Number of Large Donations Grows but Value Declines

Plus, Fidelity Charitable donor-advised funds awarded $11.2 billion in 2022, and the Moore Foundation has committed $110 million for wildfire resilience ADVERTISEMENT [Philanthropy Today Logo]( Did someone forward you this newsletter? [Sign up free]( to receive your own copy. You can now follow The Chronicle on [Apple News]( [Flipboard]( and [Google News](. FUNDRAISING [Value of Big Gifts Declines, Report Finds, but ‘Money Is Still There’]( By Emily Haynes [STORY IMAGE]( Despite the year-over-year decrease in the value of gifts of $10 million or more, the number of those gifts actually increased 3 percent from 2021 to 2022. ADVERTISEMENT DONOR-ADVISED FUNDS [Fidelity Charitable Donor-Advised Funds Awarded $11.2 Billion in 2022]( By Glenn Gamboa, AP Business Writer [STORY IMAGE]( The three most popular grantees in 2022 were Doctors Without Borders USA, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and World Central Kitchen. GRANTS ROUNDUP [Moore Foundation Commits $110 Million for Wildfire Resilience]( By M.J. Prest [STORY IMAGE]( Also, Ohio State University received $110 million to establish the Center for Software Innovation, and the Open Society Foundations committed $20 million toward the future of social-justice philanthropy in Baltimore even as it plans to close its Open Society Institute-Baltimore affiliate by the end of 2023. Background from the Chronicle [Moore Foundation Commits $110 Million for Wildfire Resilience]( OPINION [Donors Leery of Supporting Grassroots Organizing Need to Rethink How They Evaluate Such Work]( By Ben Naimark-Rowse [STORY IMAGE]( The perceived messy work of building movements often scares away grant makers, but these efforts are critical to creating equitable societies. Donors need to adopt new practices and strategies to measure and support them. Webinars [Tomorrow: Seeking General-Operating Grants]( [STORY IMAGE]( As salaries and other expenses keep climbing, nonprofits need general-operating support more than ever. How can you make a compelling case for unrestricted support? Join this 75-minute session tomorrow, Thursday, February 23, for guidance from two executives with strong track records in securing grants to cover overhead expenses. They’ll explain how grant seekers can demonstrate the return unrestricted investments deliver, align with grant makers’ philanthropic goals, and build trust in your nonprofit’s sustainability. [Register today]( and join us tomorrow. ONLINE BRIEFINGS [Using Data Analytics to Attract and Retain Members]( [STORY IMAGE]( Trade associations and other nonprofits that rely on membership revenue employ a variety of strategies to recruit and retain people, such as hosting conferences and selling reports and research, but data from these activities often is stored in different places and can be difficult to reconcile with member records. How can nonprofits use data to maximize membership revenue and build community? Join us Tuesday, February 28, at 2 p.m. Eastern to learn from leaders who are putting their data to practical use with good results. [Register Today.]( SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to nonprofit news and analysis. Nonprofit News From Elsewhere Online James O’Keefe, the founder of the conservative nonprofit Project Veritas, was accused by the group’s board of endangering its nonprofit status before he quit in a public bust-up last week. The board had reversed O’Keefe’s dismissal of the organization’s chief financial officer and accused O’Keefe of spending Project Veritas funds on personal luxuries. In a memo, board members warned that O’Keefe’s behavior violated the group’s bylaws and could attract IRS scrutiny, endangering its ability to receive tax-deductible donations. Without the tax deduction, they wrote, “the organization folds, and with it go our employees.” Some staff members had added their own complaints of ill treatment by O’Keefe, while others said he was the victim of a coup. After O’Keefe insinuated that the conflict arose over a recent attack he led on Pfizer’s vaccine development, the board said that “one-sided narrative currently prevalent on social media” could scare away donors who do not have the full picture. ([Washington Post]( New York City’s sometimes yearlong delays in getting money to its nonprofit contractors are putting those agencies’ vulnerable clients in harm’s way. Rachel Lloyd, who founded GEMS (Girls Educational and Mentoring Services) to help sex-trafficking victims rebuild their lives, was honored by Prince Charles in 2020 and has helped write state legislation that has been modeled around the country. The nonprofit receives an annual grant of more than $850,000 from the city, but the money has come so late that she has missed rent payments for some of her clients’ housing, has maxed