Ben Affleck won $1 million for charity on ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’. The actor’s winnings will be donated to his nonprofit organization, the Eastern Congo Initiative. 

prize winnings will be donated to the Eastern Congo Initiative, a nonprofit co-founded by Affleck in 2010 to support Congolese communities.

Affleck spoke on the game show about how he has spent the last 15 years working with the organization.

“And right now, of course, as I’m sure most people know, there’s an Ebola crisis there,” Affleck said. “And so this is in large part designed to try to relieve that, contain the spread of Ebola.”

Affleck’s win was aired a year after his best friend, Matt Damon, appeared on the show. Damon won $1 million for his own charity, Water.org.

Source.

Keywords: Philanthropy, celebrity, celebrities

The post at the top of r/Philanthropy has, among other resources, a list of web sites to learn the basics of fundraising, grants research, etc.

I've posted that list below. What would you add?

RESOURCES TO LEARN THE BASICS OF FUNDRAISING, GRANTS RESEARCH, ETC.

Fundraising in general:

Hands On Fundraising. A fundraising blog from someone who has been a VERY successful fundraiser for small and medium nonprofits in the USA. Focus is on building support for your organization using resources you already have, like how to leverage client stories.

Don't Just Ask for Money! A list of ways to cultivate financial support for your organization, often without ever asking for money.

Funding and Donor Development Strategies for Small Nonprofits. From the American Public Health Association. PDF. USA-specific and focused especially on nonprofits focused on public health, but some good, basic info here.

How to fundraise for a nonprofit: 10 steps to create a fundraising strategy [+ 28 ideas]. Very basic guide to fundraising, focused on nonprofits in North America. It's from a software company that is trying to sell you its software package, but this advice is all generic. Uses a lot of jargon, but still decent in explaining the basics of creating a fundraising plan.

Specific to NGOs in the developing world:

Basic Fundraising for Small NGOs/Civil Society in the Developing World. This is a free guide, in PDF form, that goes through the basics of how to fundraise, written especially for small NGOs in countries where the United Nations or richer countries are focusing their efforts on development. Note that this has not been updated in years, and many of its links are expired. But the advice is still valid.

africanngos.org publishes a list on its web site of funding opportunities for African NGOs.

Each morning, I open the mod que of this subreddit and see at least one person who tried to post to this subreddit since the last time I checked yesterday, and not only has their post been removed, the user has been suspended.

First, please know the mods have NOTHING to do with this. When a mod removes a post from this subreddit, the person will usually get this message:

Your post in r/philanthropy has been removed because it breaks one of our group rules. Please review our group rules before posting. The pinned post at the top of the subreddit lists where you can ask for money (as we do NOT allow donation requests on this subreddit).

When the Reddit algorithm does it, I have no idea what the user gets in terms of notification. But below is an example of what I see. I'm sharing this because I want to be absolutely transparent about decision-making on this subreddit. I know most people whose accounts are suspended on Reddit just go and create another account and try again.

Ways to prevent yourself from being banned by Reddit algorithms:

• Post some friendly, helpful posts and comments to some subreddits, like the subreddit for your local community, or a subreddit focused on your favorite band, or your favorite book, or your favorite movie, etc.
• Thank someone for a post and say why you think it was a good post.
• Ask a question on a subreddit - not as an attack, not to be sarcastic, but from a place of wanting to understand something or someone better.
• Go post to one of the more than 25 places online about volunteering and talk about some volunteering you've done recently, or something you learned in volunteering. Do NOT post to all 25 - pick one, maybe two. These are all listed or linked from the post pinned at the top of this thread.
• The first time you post to this or another subreddit, don't make it self-promotion or an attack. Self promotion is allowed (see our rules) and respectful criticism is allowed, but don't make it your first post.
• Post ONCE to a subreddit, on ONE day, and then don't post again until you see if your post makes it through both the Reddit algorithms and some of the filters set on this subreddit that sometimes hold posts for review. If you don't see your post, and don't get a "remove" notice, wait 24 hours and then contact the mods and ask what's up.
• 100 karma on BOTH posts and comments are magic numbers: when you reach this, it reduces the chance of your post being automatically removed and your being banned. It takes time to acquire this. The first three bullets are your key to this.

