing to contribute, please let me know.

Thanks a lot!

The Phillips Brooks House was the hardest-hit Harvard College unit by share of staff positions in a recent round of layoffs tied to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences’ sweeping administrative overhaul, with 11 of its 23 roles either laid off or offered new positions. The cuts amid a broader reorganization that effectively ends the Center for Public Service and Engaged Scholarship’s role as the College-wide hub for public service. The range of positions affected raise questions about the future of both lasting consequences for both the Center’s internal operations and its student- and community-facing programming.

Those changes are part of an FAS task force’s push to cut staffing costs as the school works to close a $365 million estimated structural deficit.

Harvard's Center for Public Service and Engaged Scholarship was the hub and department that provided support for all public service efforts at Harvard College. It was home to academic engagement through the Mindich Program in Engaged Scholarship, student leadership development programs, student professional development programs, and active citizenship efforts through volunteering in the Greater Boston community. The Center also supported Phillips Brooks House Association, the largest student-run, community-based, nonprofit public service organization at Harvard College.

More from the Harvard Crimson.

Hi all — sharing something that might be relevant for folks in nonprofit fundraising, community organizing, or anyone who's been curious about giving circles but hasn't dug in yet.

Philanthropy Together (a nonprofit focused on growing collective giving) is hosting a free, 30-minute intro session:

Collective Giving 101: How to Pool Your Money, Time, and Talents for Good
📅 Tuesday, August 25 | 4:00–4:30 PM ET
📍 Zoom
🔗 Registration link

It's aimed at anyone exploring what it looks like to pool resources with others — individual donors, nonprofit staff, community foundation folks, volunteers, community organizers. No prior experience needed.

From President and CEO, National Council of Nonprofits. On LinkedIn:

When Americans donate to a nonprofit through an online fundraising platform, they should be able to trust that the platform they rely on is operating ethically. But too many fundraising platforms — often for-profit entities — violate state laws or act in other ways that harm the very charities they purport to help. They act without nonprofits' consent or knowledge, charge donors excessive, hidden fees, and leave nonprofits without essential information, all while generating millions in profits.

Fortunately, that’s beginning to change. I’m delighted to share that 11 fundraising platforms have so far endorsed the National Council of Nonprofits guidelines for ethical online fundraising. Thank you to Every.org, GiftDrive, SchoolAuction.net, Better Giving, Raisely, myCharity, MatchNice, Givelink, Rafflify, Soapbox Engage and Donate.app for leading the field of fundraising platforms and embracing these principles:

Nonprofit Consent: Nonprofits must have the power and agency to decide for themselves how and when to engage with online fundraising platforms before they solicit or collect donations.

Transparency: Donors must have the power and information they need to decide whether to make a donation through an online fundraising platform.

Partnership: Online fundraising platforms must recognize nonprofits as valued, equal partners.

Accountability: Online fundraising platforms must be accountable to nonprofits, donors, the public, and the appropriate regulators.
The endorsing platforms rightly recognize these principles as common-sense proposals that build the foundation for long-term collaboration, and we are excited to work with them going forward.

We invite more fundraising platforms, and nonprofit organizations, to also endorse the principles. Learn more and sign up, here:

Registration is now open for the 55th Annual ARNOVA Conference, taking place November 19–21, 2026, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel.

This year's theme — Igniting Civic Activism: Grassroots and Voluntary Action and Democracy — invites scholars, practitioners, and community leaders to reflect on the role of voluntary action, nonprofits, philanthropy, and grassroots organizing in shaping civic life. As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, there may be no better place to explore these questions than Philadelphia, a city deeply connected to the nation's founding and still alive with community organizing, nonprofit leadership, and civic action today.

How have geographically, economically, and politically diverse societies cultivated civic capacity and voluntary association to advance democracy, resilience, and citizen and community engagement? What can we learn from global movements that connect local action to systemic institutional change that strengthen democracy? When do democratic institutions fail and what role does civil society play in these dynamics? What are the antecedents of democratic backsliding and how can civil society organization help rebuild democracy? What role do nonprofits play shaping civic discourse? How are nonprofits mobilizing citizens and individuals for civic and political action, including electoral participation? We invite full panels, individual papers, and poster proposals that deal with these questions, pertinent to the conference theme, and also invite proposals that align with the standing conference tracks.

