Opinions on philanthropy

Investing in the health and survival of the most deprived children and communities provides more value for money than investing in less deprived groups, saving almost twice as many lives for every $1 million spent, according to a new study by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

Higher payout means larger grants, and larger grants mean more nonprofit activity. Under current IRS rules, private foundations are only required to distribute yearly a minimum of 5% of their net investment assets as payout.

While it may make you feel better to know that your charitable donations are going to organizations that are highly rated by online charity rankings, these sites fail to quantify the most-important and most elusive charity measurement.

Suggestions on decisive volunteering steps designed to ensure the future of charity in your area.

Agricultural roots can help the poor of Africa’s densely populated slums get ahead. The "farm-in-a-sack" creates mini-farms that improve the nutrition intake of those families.

If your image of a philanthropist is a stout, gray geezer, then meet Talia Leman, an eighth grader who loves soccer and swimming,

Nearly 3 million lives have been saved by HIV/AIDS treatment but scarce resources are being misspent and stigma is still keeping the most vulnerable from seeking help. And every day, more than 7,000 people become infected, more than twice as many as are able to start AIDS treatment.

The Millennium Development Goals, which aim to improve the world through human development, could be achieved at an annual cost of $40-$70 billion. In comparison, world spending on military in a given year is 10 -20 times this amount.