From the Editor’s Desk: An Update from the Chronicle
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From the Editor's Desk
Dear John, As you settle into the long weekend, I want to say thanks for all you have done in these seemingly endless days and weeks to help your colleagues, your organizations, and all you serve. Advancing essential missions is always hard work, but the juggle has grown even tougher amid the uncertainty about what is next. That is why I hope you have a chance to unwind and reflect over this Memorial Day holiday â and to remember that what you have been doing has not helped just your immediate community but also inspired the entire nation. Andrew McIndoe, the top development official at the Heritage Foundation, told our readers a few days ago that when Americans see nonprofits persevering, that will reassure them that the nation will persevere. Thatâs easy to forget in these frenzied days, but worth taking a moment to celebrate. Another point Andrew made in his essay also struck home with me: He wrote about the tremendous opportunity this moment offers to help staff members learn new skills and take on increased responsibility. My colleagues and I have certainly been learning new skills as we work from our home offices, taking on the greatest responsibility of our journalism careers â helping you weather this crisis: Eden Stiffman and Emily Haynes have been tracking the latest in fundraising, including advice on how to hold engaging virtual fundraising events and lessons from organizations that are persuading people to send charities the money they save now they are not commuting. Edenâs weekly fundraising newsletter has become an even more powerful must-read in the coronavirus era so if you havenât signed up for this free service, I hope you will today. And continue to send her questions you have for our new weekly advice column. Alex Daniels has been following the foundation response â including a new call by wealthy Americans to require grant makers and donor-advised funds to distribute much more every year. Youâll also want to read his article about the growing efforts by foundations to hire chief equity officers, a role that may become even more important in the coronavirus era. That piece complements Jim Rendonâs report on new Bridgespan study that found stark disparities in how foundations award grants to organizations led by people of color compared to those with white chief executives. Michael Theis surveyed 25 big foundations to learn how they are giving, a research project weâll keep updating to better understand whoâs giving more and whoâs cutting back as endowments suffer from the stock marketâs tumble. As our full-time data journalist, Michael has been tracking other data that can help you better understand the state of giving and nonprofit finances, including the surge in donor-advised fund giving and a dismal report out last week showing that giving rates have hit a new low. Meanwhile, Dan Parks has been keeping an eye on Congressional efforts to send federal aid to nonprofits and Nicole Wallace is overseeing our next special report about the myriad ways nonprofits are going virtual. (As a preview, read how one of the digital pioneers, Nancy Lublin, founder of Crisis Text Line, is navigating through the pandemic.) Our professional development editors, Margie Glennon and Lisa Schohl, have been writing advice articles, such as how to make remote work go well and retooling our webinars to ensure each session is jam-packed with information you can use now to raise money, find grants, and keep your organization strong in the pandemic. Last week's session focused on how to find the donors most likely to give in the crisis, and it is available for you to listen to anytime -- or you can sign up for future webinars, like our next one on using this moment to clean up donor databases. Weâre also planning a slate of free briefings, including our next one on June 2 featuring communications expert Andy Goodman, who will share research-based findings about the best ways to conduct webinars and other online meetings and training sessions so you can learn how to engage everyone in this time of social distancing. Do take a break over these next few days, and when you get back to your laptop, let me know what more we can do to provide the information and inspiration you need as you persevere and stay strong. Stay well, Stacy Palmer Editor
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