November 2023

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Friends in Philanthropy: November 2023 Issue


“By 1980 I started thinking, ‘Where is all this leading and what am I going to do with it?’ I’m a guy who can be happy with a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich.”

– Chuck Feeney on his desire to find a meaningful use for his wealth

Chuck Feeney’s life consisted of two enormous successes. The first was building an $8 billion fortune in business. The second was giving it all away.

Feeney, who passed away October 9th, was the world’s foremost advocate of “giving while living,” which encourages people to use their wealth for good in their own lifetime.

For Feeney, that meant supporting everything from public health in Vietnam to earthquake relief in Haiti. After zeroing out his foundation’s endowment with one last gift to his alma mater Cornell in 2020, his life’s work was complete.

Read on for more about Feeney’s life, as well as stories and tips from other givers who share his same spirit of selflessness.


An empty bench on green grass in a park

Bill Gates on What Made Chuck Feeney Great (Gates Notes) – The founder of Duty Free Shoppers passed away at age 92 in October—but not before giving away his entire $8 billion fortune. Bill Gates shares why Feeney was such a hero to him.

A man writing on paper

How To Donate Your Life Insurance To Charity (Forbes Advisor) – Donating an insurance policy can greatly multiply your impact compared to giving cash. Here are three ways to arrange that, including pros and cons for each approach.

A mattress and sleeping bag on the street

How Philanthropy Is Tackling Homelessness More Holistically (Philanthropy Roundtable) – With homelessness rising sharply, some nonprofits are challenging the dominant “housing first” solution by emphasizing job training and mental health support.

An open Bible

Bigger Barns or Treasure in Heaven: 3 Lessons from Luke (National Christian Foundation) – The Gospel of Luke contains many lessons on money and possessions. What if we considered them as one long teaching?

Line graphs, a pie chart, and bar graphs

Year-End Tips for Hitting Your Foundation’s Minimum Distribution (Exponent Philanthropy) – Not sure if you’ve met your 5% annual distribution requirement yet? Find out which expenditures qualify, which don’t, and how to catch up if you’re still behind for the year.

Volunteers passing boxes down from a truck

See Who’s Featured in Town & Country’s Philanthropy Issue (Town & Country) – Celebrities like Michael J. Fox and Arnold Schwarzenegger shared their giving philosophies, while lesser-known leaders discussed why their missions matter.

A child walking with a backpack

Inside the Georgia Middle School That Helps Refugee Girls Flourish (UNHCR) – Resettled girls from around the world are finding peace at Global Village Project, a school near the refugee-friendly town known as “the Ellis Island of the South.”


Photos courtesy of Unsplash.

Kinship United often posts content and opinions that are of interest to the philanthropic community that supports Kinship United’s mission. Nothing published by Kinship United constitutes an investment recommendation, nor should any data or content published by Kinship United be solely relied upon for any investment, tax, legal or financial decisions. Kinship United strongly recommends that you perform your own independent research and/or speak with a qualified investment professional before making any financial decisions.

August 2023

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Friends in Philanthropy: August 2023 Issue


“It showed me my ideas could do something. I didn’t think of myself as a literacy advocate at that time, but looking back, I’ve been on this journey for a minute.”

– Barbershop Books founder Alvin Irby on the reading program he helped create all the way back in his high school days

Will A.I. transform how nonprofits operate? Can donor-advised funds make it easier for people to get into grantmaking?

These are important questions. But at its heart philanthropy isn’t about technology or tax law. It’s about the human urge to help others.

So in this issue, we’re also sharing stories about people like Alvin Irby, whose nonprofit places books in barbershops so that kids see reading as something you can do for fun. Or Greg Horton, who took his near-death experience as a reminder from God that material wealth isn’t what really matters.

We hope you enjoy their stories, but more importantly, we hope your own experience with philanthropy can bring you that same kind of purpose.


Three Ways Technology Will Fix What’s Broken in Philanthropy (Kiplinger) – Can tech developments like A.I. bring down operating costs and build more trust between donors and charities? The co-founder of a DAF tech company sees reasons for optimism.

Should You Be Giving Through a Donor-Advised Fund? (Kinship United) – Fewer headaches. Lower costs. Smarter tax strategies. Here’s why donors have been flocking to the giving vehicle where you donate now, and worry about disbursing later.

How A Plane Crash Saved Greg Horton’s Life (National Christian Foundation) – Trapped in the wreckage as fuel leaked everywhere, Greg felt the peace of God’s love come over him. That’s when he knew it was time to become radically more generous.

Could These RMD Rules Turn Charitable Donations Into Retirement Income For Life? (Yahoo Finance) – Are you chafing at taking your required minimum distributions in retirement? A recent change in law regarding “charitable gift annuities” might help you preserve your nest egg while doing good.