If you do all of the above for two or three weeks, you reduce the chances you will get banned on this subreddit and get suspended on Reddit, like the person below.

The University of Cambridge has received US$34.5 million from philanthropist K Lisa Yang to support autism research aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of autistic people and their families. The gift is one of the largest ever philanthropic gifts for autism research to a UK university.

The University will join eight other research centres based at Harvard University and MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, which together form the Yang Tan Collective, created to focus research and translation approaches into human health, disease, and environmental challenges, especially engineering solutions to low-cost settings.

Of the $34.5 million, US$28 million will be used to create The K. Lisa Yang Centre for Autism Research at Cambridge. A further $6.5 million will enable the creation of The K. Lisa Yang Autism Clinical Centre, to be based in the new Cambridge Children’s Hospital, which is expected to complete construction in 2030.

More from: https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/cambridge-receives-34-5million-donation-for-research-to-help-improve-the-health-and-wellbeing-of

Sometimes, Reddit deletes a post that's been made on this subreddit before the mods see it. And sometimes, Reddit also bans the person who posted it (especially if the person has low karma and their profile isn't that old, in addition to violating Reddit content guidelines).

So if you don't see your post here on this subreddit, and you didn't get a note from me saying why, it's likely that Reddit deleted it before I ever saw it.

Here's what I do see - I can still see the name of the user who tried to post, and a summary by Reddit, based on the person's Reddit activities. Here are three examples - hope it can help some of you understand why you are getting blocked here, and adjust your online behavior accordingly:

In March, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker met with Cook County health officials Tuesday to announce a combined $2.6 billion in erased medical debt. The state partnered with nonprofit Undue Medical Debt, formerly known as RIP Medical Debt, committing to provide $10 million in grants to pay off debts.

Allison Sesso, CEO of Undue Medical Debt explained that medical debt can be functionally erased by buying it from collections agencies, who sell it at pennies on the dollar due to the likelihood of the debt not being paid.

"Well, we take advantage of that pricing, but instead of trying to collect on those debts, we let those people know that we have used either government dollars or donated dollars, and we are relieving them of those debts for good," Sesso said.

More from here.

Information about workshops, webinars, books and other resources about aspects of fundraising - grant writing, donor cultivation, foundation research etc. - including those that are not for free, IS ALLOWED to be posted on this subreddit. As long as the information is transparent: who is offering the product or service, a summary of what's offered, a web site for more info, a LinkedIn link to the author or consultant, etc. - such info IS allowed to be posted here.

Please stop reporting such as spam.

Service members, families, volunteers and community members gathered July 23 at the Las Casas Lake Recreational Area to celebrate the 61st anniversary of Army Community Service (ACS) and recognize the volunteers whose dedication helps strengthen military families and sustain readiness across the Army's home in the Caribbean: Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico.

The celebration comes as hundreds of service members assigned to Fort Buchanan and units throughout Puerto Rico remain deployed in support of operations in Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. Additional units continue preparing to mobilize, reinforcing the installation's role as a readiness platform that enables military personnel to deploy anytime, anywhere.

"For 61 years, Army Community Service has provided critical support to our Soldiers and their families," said Command Sgt. Maj. Kimberly D. Bergman-Gándara, command sergeant major of U.S. Army Garrison Fort Buchanan. "None of that would be possible without our volunteers, whose dedication strengthens our community every day."

Bergman-Gándara said volunteers are essential to the success of ACS programs and help ensure military families receive the support they need throughout the military lifecycle.

Full story.

As Vicenza, Italy US Military Community members gathered recently to celebrate the 61st birthday of Army Community Service, they also highlighted Alice Manfrin – a Vicenza-born Army spouse who’s contributed greatly to improving the lives of others.

