Howard Buffett wants to spend all of his foundation's assets by 2045.

Wesley Hitt, for The Chronicle

Lynn Greenberg, of the Jewish Federation of Arkansas, says many donors of modest means are struggling -- and that has made it hard for charities to achieve big increases in giving.

Civic Ventures

Sally Bingham, an Episcopal priest, started the Regeneration Project to get congregations involved in conservation.

Items relevant to more than one category may appear more than once in this summary. From the issue dated June 28, 2007 About Fund Raising GIVING GREW JUST 1 PERCENT last year, according to Giving USA, confounding expectations that charitable donations would increase much more. A HOPED-FOR DISCOUNT on postage for flats, which would give nonprofit groups temporary respite from a rate increase that took effect in May, was rejected by the Postal Service's Board of Governors. WHEN AN EXHIBIT unexpectedly touched off controversy at the Heard Museum, openness and dialogue were keys to defusing the problem, but its impact on fund raising is still not clear. 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 INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE has released a redesigned Form 990, which charities and other interested parties will have the next few months to consider. A SCATHING REVIEW of the Smithsonian Institution's governance during the tenure of the former secretary, Lawrence M. Small, faulted the board for overcompensating Mr. Small and allowing him virtually free rein over the organization. TWO KEY U.S. SENATORS have urged the Internal Revenue Service to step up its investigation of a possible tax scam involving the charitable donation of a certain type of property lease. QUESTIONABLE PRACTICES that could pose a conflict of interest for nonprofit board members are a persistent problem, a study by the Urban Institute has revealed. ENDOWMENTS at charities and foundations saw a return on their investments of an average of 13 percent last year, according to a study by the Commonfund Institute. RESPONSIBILITIES SIGNIFICANT; salary zero. Charities might better tap the skills of older volunteers by treating them like real employees with real work, says one retired lawyer who has tried such an arrangement and loves it. PERSUADING CHURCHES TO GO GREEN and incubating Hispanic businesses in Atlanta are among efforts initiated by the 15 finalists for the Purpose Prize, which honors the social innovations of older Americans. AN OUTSIDER in the world of child welfare, Christine James-Brown nevertheless brings years of experience in the United Way system to her position as executive of the Child Welfare League of America (New on the Job). THE ENCOURAGEMENT of a caring mentor put a troubled young woman on the road to becoming a psychologist and the head of a special-education school in California (Entry Level). REPORTS ON CHARITIES by the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance. About Grant Makers A YEAR AGO THIS WEEK, Warren Buffett announced an unprecedented gift to charity, shaking things up considerably for his beneficiaries. A HIRING SPREE at the Gates foundation occasioned by the infusion of Warren Buffett's money has stretched the grant maker's office space and raised questions about how to maintain its original spirit. THE THREE BUFFETT CHILDREN, whose foundations benefited significantly from their father's largess, have already grown more ambitious in their grant making. THE GLIDE FOUNDATION, which works with homeless and addicted denizens of San Francisco, is one charity apart from the recipients of his major gift that Warren Buffett continues to support. ASIAN-AMERICAN CAUSES are not attracting foundation support that is commensurate with the growing number of Asian-Americans in the U.S. population, a new report says. RECENT GRANTS by foundations, corporations, and other grant makers. SUMMARIES OF ANNUAL REPORTS from the Lilly Endowment and the Minneapolis and Skoll Foundations. About Gifts and Giving THE EVIDENCE IS IN: Psychological research shows that charitable giving can make you feel good. SANFORD AND JOAN WEILL announced that they will donate $250-million to Cornell University's medical college, while a California university received $150-million from an anonymous donor. SACRAMENTO'S CROCKER ART MUSEUM has received $12-million from an anonymous donor; other recent gifts to nonprofit organizations. THE FACE OF PHILANTHROPY: The Community Chalkboard and Podium, in Charlottesville, Va., is an interactive monument to the First Amendment's free-speech rights. About Technology SATELLITE IMAGERY is key to an Amnesty International project, called Eyes on Darfur, that monitors the fate of 12 villages in Sudan and Chad. A VIDEO GAME developed by Do Something, a New York charity, is designed to introduce young people to the nonprofit world. A MAJOR NETWORKING SITE for professionals is set to offer users the option of adding to their profiles "badges" that link to charities Also in This Issue OPINION: William A. Schambra on foundations' search for the "root causes" of social ills, and Pablo Eisenberg on the real reason charities are not more politically active. LETTERS on nonprofit politicking, what the law allows, and whether charities have been unfairly "silenced" in the electoral arena. BOOKS: A handbook on financing conservation projects, a look at the issue of "donor intent," a guide for Muslim nonprofit groups in the United States, and a critique of international aid efforts financed by foundations and governments, plus summaries of other publications on grant making after a disaster, ending violence against women in the Congo, aiding families in the child-welfare system, and the key issues in health-care philanthropy. PEOPLE: Appointments and promotions in the nonprofit world. AWARDS: Honors for people and organizations in philanthropy.