Chronicle Insider

Dear Subscriber,

Today we’re debuting The Commons, a major new effort to help you better understand how America’s nonprofits and foundations are working to heal the nation’s divides.

In our April issue, posted online today, you’ll learn about the diversity of ways people and organizations are bringing communities together and getting things done. We’re also exploring how philanthropy can do more to throw its support behind what works — and, just as important, how it can avoid creating or deepening fissures.

Among the features you’ll find online today:

• A dozen essays examining what it takes to unite a divided nation. Read what Darren Walker of the Ford Foundation, Rachel Pritzker, chair of the Democracy Funders Network, Utah governor Brian Cox, and Decolonizing Wealth’s Edgar Villanueva, and others believe can best build community and strengthen democracy.
• A conversation between Robert Putnam, the author of Bowling Alone — who 25 years ago warned about the danger of America’s divides — and Citizen University CEO Eric Liu, who see young people and local leaders as the answers to helping America escape its civic malaise.

Logan Cyrus

• Drew Lindsay’s deeply reported profile of L.B. Prevette, a community activist in Appalachia, who is one of a growing group of local leaders getting philanthropic support to fight polarization and strengthen communities.
• A data-driven analysis drawn from research by Todd Rose, a neuroscientist who co-founded the Populace think tank, that shows philanthropy may have it wrong about what divides America — and where grants are most needed.
• Expert advice Rasheeda Childress gathered to help leaders, fundraisers, and others navigate tough conversations with board members, donors, and others at a time when election season division is mixed with intense Israel-Hamas debate and culture-war furor.
• Alex Daniels examines the language that philanthropy and nonprofits use — and why the proliferation of jargon and grandiose phrasings often put off everyday Americans.

And there’s much more available today in the new digital home for The Commons, including tools that will help you take action on your own.

Looking ahead, we’re planning the first Commons live online event in collaboration with the Urban Institute. On April 29 at 2 p.m. Eastern, we’ve invited Brian Hooks of Stand Together and Sam Gill of the Doris Duke Foundation — two authors of a widely read Chronicle essay on pluralism — to join other prominent people in philanthropy for a discussion. Sign up now.

The best way to keep up with all the offerings from the Chronicle is to sign up for our Philanthropy Today newsletter. We’re adding a new weekly edition of Philanthropy Today, delivered to your inbox every Thursday afternoon, that will include updates about the Commons.

The Commons is the first of multiple dedicated sections of coverage the Chronicle plans to unveil in the years ahead, and it is the result of conversations I have had with leaders at multiple nonprofits and foundations. As I asked them what the Chronicle could do to help them the most, they told me they longed to find a place where people of widely divergent perspectives could exchange ideas that lead to change — without all the shouting.

Building The Commons is our answer to that call — and demonstrates how we have evolved in the past year as we have joined the growing cadre of nonprofit newsrooms redefining how journalism can better engage communities in social change. Our commitment to you is that we’ll show the nonprofit world we can disagree without discord.

To build The Commons, we have drawn on research, ideas, and much more from experts around the country.

We’re grateful to them and to three foundations that believed in our project from the start: the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, Einhorn Collaborative, and the JPB Foundation. As with all of our philanthropic supporters, they do not see any of our work until it is published, nor do they have any input our coverage.

The strength of The Commons depends on feedback from you. If you’re interested in writing for The Commons or sharing other perspectives, we’re eager to hear from you. And we invite everyone to join our new LinkedIn discussion group to keep the conversation going.

DAFS: Join us on April 18 at 2 p.m. Eastern to learn how donor-advised fund holders are giving away their money. We’ll share insights to help you better connect with people who give through DAFs, and you’ll learn how nonprofits are successfully attracting contributions from such donors.

Artificial intelligence: Hear from a panel of nonprofit experts on April 23 at 2 p.m. Eastern for Using A.I. to Streamline Nonprofit Operations. Our speakers will share practical examples of the latest A.I. applications and advice on how to manage the rapid pace of A.I.-driven change.

Last week we announced that Andrew Simon will be our new editor-in-chief starting April 15.

Andrew brings a wealth of nonprofit and editing experience to his new role — as director of leadership programming at Grist, a nonprofit news site focused on environmental news and commentary, and as a senior editor at McKinsey & Company and at Fast Company.

I can’t wait for Andrew to hear from you. He’ll be eager to learn more about how the Chronicle can serve you better.

Enjoy reading the Chronicle — and I hope to see you at our live online events this month.

Stacy Palmer, CEO, Chronicle of Philanthropy