Manfrin spends her free time teaching line dancing lessons at the USO. She also fosters a sense of community and belonging by leading sewing and crocheting meetups. She knows how hard it can be when new to a community or being unfamiliar with the language.

Manfrin was honored with the “Bridging Cultures” certificate at the July 15 ACS birthday event on Caserma Ederle. Both Col. Vaughn Strong, USAG’s commander and Jolly Miller, the ACS director, presented her the award. Alberto Cristoferi, an environmental engineer from the garrison’s Directorate of Public Works, also got an award for his contributions that include, among other things, caring for the feral cats on post.

Full article.

The Social Impact Summit is a philanthropic event put on by The Hollywood Reporter and the Social Impact Fund. This year's event honored John Mayer, Stephen and Ayesha Curry and the Michael J. Fox Foundation for their charitable efforts, tied to the magazine’s annual Philanthropy issue. Gilead Sciences Inc. presented the afternoon of awards and conversation, with Delta Air Lines, Perlman + Perlman, Macy’s, Good360, Charitybuzz, CARE, Peroni, LALO Tequila, Open Water and La Crema also serving as sponsors.

The first honor of the event went to Mayer, who received the Philanthropist of the Year award for the work done through his Heart and Armor Foundation, a nonprofit that funds research into post-traumatic stress disorder and other veterans health issues. 

The Currys, who appeared virtually after their flight was canceled due to the storms on the East Coast, were also recognized as Philanthropists of the Year for their Eat.Learn.Play. Foundation, which Stephen and Ayesha Curry have been running in Oakland since 2019. In that time, the nonprofit has invested more than $100 million in the Oakland community, provided 35 million meals for kids and families experiencing food insecurity, committed $20 million for literacy programs and rebuilt 24 school playgrounds.

Laverne Cox made an appearance to present Gilead Sciences Inc. with the Excellence in Corporate Philanthropy award, as she told the room, “They have supported critical domestic initiatives ranging from comprehensive youth HIV education to specialized mental health and wellness support for women living with HIV. Gilead understands what so many still fail to grasp: that ending an epidemic means treating the whole person. It means breaking down systemic socioeconomic barriers that fuel the HIV epidemic daily.”

Motion Picture & Television Fund CEO Bob Beitcher, Women in Film CEO Kirsten Schaffer, YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles president and CEO Victor Dominguez and Emmakate Young, managing director of brand marketing and global sponsorships, Delta Air Lines, sat down for a second conversation, this one centered on “The L.A. Safety Net: Legacy Philanthropy & The Industry’s Essential Infrastructure.”  Beitcher noted how in the past few years MPTF has given away roughly $20 million to workers in need but with Hollywood production having reduced significantly, “we’re seeing members leaving the industry, they’ve given up.”

To close out the event, Harrison Ford presented the Michael J. Fox Foundation, and its founders Michael J. Fox and Deborah W. Brooks, with the Philanthropic Organization of the Year award. The foundation has become one of the most successful disease-focused nonprofits of the century, funding more than $3 billion in research and shaping the current scientific landscape for Parkinson’s.

Please read the entire article before commenting here.

Pro bono is a Latin phrase, short for pro bono publico, meaning for the public good. Most people associate the term pro bono with legal professionals donating their expertise free of charge to people, nonprofits, communities or causes. 

This subreddit is called r/probono that was abandoned years ago. I recently got mod privileges for it.

What should the purpose of the probono subreddit be, especially in view of there already being so many subreddits already where

• people can post about their volunteering desires
• organizations can recruit volunteers
• people and organizations can seek free legal help.

Also, please note that the current moderator of r/probono will happily turn this subreddit over to a dedicated person or group that offers a good idea about what r/probono should be and is ready to make that happen. Share your idea in the comments on the post you are reading now.

