Donors have left fortunes to charitable purposes, only to have their money given to causes they would never have supported. All too often, the trustees and staff of grantmaking institutions drift from intended goals, lose accountability, or pay insufficient attention to the principles that governed their founders charitable giving. In some cases, assets have been put to uses that would have repelled the original benefactors, turning a generous and well-intentioned gift into a punchline. This guidebook offers detailed guidance to philanthropists who want to ensure that the assets they dedicate to charity are disbursed as they intend. It identifies common pitfalls, explains relevant tradeoffs, and describes successful strategies used by other donors. It lays a broad range of options before you, and suggests ways you can define, secure, and perpetuate your charitable intentions.

Protecting Donor Intent: How to Define and Safeguard Your Philanthropic Principles

Jeffrey J. Cain

Reference

The Philanthropy Roundtable

In recent years, some public officials and advocacy groups have urged that private philanthropies be subject to more uniform standards and stricter government regulationranging from board composition to grant distribution to philanthropies' charitable purposes. A major justification cited by advocates of these proposals is the claim that the charitable tax exemption and deduction are government subsidies, and thus philanthropic funds are ""public money"" and should be publicly controlled. Some advocates also claim that philanthropic assets are public money because philanthropies operate under state charters and are subject to state oversight.   In the second edition of this monograph, legal scholars Evelyn Brody and John Tyler evaluate the legal basis of the ""public money"" claim. They conclude that it is not well founded in legal authority. State oversight of philanthropies is not based on an assertion that philanthropies are subject to state direction or that their assets belong to the public, they write. Similarly, the fact that philanthropies have state charters does not make them state agencies or subject them to the constraints that apply to public bodies. Finally, the philanthropies and their donors receive their federal tax benefits in return for the obligation to pursue public rather than private purposes and to comply with the laws designed to ensure the pursuit of such purposes. There is no evidence, Brody and Tyler find, that these benefits were meant to give government other types of control over philanthropies.  Today, however, a new set of challenges confronts American philanthropy. With disturbing frequency, activists, legislators, and policymakers are claiming governmental authority to regulate the activities of American philanthropists. Such proposals are frequently justified with the claim that philanthropic assets are public money. Proponents of this view argue that the charitable tax exemption and deduction are government subsidies; thus, philanthropic funds are public money and should be publicly controlled. Some advocates additionally claim that philanthropic assets are public money because philanthropies operate under state charters and are subject to state oversight.  The public money claim is not well founded in legal authority. State oversight of philanthropies is based on the need to ensure that philanthropies pursue charitable rather than private purposes, not on an assertion that philanthropies are subject to state direction or that their assets belong to the public. Similarly, the fact that philanthropies have state charters does not make them state agencies or generally subject them to the constraints that apply to public bodies. Finally, the fact that philanthropies and their donors receive their federal tax benefits in return for the obligation to pursue public rather than private purposes and to comply with the laws designed to ensure the pursuit of such purposes; there is no evidence that these benefits were meant to give government other types of control over philanthropies.  Advocates of greater government control of philanthropies may therefore not justify their proposals with the claim that philanthropic assets are public money. They may make other arguments for their position, but these arguments must be evaluated in light of the strong authority in favor of charitable independence, the contributions of foundations and other charities to American society under the traditional, limited philanthropy-government relationship, and the serious consequences that greater government control could have for this relationship.

How Public Is Private Philanthropy? Separating Reality from Myth

Politics & Social Sciences

John, Tyler

Evelyn Brody

Social Sciences

Few innovations in education today offer as much potential to transform how students are educated as the rise of so-called blended learningthe artful combination of computerized instruction (personalized for each student to make sure topics are mastered) with small-group teaching that is closer to tutoring than to traditional mass lectures. While so far put into practice in only a handful of schools around the country, some extraordinarily promising results have made this new style of pedagogy a source of great excitement for contemporary school reformers. There may be no field in education where there are richer opportunities for savvy philanthropists to lead the education establishment toward a more excellent future. This highly readable book provides rich, up-to-date practical information for donors aiming to make a difference.