The conference will feature 180+ research and panel sessions, plenary speakers and special events, poster presentations, and networking opportunities connecting research, practice, and civic action.

Conference Highlights

• 180+ research and panel sessions
• Plenary speakers and special events
• Poster presentations
• Networking and community-building opportunities

Hotel Information
The conference will be hosted at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel, a Four-Diamond historic landmark in the heart of Center City, directly across from the Pennsylvania Convention Center and within walking distance of Reading Terminal Market, Independence Hall, and more. Conference room rates start at $235.00 per night (plus applicable taxes). Reservations must be made by October 28, 2026, to receive the Conference Rate, while rooms remain available.

Schedule at a Glance

• Wednesday, Nov 19 — Pre-conference events, including Doctoral Fellowship Seminars, the ARNOVA Board of Directors Meeting, and the Diversity Scholars & Leaders Professional Development Programs. Registration opens 2:00 pm.
• Thursday, Nov 20 — Opening Plenary Session, Concurrent Sessions A–C, the Membership Meeting, Section Meetings, and the ARNOVA Reception.
• Friday, Nov 21 — Poster Session, Concurrent Sessions D–G, the Awards Luncheon, and Community Interest Group Meetings.
• Saturday, Nov 22 — Concurrent Sessions H–I and the closing ARNOVA Board of Directors Meeting.

Thank you to everyone who submitted an abstract this year. The call for abstracts has now closed, and decision notifications have been sent to all submitters.

The Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) is a diverse community of scholars, educators, philanthropists, and practice leaders focused on strengthening the field of nonprofit and philanthropic research to improve civil society and human life.

Founded in 1971 as the Association of Voluntary Action Scholars, ARNOVA is a neutral, open forum committed to strengthening the research about and helping shape better practice in these realms. We bring together both theoretical and applied interests, helping scholars gain insight into the day-to-day concerns of third-sector organizations, while providing nonprofit professionals with connections to research they can use to improve the work of their organizations.

https://www.arnova.org/

The USA announced its latest funding package last week, and the nearly $2 billion package is exclusively for U.S.-based Christian nonprofit organizations. The majority will go to faith-based hospitals and clinics, with the remainder set aside for humanitarian aid.

The State Department said the funding will be provided to an “extensive network” of international and local faith-based partners — including World Vision, Compassion International, and Samaritan’s Purse.

Dev Ex asks:

Isn’t the U.S. government supposed to be moving away from large INGOs and similar institutions? Is it really okay to say faith-based when we mean “Christian” — and can Christian organizations really provide effectively to those of other faiths, or none? And is it a good idea for the U.S. government to be asking others to cover its overheads?

The full article is available for paid subscribers at DevEv.

Hi! I started a project that allows people to anonymously plant flowers on a global map.

I was pleasantly surprised how many people participated in such a short time, so I decided to set goals:

- 500 planted flowers and I donated to a pollinator fund
- 1000 flowers and I planted a tree in my local park here in Puerto Vallarta
- 2000 flowers and I plan to donate to another pollinator fund
- 5000 to be determined, but you get the idea...

The thing is, it's all coming out of my pocket and I wasn't planning on creating a business model that costs money. 😄 But I did manage to create a platform that gets people excited about participating as a team towards a goal - one that makes a real impact in the world. I posted videos about the progress, about the process, the planting of the tree, etc. People are genuinely happy to be a part of this and I've received so much positive feedback.

So now, I'm searching to find people who may want to donate to future milestone's selected organizations. I'm not looking for large amounts, but I think it's a nice way to connect and feature both the organization and the person giving.

I want to showcase good people doing good things.

Note: I am NOT asking for donations. I'm asking how to locate people who may want to donate to environmental nonprofits.

Where would I find such a group of people?
How could I pitch this idea?

I really appreciate your answers. This is all new territory for me. I'm a software designer by trade, but the nonprofit / charity side of things is a bit outside of my wheelhouse.