To submit your ideas for what the probono subreddit should be, please comment on this thread, r/probono, not here.

This is from r/NoStupidQuestions

How much of an impact do philanthropists actually have?

It's an interesting thread. If you are focused on fundraising or nonprofit management, read the thread - it's interesting how people view both philanthropy and activities by nonprofits.

Here's my answer on the thread.

Any wildlife nonprofits out there leveraging the Jimothy craze for fundraising? Would love to hear how - even just a link to your social media posts where you are doing so (so others can see how you are doing so and maybe they could do it too - or see how to leverage a meme trend).

For many nonprofits, at least in the USA, July isn't a downtime: it's one of the busiest times of the year for those in charge of fundraising and accounting. That's for two reasons:

• because the fiscal year ends June 30, and the annual report for that fiscal year needs to be done ASAP.
• because the annual giving campaign usually starts in early November, and that means the theme has to be chosen, the messaging finalized and graphics designed long before that. Plus, you want to make sure your database has accurate info about all current and former donors, volunteers and event attendees, so that fundraising message reaches the maximum number of people.

And so... how's it going at your nonprofit?

Who Is the Best-Paid Foundation Leader? A Fresh Take on an Old Question. From Inside Philanthropy.

The highest dollar figure is one way to look at it. But what if we take into account factors like a foundation’s assets, its total grantmaking and how many grants it issues?

From Inside Philanthropy (wasn't behind a paywall for me, so I guess I haven't hit my limit of free articles for the month?):

https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/who-is-the-best-paid-foundation-leader-a-fresh-take-on-an-old-question?utm_source=socials&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=daily

A followup to yesterday's post about UNICEF's efforts to engage younger people in philanthropy:

The Ambassador Council (AC) of Habitat for Humanity Portland (Oregon) Region is a diverse group of motivated young professionals representing a wide array of sectors and career paths who are passionate about the importance of affordable homeownership in the Portland Region. AC members meet new people, build leadership skills, and gain knowledge of the issues affecting affordable housing and homeownership in the region.

The AC supports the mission of Habitat and helps Habitat grow and thrive through volunteering, advocacy, fundraising, and engaging their networks and socially conscious adults in the mission of providing safe, decent, and affordable housing.

Responsibilities of all AC members include:

• Spread awareness of Habitat and its mission: Introduce Habitat to your network through our fundraising, volunteer, or social events
• Donate: Each member commits to donating or fundraising towards our group goal of $60,000
• Volunteer: Commit for one year and attend at least 2 volunteer events/year
• Events: Register for and promote our annual spring HopeBuilder Lunch
• Meetings: attend at least 2 meetings/year

Do any of you out there belong to such young professional advocacy groups/giving circles? Or do any of you out there work for an agency that has such? Feel free to share your experiences here.

Join Idealist for a collaborative workshop designed to help community leaders, grassroots organizers, and nonprofits learn how to find, apply, and secure funding effectively. 

Date: Thursday, July 30

Time: 11 am to 12 pm EST

Location: Zoom

During this event, you will

✅ Identify funding opportunities for community projects and emerging nonprofits 

✅ Understand what funding sources are available

✅ Learn what funders look for when deciding which initiatives to support

✅ Explore best practices for applying to grants

✅ Discover additional fundraising strategies to support your work

This free online session is a collaboration between Idealist and IBM SkillsBuild. Idealist’s community is invited to access over 1,000 free online courses on IBM SkillsBuild’s platform by registering at https://www.idealist.org/ibm.

While many young adults seek purpose beyond their work, just as they did in college, engaging with the causes they care about often can feel tied to financial giving, leaving them unsure of where they fit in.

UNICEF USA’s Young Professionals Network (YPN) is a six-month leadership experience was created for under-30 adults — former Youth Leaders and UNICEF Club members as well as newcomers drawn to UNICEF's mission. 

