Smoke and Mirrors

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[Note: This post was co-published in The Chronicle of Philanthropy on July 22, 2020.] A great magician relies on diversion. The eyes of the audience go where the magician is drawing…
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Charity, Incorporated

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It seems that every time I set out to write about topics other than donor-advised funds, fresh news explodes on the scene that requires my attention, and yours. This week…
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Strange Math

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[A version of this piece appeared in the Chronicle of Philanthropy on July 13, 2017.] Here’s the world’s simplest math problem. My wife Pat and I often meet a pair of friends…
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The Year in Review

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Yes, I write a lot about donor-advised funds. That’s because their surge in popularity is the biggest story in philanthropy – and, to my mind, a growing threat to an…
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Tsunami

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[Note: This post was published as an op-ed in the Chronicle of Philanthropy on October 28, 2014.] Each fall the Chronicle of Philanthropy publishes its “Philanthropy 400,” a list of…
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Wall Street Muscles In

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I really wish I’d been wrong in my earlier warnings about the growth of commercial donor-advised funds. But the latest Philanthropy 400 rankings from the Chronicle of Philanthropy indicate that…
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Deluge

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The bad news about commercial donor-advised funds is getting worse. As my loyal readers know, I’ve been giving attention here and in national journals to the negative impact that the…
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