Meet the Man on a Mission to Fill Barbershops with Books (CNN) – First-grade teacher Alvin Irby figured community barbershops were a prime place for his students to practice reading. Now his nonprofit has brought more than 50,000 books to barbershops across the country.

Why Philanthropic Giving Declined in 2022 (Nonprofit Quarterly) – With the pandemic emergency receding and the stock market slumping, perhaps giving was due for a downturn. Still, there are bright spots in Giving USA’s annual report, like support for international charities.

How To Make Philanthropy Part of Your Work Culture (Forbes) – Volunteer events can help build teamwork and cement your company’s status as a pillar of the community. But it’s often best to start small. Here’s how.


Photos courtesy of Unsplash.

Kinship United often posts content and opinions that are of interest to the philanthropic community that supports Kinship United’s mission. Nothing published by Kinship United constitutes an investment recommendation, nor should any data or content published by Kinship United be solely relied upon for any investment, tax, legal or financial decisions. Kinship United strongly recommends that you perform your own independent research and/or speak with a qualified investment professional before making any financial decisions.

January 2023

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Friends in Philanthropy: January 2023 Issue


“Don’t tell where it came from, and don’t tell me who needed it. Just say it’s a blessing from the Lord.”

– Small-town farmer Hody Childress on his $100 monthly gift to cover strangers’ prescription costs, as remembered by a local pharmacist

Hody Childress won’t make the next Forbes Top Givers list. His simple act of kindness—anonymously giving $100 a month to a local pharmacy to make sure his neighbors can get their prescriptions—is far too modest by their standards.

But gifts like his are just as important as those of, say, Bill Gates or Warren Buffett. That’s because they prove the average person really can do meaningful good in the world, simply by choosing to be generous.

Childress’s story comes at an important moment, as the decline in middle-class charitable giving reaches a crisis point. In fact, with so much attention on mega-donors in recent years, it sometimes feels like philanthropy has become a luxury, reserved for the wealthy and out of reach for the rest of us.

It’s just lucky nobody told Hody Childress.

Read more about his story, and about the collapse of middle-class charitable giving, in this month’s issue.

But first, a programming note: Going forward, Friends in Philanthropy won’t be sent on the same monthly schedule. Instead, we’re looking into sending less frequent, more substantive updates on the state of philanthropy in 2023. Watch your inbox for news.

Thank you for being a subscriber up to this point! We hope this newsletter has helped you become a more informed and thoughtful donor, and that reading stories about other generous givers like you has inspired you to keep sharing your good fortune with the world.


One hand reaching out for another

How to Support Kinship United with Your Donor-Advised Fund (Kinship United) – Ready to support a charity that uses Christian principles to rescue widows and orphans around the world? We’ll show you how to recommend a grant through your DAF in minutes.

A piggy bank and some change

Middle-Class Philanthropy Is Collapsing (National Review) – From 2000 to 2018, the share of U.S. households that donate to charity dropped from 66% to 50%. Yet big-ticket giving is actually growing. Has charity become a luxury?

Prescription pills out of the bottle

An Alabama Man Secretly Helped Pay Strangers’ Prescriptions For Years (BBC) – For a decade, small-town farmer Hody Childress gave $100 a month to a local pharmacy so his neighbors could afford their medicine. He only told his family when he got too sick to handle it himself.

A man loading boxes into a van

4 Ways To Prioritize Corporate Philanthropy During An Economic Downturn (Forbes) – It can be tempting to cut back on corporate giving programs during a difficult economy. Here’s why pulling back when demand is highest might be a mistake, and how to avoid it.

A green plant growing out of a jar of change

Your Estate Plan Is About Living Generously Right Now, Too (National Christian Foundation) – When families discuss inheritance, they’re talking about passing along faith and values, not just money. Here’s how to make sure your estate plan is leaving a clear “living legacy” for the next generation.


Photos courtesy of Unsplash.

Kinship United often posts content and opinions that are of interest to the philanthropic community that supports Kinship United’s mission. Nothing published by Kinship United constitutes an investment recommendation, nor should any data or content published by Kinship United be solely relied upon for any investment, tax, legal or financial decisions. Kinship United strongly recommends that you perform your own independent research and/or speak with a qualified investment professional before making any financial decisions.

December 2022

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Friends in Philanthropy: December 2022 Issue


“It’s not good for the country that there are so many people who have to rely on us.”

– Feeding America CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot on the organization’s staggering growth in recent years

Topping a list from Forbes seems like great news. But for Feeding America, who leapfrogged the United Way to become the magazine’s #1 charity by private donations, it’s a sign of the country’s troubles.

After all, it’s only since the pandemic started that fighting hunger became such a priority for donors. “People saw something that they didn’t understand before this—food insecurity,” Babineux-Fontenot told Forbes.