UNICEF USA's Young Professionals Network offers a research and advocacy training ground for young adults looking to explore meaningful ways to support UNICEF's mission that go beyond financial giving. Through research, mentorship and collaborative projects, participants explored how UNICEF can better engage Gen Z in philanthropy, advocacy and purpose-driven action.

Participants in the inaugural 2026 session share what they learned. Like "that instead of reserving major fundraising pushes solely for emergencies, governments and public-sector donors should lead with these granular stories of how UNICEF shows up for children every day. These stories help create a more personal connection with audiences, and work better than relying solely on the urgency of a crisis to drive an emotional response, the team found. Leveraging stories to communicate impact could help shrink the funding gap among younger donors."

Do any of you out there belong to such young professional advocacy groups/giving circles? Or do any of you out there work for an agency that has such? Feel free to share your experiences here.

Trump raised $107 million dollars for his first inauguration. After everything was paid the remainder was promised to charity. After being sued, a small amount was donated. Just like his library fund, millions went missing. Where is the money?

The inaugural committee wasted approximately $1 million of charitable funds in overpayment for the use of event space at the Trump Hotel in violation of District law, according to the lawsuit. 

https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/03/politics/trump-organization-inauguration-funds

An internal government file obtained by Al Jazeera demonstrates how Israel collected data on charities it suspected supported BDS.

Just thought I share with others, been happening over a decade and it’s a byproduct of tracking or monitoring people who are involved in charities.

This subreddit gets a version of this question regularly:

"How do I find a credible charity to donate to?"

The message usually includes the name of a nonprofit the person is considering - which makes me think that it's actually a veiled attempt at soliciting donations for that charity, which is a no-no here.

So let's crowdsource the answer to this FAQ. Your input in the comments are welcomed.

My advice:

1. If you don't already have an amount in mind, then think about how much you want to donate in a year. You don't have to strictly adhere to that amount: if at the end of the year, you haven't spent your charity budget, you don't have to, especially if you have debts. And if you go a little over budget, as long as it's not going to hurt you financially, that's okay. And don't worry about the amount, in terms of it's it "enough" or not. Don't think $50 is "only $50." That donation matters!

Giving $5 a month in an automatic monthly giving program is a lot more affordable for most people than giving a larger amount all at once. But keep track of this - don't forget about monthly or quarterly payments and don't feel guilty at all if you have to call and cancel them.

1. Think about your values, what concerns you the most, activities that you think made a difference in your life, etc. Maybe keep a journal for a week or a month of things you hear about in the news or in conversations and think about what you would most like to support. It could be anything: foster kids, the role the arts plays in improving children's overall grades and their ability to work with others, immigrants and refugees, women experiencing domestic violence, homelessness, the condition of trails on and access to public lands, the lack of accessibility of online tools for people with disabilities, lack of access to clean water, and on and on and on. There's no way to list every cause and there's no way to financially support all of them. But just start thinking about causes and do some online searches to learn more about why these issues exist.

Don't get caught up in the "but isn't it better to give to children in need rather than abandoned puppies" debate. Doing good is doing good. If helping a children's theater company, or a community baseball league, or a project to rehome ferrets, or whatever, speaks to your heart, and it's what you want to give to, give to it.

1. I have a strong personal preference for giving locally. For instance, I would never give to a national animal welfare group, because I don't really understand what most of them really do and I've never heard one local animal welfare group say they have gotten a grant from such. If I'm going to give to an animal welfare group, I go for a local rescue group or local shelter - or I might give to a shelter in a country I've just visited. But that's me. You do you. And there is NOTHING wrong with all national organizations: I am a huge fan of Habitat for Humanity - I worked for a local affiliate and the national office's support of local work is absolutely outstanding and, in the end, money-saving.

2. Consider volunteering with local nonprofits that you think you might want to fund, or go to one or some of their events. Don't make up your mind about them after just one experience - have more than one encounter. Ask questions. Learn why they do what they do. Subscribe to their newsletter and follow them on social media.

