Member News
Posted on December 8, 2017
By Gregory Scruggs
SEATTLE — On November 28, millions of people in the United States opened their wallets to make charitable donations because of a six-year-old initiative called Giving Tuesday, which piggybacks on the proliferation of consumer-driven branded days such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday that follow the Thanksgiving holiday.
This year’s figures are not yet available, but trend lines show an annual increase in charitable giving since the idea was invented in 2012 by New York’s 92nd Street Y with support from the United Nations Foundation. Last year generated $168 million in donations, a 44 percent Read More “Q&A: Global Impact Chief on How and Where US Workers Give to Charity”
Posted on December 8, 2017
BY Lisa Stiffler
The number of disasters this past year — including devastating hurricanes and multiple refugee crises — have strained the charitable resources of tech companies eager to do good in the world. So they’re strategizing how to optimize their aid by deploying technical expertise instead of focusing on cash donations, by building partnerships and by getting ready for emergencies before they strike.
“My budget’s gone and we’re in the second quarter,” said Cameron Birge, humanitarian response manager for Microsoft Philanthropies, referring to the company’s fiscal calendar. His group sends out teams of experts to assist in disasters. Read More “As Global Disasters Strain Financial Resources, Tech Companies Reassess Their ‘Super Powers’”
Posted on December 8, 2017
By Gregory Scruggs
SEATTLE — In late February, when the Trump administration was poised to unveil a budget of deep cuts to the State Department and the United States Agency for International Development, a group of retired U.S. generals and admirals put pen to paper in defense of foreign assistance. “Now is not the time to retreat,” the letter to the U.S. Congress, signed by over 120 military leaders, concluded.
The letter was cited by both sides of the political spectrum in Congress, from the conservative Freedom Caucus to the left-leaning Progressive Caucus. Bill Gates quoted it in Read More “How to Defend Aid In The Trump Era: Try National Security, Business, and Faith”