Rethinking Charity Registration, Plus More: Tuesday's Roundup
Should the government register nonprofit groups like the U.S. Patent Office, which is testing a new way to approve patents by seeking public input through the Internet and so-called crowdsourcing? Lucy Bernholz, a foundation consultant, asks this question on her blog. While American environmental groups have chosen to promote the “bright side” of dealing with climate change, like creating so-called green jobs, charities in Europe and elsewhere have produced much

Nonprofit Groups Give Thanks Despite Tough Times
The economy has forced many nonprofit groups to cut expenses, lay off employees, or dip into their reserves. But it hasn’t stopped many from feeling thankful this week. In fact, quite a few charities are using Thanksgiving as an occasion to offer thanks to their supporters, volunteers, and donors. The Chronicle has started the hashtag #nonprofitthanks on Twitter to help draw attention to the Thanksgiving messages being shared this week by nonprofit groups. We invite you to jump into the conversation that is unfolding on Twitter — and to post your Thanksgiving thoughts in

Who Are The World's Most Powerful Philanthropists?
Billionaire Eli Broad has chosen seven people who he says are the “most powerful philanthropists” in the world. His list is part a Forbes magazine effort to find out who the most powerful people are in politics, Hollywood, finance, and in other categories. Mr. Broad, who is an avid arts and education donor, picked Bill and Melinda Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Michael Dell, Michael Bloomberg, Peter Peterson, David Rockefeller Sr., and Wallis Annenberg. Perhaps as interesting as who he included is who he left out. Big name donors

Are They 'At-Promise' Youth?
Are students facing economic or social problems “at risk” or “at promise”? A growing number of educators across the country are referring to such youth with the latter phrase, triggering a debate about how schools and nonprofit groups describe students, writes Jay Mathews, an education columnist for The Washington Post. In a Post blog, Mr. Mathews says proponents of the change argue it will help instill a sense of potential and does not imply some kind of deficit in students. Others disagree. Calling youth at promise “sugarcoats th

Debating the Effectiveness of Antipoverty Efforts, Plus More: Monday's Roundup
A robust and much-needed debate has erupted about how to solve global poverty with a flood of new books on the issue, writes Nicholas D. Kristof, a New York Times columnist. The discussion, he says, is one that will help define the future of America. With last week’s news that 49 million Americans lack consistent access to adequate food, Katherine Gustafson, a freelance writer, wonders if the growing problem demonstrates a lack of compassion by the country. Her views