Bank of America

The heir to a Manhattan real-estate fortune squandered millions of dollars that was supposed to go to a Jewish charity, going on a spending spree that included fancy cars and posh hotels, according to court papers. The United Jewish Appeal claims it was supposed to get the remainder of a trust set up by building mogul Bill Gottlieb, who died in 1999, according to a filing in Manhattan Surrogate’s Court.

To get a handle on what’s in store for 2015, NonProfit PRO rounded up some of the nonprofit industry’s finest, who were kind enough to share their nonprofit trends for 2015. Here are four trends on payment processing.

(Press release, Dec. 29, 2014) — Whether writing a book; giving a speech at a philanthropy forum; sitting down for a national radio or television interview; connecting with people through social-media outlets; or sharing their philanthropic story with investors, employees, grantees or volunteers, these top 20 women executives, thinkers and experts are some of the philanthropic sector's most influential leaders.

In this season of giving, we are blessed to have such corporate friends. Never take for granted any amount of corporate support. It is needed and much appreciated.

An overwhelming majority of "impact investments" met or exceeded financial and social-benefit goals, according to a survey released Thursday. The survey, prepared by the Aspen Institute and the Global Social Enterprise Initiative at Georgetown University, was accompanied by case studies documenting the challenges and successes of the investing strategy.

Impact investing is an approach in which investors attempt to reap both a financial return and a social benefit, such as improved reading rates among young students or reduced recidivism among former inmates.

Sustainable, responsible and impact investing (SRI) assets have expanded 76 percent in two years, from $3.74 trillion at the start of 2012 to $6.57 trillion at the start of 2014, according to the US SIF Foundation’s latest biennial survey, the Report on US Sustainable, Responsible and Impact Investing Trends 2014.

As a result, assets managed with SRI strategies now account for more than $1 out of every $6 under professional management in the United States.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy released its list of the "10 Companies That Gave the Most Cash in 2013," which serves as a reminder that nonprofit corporate partnerships need to make sense for both parties.

At the Council on Foundations’ annual meeting, during a plenary on the state of philanthropy, White House Social Innovation and Civic Participation Director Jonathan Greenblatt touted the potential of “social impact bonds,” or, in the Obama administration’s nomenclature, “pay for success.” It’s hard to imagine a concept that has taken off quite like social impact bonds — which aren’t actually bonds, but more like equity investments in social problems with a government payout of costs plus an investment return if the programs meet predetermined outcomes.

The economic recovery is not offering signs of relief for the nonprofit sector, and many organizations are now looking to new models of funding, according the results of the Nonprofit Finance Fund's 2014 State of the Nonprofit Sector Survey. Leaders from more than 5,000 nonprofits nationwide participated in this sixth annual survey. Many reported daunting financial situations and said they are looking at new ways to secure the future of their organizations for the benefit of the people they serve.

A new app for streaming music service Spotify wants people to donate to charity in return for getting their favorite songs played during friends’ parties. The Guilty Pledgers app requires party hosts to sign in using Facebook, then open up a party playlist. Friends can then pledge to any of a range of charities — more than 13,000 available on the JustGiving website — in return for adding tracks of their choice to the playlist. It’s the first fundraising app to be launched on Spotify.