out her credit cards, and has borrowed from an employee to make payroll. A city task force found many such contracts were registered so late that the organizations “were forced to take out loans to remain viable.” The culprits are arcane rules, including a requirement for a public hearing for most grants, and outdated project-management tools. One change the city is considering: whether to grant multiyear contracts instead of making nonprofits go through this process annually. ([New York Times]( Plus: 200-Year-Old NYC Youth Charity to Shut Down After Years of Late Contract Payments ([Gothamist]( More News - Mormon Church to Pay $5 Million After Allegedly Obscuring Wealth ([Washington Post]( - R.I. Rep. David Cicilline to Leave Congress for Nonprofit ([New York Times]( - A College’s Controversial Fundraising Event Led a Dean to Quit. Now the President Faces Calls to Resign. ([Chronicle of Higher Education]( - Global Citizen Conference to Unite Political Leaders, Celebs ([Associated Press]( - Fundraising Halved During Pandemic. Mich. Nonprofits Get $35 Million Boost From State ([MLive]( Arts and Culture - Joan Mitchell Foundation Claims Vuitton Ads Infringe on Painter’s Copyright ([New York Times]( - Baltimore Officials Side With Walters Art Museum Workers on Bill to Make It City-Owned ([Baltimore Business Journal]( - Adrian Hall, Who Invigorated Regional Theater, Dies at 95 ([New York Times]( SPONSOR CONTENT | Independent Sector [Overcoming the Hurdles to our Humanity]( Implicit biases are those unconscious beliefs that we all have down deep. They can be defined as our reaction when we see someone different from ourselves. But how does it affect our healthcare system? Editor's Picks ANALYSIS [America’s Top Donors Are Helping to Shape the Future in an Old-Fashioned Way]( By Maria Di Mento and Drew Lindsay [STORY IMAGE]( Many of 2022 largest donors hewed closely to decades-old conventions of philanthropy. Two areas that attracted significant support: scholarships and medical research. Plus: See our entire [special report]( on the Philanthropy 50. OPINION [The End of AmazonSmile Is an Opportunity for Nonprofits to Revisit Their Values]( By Christopher Hammett [STORY IMAGE]( Its free money for nonprofits came with a cost. It led groups to push aside fundamental beliefs to accept easy cash from a corporate behemoth whose business model harms the very communities they aim to protect. DISASTER GIVING [Turkey-Syria Earthquake Hits a Region in Crisis U.S. Donors Have Long Neglected. Will That Change?]( By Drew Lindsay [STORY IMAGE]( The U.S. charitable response to the disaster offers a mixed forecast of giving in the long run. CRIMINAL JUSTICE [$125 Million From Mellon Will Go to Artists Working to Change Public Attitudes on Criminal Justice]( By Sara Herschander [STORY IMAGE]( The grant maker is committing $125 million to creative artists — especially those who have spent time behind bars — to figure out ways to spark new conversations that lead to policy change. GIVING DATA [Millennials Had the Biggest Increase in Giving Among the Generations, New Survey Finds]( By Emily Haynes [STORY IMAGE]( Millennial donors turbocharged their giving over the past six years, according to a new report by Giving USA and the fundraising firm Dunham+Company. In 2022, millennial households gave 40 percent more, on average, to charity than they did in 2016 — bumping their average annual contribution up from… ADVERTISEMENT RECOMMENDED WEBINAR [Watch Our Webinar]( — As salaries and other expenses continue to climb, nonprofits need general-operating support more than ever. How can you make a successful case for unrestricted support from foundation decision makers? Join this 75-minute webinar on Thursday, February 23, at 2 p.m. Eastern to learn directly from two nonprofit leaders with strong track records in securing grants to cover overhead expenses. They'll explain how they did it and offer guidance on how grant seekers can demonstrate the return unrestricted investments can deliver, align with grant makers' philanthropic goals, and build trust in your nonprofit’s sustainability. Don't miss this chance to boost your odds of receiving unrestricted support. [Register today.]( JOB OPPORTUNITIES [Chief Philanthropy Officer (Pierce County, Washington)]( Greater Tacoma Community Foundation [Chief Development Officer]( Promises2Kids [Executive Director]( Phi Kappa Tau Foundation [Search other jobs.]( NEWSLETTER FEEDBACK [Please let us know what you thought of today's newsletter in this three-question survey](. [Chronicle of Philanthropy Logo]( This newsletter was sent to {EMAIL}. [Read this newsletter on the web](. [Manage]( your newsletter preferences, [stop receiving]( this email, or [view]( our privacy policy. © 2023 [The Chronicle of Philanthropy]( 1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037