I wrote earlier today about taking inventory of your assets–beyond writing checks–to support your charitable causes. (Click here to review the checklist.) I’m still playing with these concepts, but as of now I see at least five categories that comprise...

I’m on a panel today at the Chicago Global Donor’s Network 6th annual Conference on International Philanthropy. More than Money: Expanding Your Philanthropic Toolbox. Many times donors think their primary contribution to the cause comes when they...

According to a new study by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, differences in giving motivations can be explained by income and education. According to the press release issued last week: Among lower-income donors (income less than...

Last week I was struck by one of those unearned privileges of wealth and power: the right to be running late. While visiting a nonprofit in downtown Chicago, I saw one of their donor relations folks in the hallway. In asking about her morning plans,...

Studying and teaching about happiness is, as I understand it, a relatively new field of positive psychology. The new definition of “healthy” is not a neutral state marked by the absence of mental or physical illness (surviving), but a positive state of...