Chronicle Insider

Dear Subscriber,

What’s lost when religion fades?

That’s the thought-provoking question we seek to answer in the special report that opens our December issue, posted online today. Twenty-five years ago, 70 percent of Americans said they belonged to a house of worship. That number is now down below 50 percent — and continuing to fall, experts say.

It’s one of the most important shifts in American life, and, as Drew Lindsay reports, one of the most consequential for the present and future of nonprofit America. His reporting offers the most comprehensive account of this phenomenon and how it’s affecting organizations on the ground. In an accompanying article, Emily Haynes tells the story of how nonprofits are adjusting and trying to fill the void that religion’s withering has created.

Allison Bailey, NurPhoto, AP

• Sara Herschander on the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which can help nonprofit workers wipe out their student loan debts but that millions still haven’t taken advantage of.
• Rasheeda Childress on the newly salient challenge of how — and whether — nonprofits should weigh in on current events in the wake of the donor revolts over the Israel-Hamas War.
• Lisa Schohl with some useful advice on how to improve your thank-you messages to donors.

In our opinion section, you’ll find:

• Craig Kennedy, former president of the Joyce Foundation, on why congressional interest in donor transparency is good for nonprofits.
• Johnny Perez, a director of U.S. Prison Programs at the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, on why philanthropy should pay more attention to ending solitary confinement.
• Perry Cammack of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund on how supporting peace-building groups is the best hope to resolving the Israel-Hamas War.

Of course, there’s much more on our website. And as a subscriber, you have unlimited access to every article we publish.

We also encourage you to sign up for our daily newsletter, Philanthropy Today, so that you won’t miss any of our daily offerings, and our weekly roundup, Philanthropy This Week.

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We know you’re starting to plan for 2024, and we have a January webinar that you should know about.

On January 18, we’ll present “Developing a Donor Engagement Plan for 2024.” Fundraisers and nonprofit communicators know how vital it is to inform and inspire donors regularly. But the year ahead is likely to be filled with distractions — from ongoing economic uncertainty and geopolitical strife to a U.S. presidential election — so cutting through the noise will take creativity and thoughtful planning. Please join us!

Finally, a bittersweet update: This issue will be my last as the Chronicle’s editor in chief.

I will be returning to Vox.com in January to serve as its new executive editor. I feel incredibly fortunate to have worked with the talented Chronicle crew these last few months. Many thanks to our indefatigable leader, Stacy Palmer, from whom I have learned an astonishing amount in my brief time here.

I feel reassured knowing that I leave the Chronicle in a great place. Stacy will take over in the newsroom — which she ran for more than three decades before I came on board — while the Chronicle undertakes its search for my replacement. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished, and incredibly excited about all the big things we’ve got planned — and that are already rolling — for you all in 2024.

It’s been a real pleasure serving subscribers like you, and I look forward to joining your ranks as a devoted reader of the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Elbert Ventura, Editor-in-chief