Items relevant to more than one category may appear more than once in this summary. From the issue dated April 6, 2006 About Giving and Grant Making MICHAEL S. AND SUSAN DELL, who are emerging as major players in philanthropy, are applying lessons from the Dell computer company to their foundation. MEASURING THE SUCCESS of charitable efforts is a central aim of the Dell Foundation, but the necessary data isn't always there. GIFTS OF $200-MILLION EACH to Columbia University and New York University are among the 15 largest donations ever made to a U.S. college or university. SAN DIEGO'S OLD GLOBE THEATRE has received a donation of $20-million; other recent gifts to nonprofit organizations and institutions. FACE OF PHILANTHROPY: Clowns Without Borders travels to refugee camps, orphanages, and other places where people need to be cheered up. RECENT GRANTS by foundations, corporations, and other grant makers. SUMMARIES OF ANNUAL REPORTS from the California Endowment and the W.K. Kellogg and Surdna Foundations. About Fund Raising MOVING INTO THE TOP JOB can be an appealing opportunity for a development officer, but many fund raisers are unprepared for the demands of being No. 1. NEGOTIATING how much of the chief executive's job will involve raising money is one of the key challenges facing fund raisers who make the leap. WHEN SEEKING A CEO POSITION, check out the board's relationship to the staff and be wary of requests to be a "change agent": tips for fund raisers looking to move up the career ladder. THE TRANSFER OF WEALTH that was supposed to begin in 1998, as members of the World War II generation died, has so far been a disappointment for charities. EUROPEAN BUSINESSES AND CHARITIES are more likely than those in the United States to cooperate on marketing deals, according to a study by a British magazine. JOINING FORCES to raise money can help charities bring in more dollars than they could on their own, but it's not always easy to find the right partner. SPECIAL OLYMPICS TOOK A CHANCE when it cooperated in the making of a Hollywood comedy featuring mentally retarded athletes, but the gamble seems to have paid off in donations and publicity. A STUDENT-RUN PHILANTHROPIC FOUNDATION may be just the place to nurture lifelong donors to the institution, the University of California at San Diego is betting. MORE FUN than address labels, calendars that feature charity officials baring almost all are proving an effective, if sometimes controversial, fund-raising gimmick. REALITY TELEVISION was the model for an elaborate charity fund-raising event, sponsored by a Las Vegas company, that yielded $50,000 each for four local nonprofit groups. UPDATE ON CAMPAIGNS for endowments, capital improvements, and other needs. INTEREST RATES for planned gifts, issued by the Internal Revenue Service. About Managing Nonprofit Groups THE RED CROSS sustained another black eye, and faces more questions from government officials, with the news that it is investigating 5,500 allegations of fraud related to hurricane-relief efforts. "LIFE CYCLE" ASSESSMENTS have become a popular management tool among charities, helping them improve performance by understanding the stages of their development. LEARNING ABOUT A CHARITY'S LIFE STAGES can teach nonprofit executives a lot about themselves. INFANCY TO BUREAUCRACY: a primer on the stages in a nonprofit organization's life cycle. CHARITIES will need to hire hundreds of thousands of senior managers in the next decade, the Bridgespan Group reports. THE BOY SCOUTS suffered another legal setback when the California Supreme Court said the City of Berkeley could withhold subsidies from the group for its failure to comply with anti-bias policies. NONPROFIT HOSPITALS, pressed to justify their tax-exempt status, are working with the Senate Finance Committee to clarify their practices and policies. EMPLOYEES of a Montana guest ranch owned by Arthur Blank, a founder of Home Depot, get to decide the beneficiaries of the ranch's foundation. AS THE EXECUTIVE OF A COMPANY that sells a leading artificial sweetener, Arnold W. Donald was active in raising money to fight diabetes. Now he heads the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (New on the Job). A PROMOTIONAL BROCHURE for a Michigan shelter and an advertising campaign for a Colorado group that serves mentally disabled people have won design awards from Print magazine. HELPING THE WORLD'S POOREST POOR fight diseases that rich nations pay little heed to is a high-stakes gamble for Victoria Hale, founder of the Institute for OneWorld Health, a nonprofit pharmaceutical company (Day in the Life). A SUSPECTED METH LAB in her own neighborhood, and the disruption it caused, led Susan York to found Lead On America, a charity devoted to helping shut down the illegal operations (Entry Level). REPORTS ON CHARITIES by the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance. About Technology KINTERA, the online fund-raising company, has posted a net loss of nearly $42-million for 2005, prompting questions about its future. THE NETSQUARED CONFERENCE in May will focus on charities' use of free or low-cost Web tools, also known as Web 2.0 technologies. THE CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL DISASTER INFORMATION, through a new contest, is challenging college students to rally support for international development and disaster relief by creating public-service advertisements. TECHNOLOGY BITS: The Benton Foundation has named a new president, and Cisco Systems donated $20-million for Hurricane Katrina recovery. Also in This Issue OPINION: David Cay Johnston on the legacy of an early champion of grant seekers; and Kennard T. Wing on the nonprofit world's overemphasis on results. LETTERS on the virtues of public-interest lobbying, the necessary skills of a CEO, "inexcusable" behavior by a Red Cross trustee, and the critical contributions of government. BOOKS: A fund-raising guide for board members, a tribute to donors, a primer on making newsletters appealing to donors, an examination of the best ways to solicit donations by e-mail, and a handbook for parents on the best ways to inculcate charitable giving in children. PEOPLE: Appointments and promotions in the nonprofit world. AWARDS: Honors for people and organizations in philanthropy.