Jeff Bezos (right), now the world’s second-richest person, is charting a different course for his philanthropy than Bill Gates (left), the richest, and Warren Buffett (center), who has fallen to third place.
Reuters/Jim Tanner
Ted Lechterman, Stanford University McCoy Family Center for Ethics in Society
Amazon’s founder turned to Twitter to crowdsource ideas for his charitable giving. This populist approach and his preference for short-term results set Jeff Bezos apart from other mega-donors.
It can be easier to raise money to aid animals like these African elephants than species that are more threatened with extinction but get humans less excited.
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Must the money raised to save wildlife always aid the most popular animals? New research suggests that marketing can persuade donors that northern hairy-nosed wombat lives matter too.
Including different facial expressions in fundraising pitches can change how people respond, research suggests.
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Seeing cheerful kids in fundraising pitches works better for some potential donors than others, research suggests. Nonprofits may want to tailor their appeals to different audiences because of that.
Non-profit status enables media organisations in the US to avoid federal and some state taxes and donations to them can be tax deductible.
Lucas Jackson/Reuters
Tax deductibility for donations to non-profit journalism centres in the United States have invigorated quality journalism. This same model could help Australian journalism.
Most of the money Americans give to animal welfare charities helps causes that aid companion animals.
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A growing number of animal advocates want Americans to do more to aid animals raised in farms for food, rather than supporting groups that help cats, dogs and other human companions.
Billionaires who pledge their fortunes to charity must not just give big, but give better. It’s all about effective altruism
Some nonprofits, including the NAACP, can operate different divisions subject to different IRS rules but with the same branding.
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
Social welfare groups have become more common – and more controversial – in recent years. Fixing gaps in the oversight of this kind of nonprofit will take bipartisan action.
When it comes to socially responsible behaviour, letting companies do as they see fit would be such a bad thing – providing they’re correctly organised.
The Forrests have bold ambitions for their philanthropy – perhaps inviting some cynics to be dismissive of their aims.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
The record donation by Twiggy Forrest highlights the rise of more strategic philanthropy, which tries to tackle the root causes of complex problems through collaboration, research and advocacy.
As journalism loses its financial footing, it may need more support from foundations.
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In ‘The Givers,’ author David Callahan warns that today’s mega-rich philanthropists wield too much political clout. He may be exaggerating their power and lowballing the public’s own strength.
Paul Odihambo shows off a bore well in his village outside of Kisumu, Kenya that a DIY aid group donated.
Susan Appe
Susan Appe, Binghamton University, State University of New York
With steep budget cuts looming, a growing number of tiny volunteer-driven organizations are delivering aid on their own. Will the Trump administration inspire even more small-scale global giving?
Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan are giving billions to charity through their donor-advised fund instead of a traditional foundation.
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As these tax-exempt vehicles transform philanthropy, they’re drawing more scrutiny. Will Congress or the Trump administration tinker with the rules that encouraged their rapid growth?
Impact investing emerged in 2007 out of global discussions on how to mobilise more capital to tackle societal problems.
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Giving is changing, moving more into the online realm and taking on different forms – and some charities are struggling to keep up.
Bill Gates embraces Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg during an announcement of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to ‘cure, prevent or manage all disease’ by the end of the century.
Beck Diefenbach/Reuters
Bill Gates, who has been identified as the world’s most significant donor in the fight against AIDS, shares his thoughts on the pandemic with Africa’s most prominent HIV/AIDS academics.
Last year 35 UK universities received donations of a million pounds or more.
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Associate Professor of Philanthropic Studies and Donald A. Campbell Chair in Fundraising Leadership, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Indiana University
Professor of Economics and Philanthropic Studies; Associate Dean for Research and International Programs, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Indiana University