Rick Cohen

After almost 8 years as the executive director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP), Rick Cohen became Nonprofit Quarterly as NPQ's national correspondent in 2006.  Prior to joining NCRP, he was vice president of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) in charge of strategic planning.  He also served as vice president under Jim Rouse at the Enterprise Foundation (now Enterprise Community Partners), directing Enterprise's field programs.  Rick has also worked in the public sector as Director of Jersey City's Department of Housing and Economic Development and served as a consultant to numerous government agencies and nonprofits.  He began his professional career as a planner with Action for Boston Community Development, one of the nation's original anti-poverty agencies.  Rick has also authored or co-authored three books and numerous articles and op-eds for professional journals and newspapers, testified at Congressional committees and roundtables, and appeared on radio and television including the CBS Evening News, the ABC Evening News, the British Broadcasting Company, Fox News (including "the O'Reilly Factor"), CNN's American Morning, the Public Broadcasting System ("Religion and Ethics"), National Public Radio ("All Things Considered", "Morning Edition", and "Marketplace"), and others.  In 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006, Rick was named to the NPT Power & Influence Top 50 list by The Nonprofit Times.  In addition to Rick's regular columns in Nonprofit Quarterly magazine, the NPQ Newswire, and NPQ's Cohen Report (http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org), he also writes investigative pieces for the Blue Avocado (http://www.blueavocado.org/).  In 2010, Rick won the gold National Azbee "news analysis/investigative" award of the American Society of Business Publication Editors (for his Youth Today article on the Promise Neighborhoods program and minOnline's Editorial and Design Award for Freelance Editorial and Design (for his Blue Avocado series on the demise of the Vanguard Public Foundation).

simon-devos prize
Deadline extended: Nominate a philanthropic leader for the 2023 Simon-DeVos Prize

The Simon-DeVos Prize for Philanthropic Leadership nomination deadline has been extended until March 31, 2023.

thank
Thinking about thanking: Reflections from years of thank-yous

Donors give to you out of no obligation. That deserves a prompt and personal thank you.

credit card fees
Why isn’t it a good idea to let your donor cover the credit card fees?

Asking donors to cover credit card fees dramatically reduces conversion rates because it disrupts the flow of charitable thinking.

On throat-clearing and charity

Quit throat-clearing and write confidently in your fundraising communications.

Fundraising as trust-building

Given the decline of trust in American society, particularly trust in institutions, it’s refreshing to think of fundraising as a profession with a higher calling.

Revisiting “The Charitable Deduction in American Political Thought”

Learning again from a still-relevant event a decade ago at the Hudson Institute’s Bradley Center for Philanthropy and Civic Renewal.

A conversation with Loyola Law School’s Ellen P. Aprill (Part 2 of 2)

The nationally prominent legal expert in the taxation of nonprofits talks to Michael E. Hartmann about the taxation of higher-education endowments, comparing and contrasting the rationale for it to that for taxing private-foundation endowments, and explores some tax ramifications of other, newly emerging forms of giving.

blockchain arts
How blockchain can help fund artists—and revive the arts

Funding for artists tends to go to major institutions, not to artists. But a new decentralized solution offers a way for philanthropists large and small to support artists directly.

A conversation with Loyola Law School’s Ellen P. Aprill (Part 1 of 2)

The nationally prominent legal expert in the taxation of nonprofits talks to Michael E. Hartmann about her career, the different revenue-raising and regulatory roles of the IRS, the non-revenue-related role of state attorneys general, the tax treatment of private-foundation endowments, and the challenges of following complicated IRS rules for small foundations.