It’s clear much work remains to be done to recover from the societal shockwave of Covid. But as we head into 2023, it’s also worth considering how far we’ve come. So in this month’s issue, we also highlight some bright spots over the past year in philanthropy, courtesy of the Christian Science Monitor’s year-end progress roundup.

Read on to get inspired by all that philanthropists like you have done together as a community this year, and to find the resolve to carry on that work into the new year and beyond.

A globe hovering above someone's hand

The Values That Led Humanity Forward This Year (Christian Science Monitor) – “Smart canes” in Rwanda. An all-women newsroom in Somalia. Christian Science Monitor’s year-end “progress roundup” shows how values like ingenuity and dignity drove positive change in 2022.

Shelves in a food pantry

Feeding America Ousts United Way As America’s Largest Charity (Forbes) – The Chicago-based food bank network took in more than $4 billion in gifts last fiscal year, a 47% increase over two years ago. But its growth isn’t exactly happy news. (See the full Forbes Top 100 Charities list here.)

Someone using a register to check out

Should You Donate to Charity in the Checkout Line? (Verywell Health) – CVS is being sued for using customer donations to fulfill a $10 million pledge to the American Diabetes Association. Now experts are noting the downsides of such indirect gifts.

Someone looking at monthly budgets on a laptop

MacKenzie Scott’s New “Yield Giving” Site Sheds Light on Her $14B Giving Spree (Geekwire) – Scott’s mostly stayed mum about her giving over the last few years. Now she’s sharing a searchable database of 1,600 of her gifts, plus more details about her grantmaking process and philosophy.

Small stacks of coins

How Program-Related Investment Supports Charities Without Giving Money Away for Good (The Conversation) – By law, foundations must pay out at least 5% of their endowment annually. Here’s how issuing loans at below-market rates can help them meet that target and still preserve funds for the future.

Photos courtesy of Unsplash.

Kinship United often posts content and opinions that are of interest to the philanthropic community that supports Kinship United’s mission. Nothing published by Kinship United constitutes an investment recommendation, nor should any data or content published by Kinship United be solely relied upon for any investment, tax, legal or financial decisions. Kinship United strongly recommends that you perform your own independent research and/or speak with a qualified investment professional before making any financial decisions.

November 2022

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Friends in Philanthropy: November 2022 Issue


“The amount of money didn’t even feel real. What felt more real was the pride and validation that the work I was doing mattered, and somebody had noticed.”

– An anonymous nonprofit leader on what it meant to receive a large, unrestricted grant from MacKenzie Scott

It’s been more than two years since MacKenzie Scott shook up philanthropy by giving dozens of nonprofits enormous grants with almost no conditions attached.

Now we’re starting to see whether her radical approach is working. Short answer: absolutely.

That’s according to a new survey from the Center for Effective Philanthropy, which found that the nonprofits Scott supported are generally thriving—expanding services and reach while making permanent improvements in their infrastructure and financial stability.

Only time will tell if the rest of the philanthropy world will embrace Scott’s trust-based giving style. But given the results so far, expect much more talk about rethinking how funders see their role in the coming years.


A grandma kissing the forehead of her granddaughter

10 Ways Your Foundation Can Engage the Next Generation (Exponent Philanthropy) – Experts say forcing younger family members to get involved on your terms is a dead end. Instead, create a two-way partnership that gives them a say and lets them use their strengths.

A gold trophy

A Major Survey Finds MacKenzie Scott Is Fantastic at Philanthropy (Fortune) – Some have worried that charities might struggle to handle Scott’s large, unrestricted gifts. But a new survey of 277 nonprofits shows the grants have been nearly all upside. (Read the full report here.)

Man opening an empty wallet

The FTX Bankruptcy Is a Disaster for the Charities It Supported (The Conversation) – Millions in promised funds will almost certainly not arrive—and even some disbursed money may get “clawed back” in bankruptcy.

A community in Africa raising their hands in the air

Glimpses of Hope During a Week in Kakuma Refugee Camp (Christianity Today) – Refugee camps are meant to be temporary. But now many of Kakuma’s 240,000 residents are 2nd- or 3rd-generation. Still, one visitor saw how worship services kept people there from losing all hope.

Stacked sandwiches

A Local Legend Inspired Volunteers to Make 10,000 Sandwiches in a Day (Washington Post) – Eugenia Duke (of Duke’s Mayonnaise fame) was said to have made 10,000 sandwiches in a single day to get by during WWI. Could her hometown replicate the feat for local food banks?


Photos courtesy of Unsplash.

Kinship United often posts content and opinions that are of interest to the philanthropic community that supports Kinship United’s mission. Nothing published by Kinship United constitutes an investment recommendation, nor should any data or content published by Kinship United be solely relied upon for any investment, tax, legal or financial decisions. Kinship United strongly recommends that you perform your own independent research and/or speak with a qualified investment professional before making any financial decisions.