Story via Philanthropy.com.
By Suzanne Perry, Caroline Preston, and Nicole Wallace
The still-troubled economy will loom large over charities in the coming year, but simply keeping the lights on won’t be the only problem organizations will face. All sorts of nonprofits, including deep-pocketed grant makers, are likely to struggle with the following issues and their fallout.
Philanthropy and the 99 percent
Economic inequality raises tricky issues for donors
The yawning gap between rich and poor came into sharper focus in 2011. And philanthropy, increasingly a status symbol for America’s wealthy, is facing tough questions about the benefits it reaps for society. The issue seeped into the debate over the once-sacrosanct charitable deduction, with President Obama and some experts saying it’s time to revamp a tax break that mainly benefits high-income Americans. Calls for the wealthiest people to focus more of their multi-million dollar gifts on fighting poverty—rather than paying for new buildings at their alma maters—seem poised to intensify. This year, the question of how to broaden opportunities for all Americans is likely to occupy much of the philanthropic agenda.
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