Inside Philanthropy has one of the best dissections of this week's "mysterious," anonymous $34 million gift designated for Oakland revitalization.

"Who doesn't love a good mystery involving anonymous money? And by 'good,' we don't mean another boring gift to an Ivy League university by a WASPy donor trained since birth to serve with humility. Nor do we mean a giant but forgettable gift to a hospital by a busy billionaire who doesn't want a line of grantseekers forming outside his door. No, a truly exciting mystery donor is one who veers well off the beaten path, shelling out big bucks for a cause that rich people usually don't back—and does so out of the blue, with a sense of fierce urgency seldom found in the slow-moving world of major gifts, where cultivation often happens in slow motion, over years (and even generations).  Such a donor, it seems, is now loose in the Bay Area. Grab your binoculars, because this is one interesting bird." -- Alyssa Ochs, Inside Philanthropy