Democracy Takes Practice
This article originally appeared in Philanthropy Daily on April 24, 2019. It’s clear that one problem with our country is a declining amount of social capital. Americans don’t belong to…
Philanthropy
The Sins of Our Fathers
This article originally appeared in Philanthropy Magazine on April 17, 2019. The philanthropic industry now mirrors colonial structures and reproduces hierarchy, thereby doing more harm than good—or so argues…
The Achievements behind America’s Great Philanthropist
It is a testament to American capitalism that it is an economic system that allowed Sears, Roebuck to flourish in the late 19th century and Sears Holdings to struggle and possibly…
Pew Charitable Trusts CEO Rebecca Rimel Announces Retirement
So Rebecca Rimel has announced her retirement as president of the Pew Charitable Trusts, after 25 years as president and 36 years at the nonprofit. What effect did she have…
The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation’s Plans for Sunsetting
This article originally appeared in Philanthropy Daily on March 28, 2019. As a rule, we should applaud any perpetual foundation that decides to spend itself out. I think a…
For-profit Thrift Store Gets Sued For Dressing Like a Charity
This article originally appeared in Philanthropy Daily on March 21, 2019. One reason many of us give our used clothes or out-of-date TVs to Goodwill or the Salvation Army…
Why Did Panera’s Pay-What-You-Can Social Experiment Fail?
This article originally appeared in Philanthropy Daily on March 13, 2019. Four years ago I wrote about community cafes, social enterprises that resembled restaurants except when it came time…
An Army for Peace
We respect the Boy Scouts because they help promote civil society. But when a team of four reporters from South Africa’s Mail and Guardian led by Simon Allison went to the Central African Republic,…
Donors Choose and the Power of Small-Scale Philanthropy
Ask a public school teacher what her principal frustrations are, and right up there with “dumb requirements from the principal,” “dumb requirements from headquarters,” and “kids more interested in their…
Deductions or Credits?
This article originally appeared in Philanthropy Daily on February 11, 2019. What’s the best way to use the tax code to encourage people to give? For decades, it was…