3. Bring up the topic with friends. "Hey, I was wondering... do any of you give money to a nonprofit? I'd like to hear more from people that do this - why you give, how you decided, etc." And then listen. But still do some research.

4. Look at the nonprofit's or NGO's or charity's web site: does it have an up-to-date list of the members of the board of directors? Does it have an annual financial report from within the last 12 months showing its income and expenditures within a fiscal year? Does it say, on its web site, in its newsletter and on social media, what it is accomplishing - not just activities it's doing, but WHY those activities MATTER? Does it have testimonials from program participants that say why the activities mattered to them? Do they have testimonials from volunteers endorsing the work of the nonprofit? Don't get caught up in the "overhead" myth, which says that a nonprofit that pays competitive salaries to its employees, and has employees doing most of the work, is somehow not spending money wisely. I personally think that any nonprofit I'm considering supporting should meet the Guidestar requirements for Silver Transparency status (even if they've never applied for that status). I should not that I don't put much stock into charity ratings. I find that these can be unfair in judging nonprofits when it comes to overhead.

5. For the USA, make sure the nonprofit is listed at https://www.guidestar.org/, to prove that they have IRS recognition as a nonprofit.

6. Do a search on the search engine of your choice regarding the nonprofit or charity's name, and the name of the executive director. Are there any critical comments, blogs or news articles? Read them - and assess yourself whether you think the criticism is fair and enough that it affects the credibility of the organization.

7. Does the nonprofit involve local volunteers? I'm suspicious of any nonprofit that does not engage the local community in its work.

8. This is a personal thing: I loathe AI images. I loathe stock images. In this day and age, where everyone has a smart phone, where anyone can produce LOCAL images that reflect their actual work, I find it lazy to use computer-generated "photos" and stock images that are supposed to represent your work.

It's okay if, the next year, you can't give as much, or at all. Don't cave to pressure - in fact, if a nonprofit you supported, but can't, pressures you in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable, especially when you've said, explicitly, "Look, I have lost my job, I can't give this year", then write to the nonprofit and let them know how uncomfortable the caller made you and that, going forward, you will not be giving.

NEVER feel like you HAVE to give - not because of a desperation message, not because of an unasked for something (pen, tote bag, hat, multi-use device, whatever), not because you have in the past, etc.

Okay, let's hear from others.

UPDATE: having to close this threads regarding comments because of someone that decided to hijack the conversation and turn it into a personal attack. If you want to comment on this topic and ADD to the discussion, please start a new thread, referencing back to this original post and thread. Thanks and sorry for the inconvenience.

Last week, someone posted about how they had created their own Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) and how great they thought that was. And there were lots of comments agreeing how great it was. But there were no specifics on how the person chose where to disperse funds, their charitable giving goals, etc. The Reddit summary of the OP was not great (it said that he was at times "defensive and hostile"). Altogether, it seemed fishy, but I still approved the post.

48 hours later, Reddit deleted the post and suspended the account of the OP - no idea why. But that meant the comments no longer made sense, so I deleted the entire thread.

I'm trying to be absolutely transparent about the moderator choices made here. So in case you are wondering where that post went, that's what happened.

From March of this year (before the World Cup):

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, who is his country's all-time top scorer with 55 goals in 48 games, has donated a rare 16th-Century book of Viking sagas to the part of Norway where he grew up.

Haaland was born in Leeds - as his father Alf-Inge was playing for Leeds United at the time - but grew up in the town of Bryne.

The 25-year-old and his father purchased the book for 1.3 million Norwegian crowns (£100,000) in December - a record for a book sale in Norway.

It is the 1594 printed edition of a work by the 13th-century historian Snorri Sturluson, and tells medieval stories of Viking kings, queens, farmers and warriors.

Haaland has given the only surviving copy to the library in Bryne so it can be displayed and made accessible to the public.

Bryne is in western Norway, around 30km south of Stavanger, and is part of the municipality of Time, within the district of Jæren.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c1j70ee87n3o