“Philanthropy should be taking much bigger risks than business,” said philanthropist Bill Gates. “If these are easy problems, business and government can come in and solve them.”

The winter holidays are right around the corner. Soon, many Americans will gather around the dinner table with family and friends to give thanks for abundant blessings and freedoms as they indulge in a cornucopia of delicious traditional foods. Leftovers will last for days.

Over a century ago, Mark Twain prophetically cautioned that “no church property is taxed and so the infidel and the atheist and the man without religion are taxed to make up the deficit in the public income.”

Once the kids have left the nest for school, work, starting their own families or other endeavors, there is a unique opportunity to set a new table so that all family members are invited to sit, share, develop and act on common values and goals around money, philanthropy and making a difference. 

The presumption is that, in return for their enormous tax advantages, nonprofit hospitals will provide charity care to patients who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford it and provide other significant benefits that improve community health. 

Despite the growing need and increased contributions to foundations and DAFs, average giving to charity in the U.S. has remained constant for forty years at roughly 2% of disposable income.

The need for businesses to focus on corporate social responsibility has never been more urgent, and the case for doing so has never been stronger.

Some of the challenges we face in today’s world may seem intractable; however the opportunities for family philanthropy to make a difference are better defined.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a crushing impact on the nonprofit sector that employs about 14% of the U.S. workforce, nearly half of which works for nonprofit hospitals and universities. The remaining half, working mostly for smaller and under- or un-endowed entities, has been severely impacted.

The charity “deal” in the U.S. goes something like this: Nonprofit organizations are established and approved because they perform a service that is thought to be good for society, often relieving government from performing those same functions.

We’re living (and dying) in a “quadfecta” of 1) A raging, unprecedented pandemic, 2) Economic inequality and hardship at the highest levels in memory, 3) Racial injustice permeating almost every aspect of American life and 4) Climate change eating away at our planet, and the lives it sustains.

We’re living (and dying) in a “quadfecta” of 1) A raging, unprecedented pandemic, 2) Economic inequality and hardship at the highest levels in memory, 3) Racial injustice permeating almost every aspect of American life and 4) Climate change eating away at our planet, and the lives it sustains.

The holidays are around the corner and, for tens of millions of our neighbors across the U.S., this will be a time of scarcity, insecurity, worry and, in the richest nation on earth, hunger.

In response to recent tragedies, many donors – whether in private or public foundations, donor-advised funds, or less structured philanthropy – have, internally and externally, offered important statements of support for the Black Lives Matter movement and racial justice and equity, with a commitment to anti-racism efforts. Now is the time to go beyond statements.

Research shows that 78% of U.S. consumers want companies to address important social justice issues.

A few weeks ago, the coronavirus pandemic obscured the celebration of Earth Day’s 50th anniversary.

A few weeks ago, the coronavirus pandemic obscured the celebration of Earth Day’s 50th anniversary.

A few weeks ago, the coronavirus pandemic obscured the celebration of Earth Day’s 50th anniversary.

The role of philanthropy in responding to this pandemic is critical.

Charitable support for organizations that serve women and girls is surprisingly deficient when compared with philanthropic giving as a whole.

The best philanthropic decisions are based on facts – not myths.

As the philanthropic landscape continues to evolve in 2020, expect these meaningful developments. 

The right to vote is one of the most precious rights in our democracy – and it is under attack. In the last decade, many U.S. states have made it harder for people to vote, adopting tactics such as stricter identification requirements, polling place closures, limits on voter registration and early voting, and purges of voter lists.

Soon, many Americans will gather around the table with family and friends to give thanks for abundant blessings and freedoms as they indulge in a surfeit of delicious traditional foods. Leftovers will last for days.

When working with affluent families, I often hear the popular warning: “Shirtsleeves-to-shirtsleeves in three generations.” This quote suggests that a family’s wealth often disappears by the time it reaches the grandchildren of the wealth-creating generation.