New Year’s Resolutions
Now that we’re well into December, can’t we just get 2020 over with? The new year won’t be any sort of picnic, but it has to be better than 2020. (That’s a low bar, I know.) And as we look forward to...
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Boom! Mackenzie Scott Brilliantly Disrupts the Philanthropic Status Quo
If you’re looking for one good thing to come out of 2020, I would nominate the remarkable philanthropy of Mackenzie Scott. Scott, a novelist, philanthropist, and former wife of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos,...
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Wealth and Charity
[Note: This article was also published in The Chronicle of Philanthropy on May 19, 2021.] The rich are richer than ever before. We have to keep this in mind when we solicit charitable contributions....
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This Spin Won’t Wash
November marks the tenth anniversary of Professor Ray Madoff’s New York Times op-ed calling for new rules that would accelerate grantmaking from donor-advised funds. Over the years since, as the amount...
View ArticleStaff Salaries Matter
Everyone values the work that nonprofits do. But not everyone values the people at nonprofits who do the actual work. I’ve repeatedly encountered nonprofit boards that fail to invest appropriately in...
View ArticleFavorites
Here are two sentences you’ll never hear bosses say: The first is, “I’m a terrible micromanager.” The second is, “I really play favorites.” We know these bosses exist – in abundance. But self-knowledge...
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The Rich (Organizations) Get Richer
The boarding school I attended recently announced a $25 million gift from one of its trustees. I don’t begrudge my alma mater its big gift. I’ll also note that the donor is a gracious and generous...
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What’s on the Agenda?
If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it, well, a dozen times: “We almost never have time in board meetings to talk about strategy. We’re too busy with board business!” Which raises the question: What kind...
View ArticleThe Inglorious Life and Sudden Death of AmazonSmile
Last week’s big news was that AmazonSmile is closing shop after ten years. What can you say about AmazonSmile? What can you say about a corporate behemoth that undertakes an ill-conceived and...
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The Who-bodies Blocking Donor-Advised Fund Reform
Our grandson Jack is a few weeks shy of turning three, but he’s extremely verbal and bright – or at least this doting grandfather thinks so. During our July family vacation, we were walking on a beach...
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