Chronicle Insider

Sofia Jaramillo, Sofia Jaramillo

Dear Subscriber,

As summer quickly transitions to fall, we know that leaders across the nonprofit world have plenty on their minds (including a certain election). Know that we’re here to help you navigate the next few months — and beyond.

Our new September issue explores philanthropy’s role in helping rural America. Ben Gose visits Jason Baldes, executive director at the Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative and a member of the Eastern Shoshone tribe. Baldes’s goal is to reacquire thousands of acres of private lands so that bison can roam a larger area and be managed as wildlife. Philanthropy helped the organization win a federal grant of $9.8 million.

But such stories are more an exception than the norm. In early 2025, research from economists at the Federal Reserve is expected to affirm statistics that have persisted for at least a generation: Rural areas receive only about 7 percent of philanthropic spending, even though they account for 14 to 20 percent of the population. “Rural is compelling for lots of different types of funders — or at least it should be,” says Ann Lichter, director of Resource Rural, a platform that connects foundations and donors to groups helping rural communities obtain federal grants. “Whether you’re looking at this from a climate and clean-energy, an economic-justice, a racial-equity, or a democracy and civic-engagement perspective — all of those come together in rural places.”

Partners for Rural Impact

Eden Stiffman takes a look at a rural education program that’s inspired by a Harlem nonprofit. And Jim Rendon reports on the NDN Collective, a Native American group that’s giving out $25,000 and $50,000 awards to help build community wealth.

Also in the new issue:

Sara Herschander examines what happened at Benefits Data Trust, an organization that went from golden child of the nonprofit tech world to facing a nearly $10 million deficit. BDT, which used A.I. to connect low-income Americans with public benefits, received a $20 million gift from MacKenzie Scott as well as grants from the Rockefeller Foundation and the Ballmer Group. But spending at BDT roughly tripled from 2017 to 2022, with much of the money going to building an A.I. and data team and a policy arm. The story is a cautionary tale about managing rapid growth.

Getty Images

David Wheeler hears from experts on the 10 ways to make the most of donor data. Lessons include: focus on what makes your donors different, build personas of who your donors are (or might be), and use A.I. thoughtfully.

Plus: Rebuilding trust in fundraising, using social media to cultivate donors, and an argument that trust-based philanthropy isn’t an excuse to ignore metrics.

The best way to keep up with all the offerings from the Chronicle is to sign up for our Philanthropy Today newsletter. You’ll get updates every day about new items we have posted, plus a guide to what else you need to know from reporting by other news organizations.

By subscribing to Philanthropy Today, you’ll also receive a special newsletter delivered to your inbox every Thursday afternoon that’s dedicated to The Commons, our new project that examines how philanthropy and nonprofits can best bring Americans together in a time of hyperpolarization.

In case you missed it, The Commons has recently featured:

• Richard Reeves on how philanthropy fails boys and men.
• Deepak Bhargava on a different way to think about “speak truth to power” advocacy.
• Tycely Williams on returning to the South as a nonprofit CEO.

Also, on September 19 at 2 p.m. Eastern, we’re hosting a webinar on how to measure and convey impact. It can be hard to know which kinds of metrics show progress toward long-term goals, how to capture and analyze data, and how to communicate your impact in ways that are compelling and easy to digest. Our expert guests share tips on how to identify key metrics, craft stories about your results that grab donors’ attention, and create top-notch impact reports.

Thank you for being a loyal subscriber.

With gratitude,

Andrew Simon, editor-in-chief, Chronicle of Philanthropy