The first half of 2011 saw the continuation of charitable giving trends that have been established for some time: The average gift per donor is getting larger, but this growth is not enough to offset the declining total number of donors.

In the Philanthropy Buzzword Hall of Fame, “Entrepreneurship” and “Innovation” each have their own separate shrines. But do the funders who trumpet these concepts really understand them? In particular, is it really safe to take risks and fail in the nonprofit sector? And are funders doing all they can to foster a true culture of entrepreneurship, with all that entails?

Should Karl Rove’s Crossroads GPS, organized as a 501(c)(4) “social welfare” entity, lose its (c)(4) status because in reality it’s almost totally dedicated to electoral politics on behalf of certain candidates and parties? How about Bill Burton’s Priorities USA? Democracy 21 and the Campaign Legal Center think so and want the IRS to pull the (c)(4) credentials of Crossroads and several other groups. It’s about time!

Does the Linden Athletic Association, which owns and operates a football field used by the local high school, qualify as a tax-exempt property owner even though it lacks a 501(c)(3) and raised the annual rental charge for the Linden High School “Patriots” from $2,500 to $6,500? You be the judge.

Due to an old conundrum known as the “tragedy of the commons,” one of Panera Bread Company’s three experimental nonprofit cafés is at risk of closing down. But the company is adjusting its business model, and sharing what it learns.

A former Google tech executive leaves high Silicon Valley job to establish and “parent” a new nonprofit.  The Washington Post tells the personal story of Prasad Ram’s journey from the business sector to the world of nonprofit education technology, albeit still in the Silicon Valley.

The largest proposed program cut in the omnibus budget bill is to Medicaid. But even if the bill doesn’t eventually pass, we can still expect to see the program cut little by little via reductions in benefits to patients and pay to doctors and hospitals—as well as tighter eligibility standards. What, one wonders, is to become of lower-income patients, seniors, and the long-term disabled if the program is slowly but surely eviscerated?

The California AG is reportedly looking into the finances of the Farrah Fawcett Foundation, run by the late actress’s best friend, Alana Stewart. Calling the AG’s investigation  “outrageous” and a “witch hunt” seems to be quite a defensive overreaction by foundation insiders.

Remember the embarrassment of Usher, Mariah Carey, Beyonce, 50 Cent, and Nelly Furtado for their having performed for the Qaddafi clan and earning a cool million per gig? They all more or less pledged to give their fees to charity, but only Canadian Nelly Furtado has done so.

Remember how the Peace Corps started with an impromptu middle-of-the-night challenge from a presidential candidate, fueled by fast-acting student activists, leading to the launch of a groundbreaking new program in months? No? Be inspired or re-inspired by a new report marking the program’s 50^th anniversary.

The New York Times’ Michael Powell lands another expose of Seedco, with former employees charging that they were pressured by superiors to falsify job placement numbers. But this time, Seedco execs and City officials are voicing commitments to root out the problems.

A pair of Girl Scouts is making progress in their effort to get the Scouts to stop using palm oil in their cookies. The girls say that producing the oil destroys rainforest habitat.