I’ve done a lot of volunteer work over the years, and usually, it’s a fun way to meet people, learn new skills, and give back to the community. It’s one of those few things that is all-around good for everyone involved. When it’s frustrating, it’s usually because the non-financial people don’t understand where the financial… [Read More]
Blog
Category: Nonprofit and Endowment Management
Paying for College: Free colleges
Yes, there are free colleges. There are not many, and they are not for everyone, and some may not be free much longer, but they do exist. What are they? The first three, and maybe the best known, are the U.S. Service Academies: Air Force Academy, West Point, and U.S. Naval Academy. The next two… [Read More]
Donor-advised funds increase in 2012
Donor-advised funds are major players in the charity world. These are foundation funds managed by an outside organization (often a community foundation), but the person who donates the money chooses what charities will receive the money. The National Philanthropic Trust reported on the results of these funds last year, and the news was good. Assets… [Read More]
The Basics of Social Impact Bonds
There’s an interesting new development in the endless search for yield: the Social Impact Bond. The idea is that the bond will finance a charitable program, and the investors will be repaid if the program hits its goals. There’s a lot of talk about it, although very few of these bonds have actually been issued,… [Read More]
Paying for College: The 2012 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments
The annual NACUBO-Commonfund report on college and university endowment values is out. The value of each endowment includes the effect of investment returns, spending, and donations through June 2012, and, on average, it was negative: the average endowment posted a return of -0.3 percent (net of fees) for the year, a decline from the 19.2 average… [Read More]
