One reason why the steel magnate spent so much of his fortune building libraries across the nation and abroad is that he saw handing large fortunes to the next generation as a waste of money.
Actress Jennifer Garner, a Save the Children trustee and ambassador, helped distribute supplies after Hurricane Harvey.
Anthony Rathbun/Save the Children via AP Images
There are reasons to channel Harvey aid through the nonprofit despite evidence that it wasted money following Haiti’s earthquake and fumbled Superstorm Sandy relief efforts.
Residents pick through a makeshift aid station in Rockport, Texas after Harvey struck their city.
AP Photo/Eric Gay
People may initially assume the worst when they encounter for-profit companies with social missions. What can these social ventures with good intentions do to gain people’s support?
Americans make charitable donations for many reasons.
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Economic trends, not politics, typically influence how money money Americans donate to charity. Yet some advocacy groups say their donations surged after the 2016 presidential election.
Years from now, she’ll probably be ready to part with her photo assistant.
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Most Americans cling to things with sentimental value that we no longer need. Taking pictures of these possessions may make it easier to give them away.
People have always asked for alms, including the men depicted in this 17th-century European etching.
Wenceslaus Hollar/The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The courts are saying that down-and-out Americans have a right to seek curbside alms despite efforts to ban the practice. Two scholars have come up with an alternative to anti-panhandling ordinances.
The number of Americans who can get a tax break through their charitable contributions could tumble during the Trump administration.
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The tax changes Trump and GOP lawmakers propose would reduce charitable giving, research suggests. But letting everyone use a tax break mostly enjoyed by the rich might prevent that.
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.
Fresh Air host Mark Stucky of Newton, Kansas shook hands with Thomas Flowers from Gulfport, Mississippi, as Doris Zerger Stucky – Mark’s mother – watched in this 1960 photo.
Mennonite Library & Archives, Bethel, Kansas
Many urban children who took part in a program that was supposed to enrich their lives dealt with racism instead. Why can’t this cultural exchange become a two-way street?
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.
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