Visionary Voices

To Build or Not to Build: The Role of Foreign Offices in Philanthropy

Dr. Asher Orkaby August 28, 2026

It might be tempting to universally disparage overhead costs for a global foundation, especially when the budget for a single overseas trip by a US-based philanthropic executive could easily exceed the annual salaries of the local populace. But understanding the decision to open a satellite office overseas is not, however, simply a question of overhead excess vs frugality.

Alt text Gray-haired woman at her home desk reviewing information about a nonprofit before making a planned gift

Your Donors Are Reading This. Are You Ready?

Viken Mikaelian August 27, 2026

A donor just printed an article listing eight hard questions to ask her favorite charity before naming it in her will. Yours may be on that list. In a few weeks she’s going to call, and one conversation will decide it. Most nonprofits fail this test and never learn they failed — because a bequest that quietly goes elsewhere sends no rejection letter.

What Outlives the Founder: A Lesson in Legacy-Driven Giving from Rural Punjab

Dr. Harmeet Singh August 24, 2026

Legacy giving is often associated with names on scholarships or buildings. But a deeper legacy is an idea proven so effectively that others continue to learn from it.

Sant Baba Iqbal Singh Ji demonstrated this through the Kalgidhar Society, which grew from one rural school in 1986 into more than 130 Akal Academies, two universities, a hospital, and a women’s empowerment institution. Its “Character before Career” philosophy, affordable schooling, sustained leadership, and mission-centered succession show that lasting impact requires more than a one-time gift.

Hand reaching into a suit jacket pocket — asset-based giving for small nonprofits

The Wrong Pocket

Sanjay Bindra, MD August 22, 2026

Most small nonprofits accept only cash — the smallest pocket a donor owns. A 400-household, zero-staff foundation proved otherwise: 85% of its 2025 donations came from IRAs, donor-advised funds, and appreciated stock, building a $2.4 million endowment. Dr. Sanjay Bindra explains what changed, what it cost to set up, and why the barrier was never money. It was language.

The Nonprofit Revenue Problem Nobody Wants to Talk About

Sherry Quam Taylor July 31, 2026

Our mindset is often our biggest obstacle—even with fundraisers. Decades of broken fundraising norms have created invisible scripts and unchecked thought patterns that masquerade as wisdom but in fact act as a ceiling. Catastrophizing, overthinking, victimhood, and self-sabotage quietly cap revenue year after year. But, when teams pressure-test their assumptions and shift from fear-based instincts to genuine curiosity, something changes: donors respond, asks land, and goals that once felt out of reach become achievable. The breakthrough most organizations need isn’t a new tactic. It’s a new internal narrative (and the skills to back it up).

Close-up of a person's hand signing a formal tax document with a fountain pen, the form's text blurred, warm directional lighting.

What Trustees Don’t Know About Form 990 Can Hurt the Organization

Robert C. Clothier July 4, 2026

Most nonprofit trustees approve the annual Form 990 without realizing it is far more than a tax filing. It is a public governance report scrutinized by donors, journalists, regulators, and watchdogs. Learn the sections every board member should review, the risks of overlooking them, and how the Form 990 can strengthen both accountability and public trust.

White and black chess kings on an antique world map, symbolizing global strategy, diplomacy, and the shifting balance of international influence.

Philanthropic Community Is Positioned to Wield Soft Power Diplomacy Amid U.S. Government Retreat

Allison Yezril June 28, 2026

As the United States retreats from foreign aid, China and the Gulf states are stepping into the vacuum, winning the loyalty of the world’s fastest-growing populations. Former intelligence officer Allison Yezril argues that America’s private foundations—Gates, Rockefeller, Mott—are now the last credible voice of American ideals abroad. The question is whether American donors will rise to wield it.

Digital Antisemitism Is Infrastructure, Not Awareness

Josh Steele June 27, 2026

The natural instinct when online antisemitism spikes is to fund awareness. But fighting digital hate is infrastructure work, not awareness work — and the gap between an online post and a physical attack has shrunk to zero. Removing 67% of antisemitic content takes analysts and software, not outrage. Funders who skip the back-end are wiping down the counters while the pipe keeps bursting.

Transfer of Wealth? Or Transfer of Power.

Viken Mikaelian June 26, 2026

Charitable giving hit a record $617 billion — and almost everyone read it wrong. Bequests, barely a tenth of all giving, drove a third of the growth, powered by a handful of estates and a market that inflated them. This isn’t generosity spreading. It’s wealth concentrating. The money is moving into a few institutions that keep getting stronger, while the corner nonprofit gets crowded out. A wealth transfer, yes — but mostly a power transfer.