Until last Friday, George Mason University strenuously denied that donor conditions put its academic independence at risk. But news sources revealed that donors had been granted direct input on faculty appointments and weighed in on faculty evaluations.
Many NPQ readers will be familiar with the biblical sins of envy, gluttony, greed, lust, pride, sloth, and wrath. But philanthropy has its own set of sins. By being aware of these, and acting to avoid them, we can help ensure that philanthropy truly benefits the communities that it aims to serve.
When nonprofit structures are used as pawns, the public is not served well and the overall health of the nonprofit sector is harmed.
Maintaining a clear distinction between nonprofit charitable work and electioneering may need even higher priority in today’s partisan climate. Judge Roy Moore may be providing the charitable community with a model that needs attention and scrutiny.
How much is transparency worth in the face of apparent success? The Jewish National Fund tests the limits.
A rift has grown between Aish HaTorah and Aish International, a fundraising organization, over transparency and use of funds.
A California community foundation is emerging from its self-imposed management problems through a state AG’s investigation, belated public transparency, and direct communication with representatives of 50 donor advised funds.
For the general public—and also, it seems, most of the media—a foundation is a foundation is a foundation. But Clinton’s and Trump’s foundations are actually quite different, down to their type designations and legal requirements. These distinctions are useful to recognize. Any way you look at it, however, this presidential race will go down in history as one where the questionable behavior of charities, or celebrities through their charities, was front and center.
So long as they are hidden behind the shield of anonymity, communications between foundations and nonprofit grantees will lack the honesty needed to make real change.