Blended Learning: A Wise Giver's Guide to Supporting Tech-assisted Teaching

Laura VanderKam

Catalogs & Directories

Philanthropy for veterans, military servicemembers, and their families is a comparatively new and fast-growing branch of American charitable giving. Alas, there is little good information available to help donors act wisely. This book fills that gap. It was created as a how-to manual for philanthropists who want to make a difference with individuals who have served their nation, particularly during the period since the 9/11 attacks. Packed with profiles of the most promising people and groups and strategies, plus essential data, this is a timely new tool for donors. It is the first product of the new veterans program of The Philanthropy Roundtable, which is now available to advise, free of charge, any donors looking to make a difference in this field.

Serving Those Who Served: A Wise Giver's Guide to Assisting Veterans and Military Families

Thomas Meyer

Cracks are becoming visible in American work habits. Whole subpopulations now have weak attachments to self-supporting labor. This worsens poverty and economic mobility. It also damages well-being in subtler ways because work plays a vital role in building social connections, and boosting self-respect and happiness. Any sensible effort to improve American prosperity today must begin by bolstering work. Alas, government agencies have a very checkered history when it comes to helping those who have struggled in the workforce develop the capacities to do better in the future. Statistically, most government job-training programs are quite unimpressive. There are, however, many charitable programs that have demonstrated real success at leading unskilled persons, single mothers, inexperienced minorities, released prisoners, former addicts, and other at-risk populations into lasting, transformative employment. This book was written to help donors find those successful models and strategies. Because when it comes to curing deprivation, softening inequality, improving life satisfaction, and strengthening society, work works.

Clearing Obstacles to Work: A Wise Giver's Guide to Fostering Self-Reliance

David Bass

Over the last generation, Catholic schools have been buffeted by a confluence of winds: changing demographics in the urban neighborhoods where many of their facilities are located, the disappearance of nuns and priests from classrooms, new competition from tuition-free charter schools. Finances crumbled, enrollments fell, and 6,000 schools were closed. Yet two million children remain in Catholic schools today. This includes a great many low-income and minority youngsters for whom Catholic schooling is a lifeline in an otherwise dysfunctional neighborhood. And Catholic schools get enormous bang for their educational buck posting graduation rates, college success patterns, and levels of constructive student behavior that much exceed the performance at counterpart public institutions. Donors never gave up on Catholic schools. And in recent years they have begun to be rewarded for their loyalty. The last decade has brought a burst of fresh management structures, teacher pipelines, back-office mechanisms, helpful technologies, support groups, education-reform allies, private investors, and state and local school-choice programs that leave Catholic schools in their best position for future success in more than 50 years. It is now possible to see the outlines of a significant Catholic-school renaissance. And it is donors who are leading the way. This practical guide describes hundreds of opportunities for savvy givers to put a stamp on this field where there may be more opportunities for life-changing philanthropy than in any other corner of our nation.

Catholic School Renaissance: A Wise Giver's Guide to Strengthening a National Asset

Andy Smarick and Kelly Robson

Amid debates over mobility, economic stagnation, living wages, and persistent unemployment, one of today s economic paradoxes is that there are hundreds of thousands of well-paying jobs that employers cannot fill because they require middle level skills that are presently in serious shortage. Philanthropists have been successful in recent years in helping struggling populations qualify for entry-level jobs. Philanthropists driving the school-reform movement have been crucial in making four-year college a reachable goal for more young people than ever. Now there is a yawning opportunity for philanthropists to open paths between those two poles. Through community college, apprenticeships, intensive credential training, practical internships, and other means, workers can gain valuable skills in computer programming, lab-technician work, machine tooling, customer service, medical assisting positions, and other such jobs that don t require a bachelor s degree, but are too skilled for entry-level employees. Philanthropists are already connecting educators, nonprofits, and companies, and funneling young people and low-wage adult workers into job training. If expanded, this assistance has the potential to move millions of Americans firmly into the middle class. It can also resolve occupational bottlenecks that are crippling manufacturers, health-care providers, and service companies that want to expand but lack adequate middle-skill employees. If you are a donor who wants to bolster America s workforce, this practical book will show you how.