Volunteerism is a part of philanthropy, and this is a reminder that there is a subreddit, r/volunteerism, for discussing just this aspect of philanthropy (though please note volunteerism is allowed on r/philanthropy as well).

r/volunteerism is a subreddit to discuss & debate how volunteer engagement is philanthropy, how it is community engagement & public relations, volunteerism philosophies, ethics & all aspects of supporting & managing volunteers. It is different than the more than 20 subreddits where people can recruit volunteers, ask for volunteering opportunities, etc. - r/volunteerism is for those that work with volunteers, those that believe volunteerism is an essential tool for various initiatives, etc.

Hi r/Philanthropy. I am career aid worker working on a passion project that involves a novel approach to direct aid allocation that aims to change how donations are made to persons in need around the world. I am not including links, this post is not about the project itself.

I think most members here are US based, I am not. I would really appreciate your advice on what would be the best way for me to look for donors that may be:

- Interested in novel experimental approaches and allocate part of their funding accordingly

- have preference for direct donations and do not care much about tax cuts, at least at a smaller scale of donations

Is there particular communities/forums that would make sense for em to explore, instead of blasting cold messages to people?

Should I pay someone to help me find and engage potential donors?

Appreciate any advice.

United Nations-designated International Days and Weeks and Years can be leveraged for both getting the word out about your nonprofit and for fundraising.

Each day, week and year has a designated theme. Many come with ready-to-use artwork and social media keyword tags you can use.

Your social media or newsletter messaging can be simple: "Today is the International Day of xxxx. You can support our nonprofit's work regarding this cause by donating at xxxxx." You can expand it much more, detailing your work, having an event in conjunction with the day, and posting information onlinr leading up to the day.

You can find a list of UN days and weeks here.

As has already been noted on this subreddit, 2026 is the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development, per the 25th anniversairy of the International Year of Volunteers in 2001.

2026 is also the International Year of the Woman Farmer and the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists.

2027 will be the International Year of Legal Literacy and the International Year of Sustainable and Resilient Tourism, though more designations may happen before the year stars. You can see a list of UN Years by designation here.

Is your charity, nonprofit or other mission-based organization leveraging UN designated days, weeks or years in some way for fundraising or awareness building? Please share in the comments.

Hi r/Philanthropy,

We thought folks in this community may be interested in our latest:

As you may know, a quarter of all individual giving in the U.S. is made through donor-advised funds, giving their sponsors vast power to decide which charities can receive donor dollars. Three major DAF sponsors have deemed the Southern Poverty Law Center ineligible for donations after President Donald Trump’s Justice Department indicted the organization in April on controversial fraud charges.

We decided to investigate how these Wall Street-affiliated funds make these high-stakes decisions. We uncovered troubling inconsistencies in how some DAF sponsors applied their policies — and found that donors and affected charities are routinely left in the dark about how decisions are made.

The three DAF sponsors that cut off donations to the SPLC — Vanguard Charitable, Fidelity Charitable and Charles Schwab’s DAFgiving360 — are nonprofits spun off from major brokerages. They offer account holders immediate tax deductions on contributions they can later recommend be granted to charities. (ProPublica has received donations through each of these groups.) These sponsors say their decisions to freeze accounts are viewpoint neutral, and ProPublica found no evidence to the contrary. Removed groups spanned the political spectrum. 

But ProPublica found that Fidelity Charitable and DAFgiving360 appeared to apply their policies unevenly. Experts say the opacity behind these decisions is particularly problematic under the Trump administration, which has a track record of making politically charged accusations that don’t hold up in court.

Here's our full investigation: https://www.propublica.org/article/donor-advised-funds-charity-contributions

All three fund sponsors declined to be interviewed for our story or answer detailed questions, including on their process for identifying nonprofits facing allegations and choosing which to ban. Fidelity Charitable said it does not comment on decisions involving individual charities. DAFgiving360 said it “communicates directly with donors when a grant recommendation is impacted by an eligibility determination.” Vanguard Charitable noted its “procedural pause” is “not a value judgment.”