Readers of The NonProfit Times picked their favorite stories during 2023 by their literally millions of website clicks. Here’s what you thought was most important in the order of interest to you. Thank you for reading and participating during this very busy year.
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Scott Taking Applications For 250, $1 Million Grants
Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott is drawing back the curtain on her giving, putting out a call for applications for grants from a $250 million initiative. Being referred to as an “Open Call” for a program called “Yield Giving,” the initiative is focused on elevating organizations working with people and in places “experiencing the greatest need in the United States: communities, individuals, and families with access to the fewest foundational resources and opportunities.”
https://thenonprofittimes.com/articles/scott-taking-applications-for-250-1-million-grants/
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The NonProfit Times’ 2023 “Power & Influence Top 50”
The pandemic was mostly done during late 2022 and early 2023. Supply chains were getting back to normal. Staff members were starting to go back to the office at least a couple of days a week. It was about that time that the pandemic’s trap door opened.
https://thenonprofittimes.com/report/the-nonprofit-times-power-influence-top-50-just-when-they-thought-it-was-safe-to-breath-executives-had-to-adjust-again/
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2023 Best Nonprofit To Work For Found A Way To Connect
The mood of managers and staff for this year’s The NonProfit Times’ Best Nonprofits To Work For often proved to be tentative, with COVID, inflation and turnover all testing organizational culture at the 50 nonprofits.
https://thenonprofittimes.com/report/2023-best-nonprofit-winners-found-a-way-to-connect/
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Donors Great And Small Declined During 2023 First Quarter
A decrease in both the number of donors and dollars given was evident across all donor types during the first quarter of 2023, with major donors causing an outsized drop in both dollars and donor retention. Paired with a sharp drop in dollars given by new donors, fundraisers need to be prepared for compounded challenges throughout the rest of the year.
https://thenonprofittimes.com/news/donors-great-and-small-declined-during-2023-first-quarter/
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Large Volume NPO Mailers Might Get 30% Break
The United States Postal Service (USPS) has filed two proposals with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC). If approved, the first would offer credits for mailers sending out more than 1 million pieces during calendar year 2024. The second would establish financial incentives to individual high-volume mailers via one-off negotiated service agreements.
https://thenonprofittimes.com/articles/large-volume-npo-mailers-might-get-30-break/
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BackBlack Campaign Seeks To Boost Black-Led Nonprofits
Funders and giving platforms have joined together to create BackBlack, a campaign geared toward addressing funding disparities affecting Black-led nonprofits. Funders and Black-led organizations can find each other through the campaign’s central hub, BackBlackMovement.org.
https://thenonprofittimes.com/articles/backblack-campaign-seeks-to-boost-black-led-nonprofits/
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Some Charities Lost It All On Maui But Still Working
The Salvation Army lost its Lahaina Lighthouse Corps complex to the fires on the Hawaiian island of Maui, including the administrative building, church, thrift store, and residential quarters for its staff. All staff evacuated safely when the fires began last week. All have been accounted for, but the buildings are a “total loss,” said a spokesperson.
https://thenonprofittimes.com/articles/some-charities-lost-it-all-on-maui-but-still-working/
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U.S. Philanthropy Plummeted $17 Billion As Donors Disappeared
Giving to nonprofits in the United States plunged during 2022, led by the disappearance of individual donors. Giving dropped to an estimated $499.33 billion – down 3.4% in current dollars and 10.5% after adjusting for inflation from a revised total of $516.65 billion in 2021. Giving also declined as a percentage of the nation’s gross domestic product, to 1.9% from 2.2%.
https://thenonprofittimes.com/articles/u-s-philanthropy-plummeted-17-billion-as-donors-disappeared/
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Senate Bill Seeks to Streamline Federal Grant Process
A Senate bill seeks to improve the effectiveness of federal grant and cooperative agreement programs. If passed, the bill would simplify application and reporting requirements, improve delivery of service to the public, and facilitate improved coordination among federal granting agencies.
https://thenonprofittimes.com/grant/senate-bill-seeks-to-streamline-federal-grant-process/
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Hackers Extorting And Offering Booty To Charity
Extortionists have embraced a new type of high-tech “fundraising” that involves hacking into companies’ servers and holding their data hostage for money. But in a new twist, the bandits are demanding the money for charity, not themselves.
https://thenonprofittimes.com/technology/hackers-extorting-and-offering-booty-to-charity/
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Advocacy Groups File Brief Defending Diverse Giving
A nonprofit fund for Black female entrepreneurs, which is being federally sued in a case challenging the use of race-based philanthropy, is getting an assist from two of the nation’s leading nonprofit membership organizations whose leaders say giving is a constitutionally permitted form of free expression protected by the First Amendment.
https://thenonprofittimes.com/articles/advocacy-groups-file-briefs-defending-diverse-giving/
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Study: Scott’s Gifts Provide Both Cash & Credibility
Nonprofits benefiting from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott’s largesse have not seen a dampening effect on other donors’ generosity. Fundraisers say the infusion of cash to their bottom lines has enhanced their credibility with traditional donors and made them that much more confident supporting organizations with enhanced prospects for long-term success.
https://bit.ly/3NCHBYQ