Learning to Be Useful: A Wise Giver's Guide to Supporting Career and Technical Education

Social disorders are increasing. We re economically divided. Our political process is a blood sport. Government agencies are failing to repair the key maladies that afflict us. Two thirds of Americans believe the country is on the wrong track. It's quite likely that politics and public policy will be sources of frustration for many Americans for years to come. But even if Washington, D.C., remains frozen tundra for people who want to improve the nation, powerful culture change is within reach. As you are about to read, we've been in this position before. And the clear lesson of history is that there are many paths to progress other than those that run along the Potomac. There are precedents and prior triumphs we can copy, and many places we can productively invest to make our country better. This short book explains how citizens have repeatedly used voluntary action, private giving, and the processes of civil society to dramatically elevate our society. In eras when our national prospects were considerably bleaker than they are now, Americans found effective ways to solve their problems. It can happen again. This book offers inspiration and a practical roadmap for the next generation of patriotic philanthropists willing to organize, spend, and act to refine the United States of America, even in an era of political frustration.

What Comes Next?

Karl Zinsmeister

This intriguing book makes a powerful case for a sorely needed U.S. educational improvement that has been almost entirely overlooked. During the last two decades, philanthropists and education reformers have made urgent efforts to pull weak students up to levels of basic competency. Though that vital work is incomplete, there is evidence of progress among low achievers. Meanwhile, though, children at the other end of the achievement spectrum have gotten lost in the shuffle. Programs and funding once aimed at stimulating high-potential students to make the most of their talents have withered, and we are now doing a poor job of stimulating our quick learners. When the particular needs of high-potential students are not met by schools, that is a moral failurebecause every child deserves to be stretched and challenged. It is also a threat to our national interestssince high achievers will be crucial to Americas future ability to compete internationally. This is a field where donors have wide-open opportunities to lead. In the pages of this fresh, practical guidebook, savvy school-reform philanthropists will be introduced to scores of programs and institutions that can pull talented students of all ages, races, and income levels up to their full natural capabilities.

Closing America's High-achievement Gap: A Wise Giver's Guide to Helping Our Most Talented Students Reach Their Full Potential

Andy Smarick

Twenty-five years ago, charter schools hadnt even been dreamed up. Today they are mushrooming across the country. There are 6,500 charter schools operating in 42 states, with more than 600 new ones opening every year. Within a blink there will be 3 million American children attending these freshly invented institutions (and 5 million students in them by the end of this decade). It is philanthropy that has made all of this possible. Without generous donors, charter schools could never have rooted and multiplied in this way. And philanthropists have driven relentless annual improvementsbetter trained school founders, more prepared teachers, sharper curricula, smarter technologythat have allowed charter schools to churn out impressive results. Studies show that student performance in charter schools is accelerating every year, as high-performing models replace weaker ones. Charter schools as a whole already exceed conventional schools in results. The top charters that are now growing so fast elevate student outcomes more than any other schools in the U.S.especially among poor and minority children. Charter schooling may be the most important social innovation of our age, and it is just beginning to boom. Philanthropists anxious to improve America have more opportunities to make a difference through charter schools than in almost any other way. This book provides the facts, examples, cautionaries, inspiration, research, and practical experience that philanthropists will need as charter schooling shifts gears from promising experiment to mainstream movement bringing improved opportunity to millions of students.

From Promising to Proven: A Wise Giver's Guide to Expanding on the Success of Charter Schools

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the The Philanthropy Roundtable publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by The Philanthropy Roundtable