David R. Brief oversees investments at Chicago's Jewish federation, which earned an average annual return of 14.2 percent over the past five years.

Edward Caldwell, for The Chronicle

Charles Edelsberg, chief executive of the Jim Joseph Foundation, is helping the grant maker become one of the biggest donors to Jewish causes.

Rick Friedman, for The Chronicle

Christine Brown runs A New Leaf, a charity that lost half of its annual grant from the state of Rhode Island in budget cuts that took effect July 1.

From the issue dated July 24, 2008 About Nonprofit Endowments ENDOWMENT GROWTH WAS STRONG in 2007 for the fifth year in a row, according to The Chronicle's annual survey of major foundations, universities, and other nonprofit groups, but that streak may soon be over. AN INCREASING NUMBER of small and midsize charities are seeking outside help to manage their endowments. CONGRESS IS CONSIDERING legislation to require nonprofit groups with endowments or significant reserves to distribute a certain percentage annually. A COMMUNITY-FOUNDATION EFFORT in Tulsa, Okla., has helped 53 small and medium-size charities learn about planned giving — and helped them raise $7.3-million in the process. INVESTING ENDOWMENTS IN ALTERNATIVE ASSETS can be a tricky business, says a Ford Foundation expert, especially if payouts have to be made during a severe bear market. NONPROFIT ENDOWMENTS achieved a return of 15.7 percent last year: a look at key findings of The Chronicle's endowment survey, plus how it was compiled. About Gifts and Giving PRINCETON UNIVERSITY has received a pledge of $100-million for research to curb global warming, and New York's Lincoln Center has won a $100-million commitment to renovate a theater. THE HOTEL MOGUL LEONA M. HELMSLEY wanted most of her fortune to go to a foundation to benefit dogs. ADVANCES IN LONGEVITY, income, and education vary markedly among Americans, according to a new survey designed to help charities and foundations figure out where their work is most needed. THE FACE OF PHILANTHROPY: A Minneapolis radio station shows minority girls how to find their voices through journalism. RECENT GIFTS to nonprofit organizations and institutions. About Fund Raising CHARITIES HAVE RAISED MORE THAN $31-MILLION to help victims of the Midwest floods and the California wildfires. RELIGIOUS CONGREGATIONS are learning to reach out to a wide range of people to raise the money they need to preserve their historic buildings. NONPROFIT GROUPS often don't take steps to measure whether their marketing efforts are helping fund raising, according to a new report released at a conference last week. INTEREST RATES for planned gifts, issued by the Internal Revenue Service. UPDATE ON CAMPAIGNS for endowments, capital improvements, and other needs. About Managing Nonprofit Groups WITH STATE BUDGET CUTS going deeper and deeper, many social-service charities are fighting to survive. TAX DEDUCTIONS for using a car while volunteering could increase, if a bill now in Congress becomes law (Tax Watch). SEN. BARACK OBAMA announced that he will continue President Bush's policy of helping religious charities get federal support if he becomes president, but he will offer more training and demand accountability. AN EYE-INSURANCE PROVIDER has asked the Internal Revenue Service to restore its tax-exempt status, which was revoked in 2003 for not providing enough services to the needy (Tax Watch). A TEL AVIV BANKER has pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy charge, admitting he was part of a scheme to use bogus trusts and secret banks to defraud the United States of millions of dollars in tax revenues (Tax Watch). THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE needs to speed up its process for handling applications for charity status, a national taxpayer advocate has told Congress (Tax Watch). HABITAT FOR HUMANITY'S SAN ANTONIO CHAPTER has settled a lawsuit with the international organization over the signing of an affiliate agreement. THE PROCESS of becoming a mentor to a young person can be time-consuming and frustrating, so a Florida group made it easy and fun for people to sign up (Dispatches). About Grant Makers FOUNDATIONS across the country are coming under pressure from lawmakers to steer more money to groups that serve minorities, in the wake of a compromise over a California measure to force foundations to disclose more data about their giving. WHAT WAS ONCE A LITTLE-KNOWN GRANT MAKER in the San Francisco Bay Area has grown into one of the biggest names in Jewish philanthropy. RECENT GRANTS by foundations, corporations, and other grant makers. About Careers in the Nonprofit World AS THE FIRST CHIEF EXECUTIVE of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Patty Stonesifer, steps down from her job, she talks about the fund's best and most-challenging grants and how to manage rapid growth. A FORMER HUMAN-RESOURCE DIRECTOR who retired to become a nonprofit consultant relishes the chance to work on projects with substance (Regeneration). PEOPLE: Appointments and promotions in the nonprofit world. About Technology A NEW INTERNET SERVICE seeks to connect people and causes by distributing information about nonprofit groups to high-traffic Web sites. A CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL is trying to raise money by asking baseball fans to give $5 each via text message during a game. A NEW MICROSOFT WEB SITE pairs information about its grant making and software-donation program with case studies showing how charities use technology to improve operations. TECHNOLOGY BITS: United Way of America has sold its employee-giving software to help start a new company, and eBay Giving Works has collected more than $150-million for charitable causes. Also in This Issue OPINION: Sandy Cardin urges foundations to harness young people's growing interest in community service; Leslie Lenkowsky says Barack Obama's recent stances suggest a challenge to the nonprofit world; Rick Cohen examines the White House candidates' approaches to philanthropy; and Tim Phillips warns nonprofit board members to make sure they understand the risks of hedge-fund investments. NEW BOOKS: An examination of people who promote innovation and change, an exploration of what philanthropy is and why it exists, plus a fund-raising guide for charity workers and volunteers and lessons for foundations that want to make grants to influence public policy.