Microsoft Corp.

The augmented reality and virtual reality markets have yet to get off the ground. But market advisor Digi-Capital estimates that the combined markets will reach $150 billion by 2020. Digi-Capital Managing Director Tim Merel believes that augmented reality—where you can add a virtual overlay to glasses that enable you to see the real world in a new way—will be four times bigger at $120 billion than virtual reality, which immerses you in a virtual world via goggles.

Tim Cook is planning to give away all of his near $800 million fortune before he dies, the Apple boss said in a surprisingly frank interview. Cook, 54, who took over as Apple chief executive from Steve Jobs in 2011, told Fortune magazine that he planned to donate all of his wealth to charity after providing for his 10-year-old nephew’s education.

In an exclusive interview with Fortune, Apple’s human resources chief Denise Young Smith said the company is partnering with several nonprofit organizations on a multiyear, multimillion-dollar effort to increase the pipeline of women, minorities and veterans in the technology industry—and, of course, at Apple.

America’s 50 most generous donors increased their giving by 27.5 percent last year — powered in large part by a $1.5 billion gift from Bill and Melinda Gates and a stunning rise in the number of tech entrepreneurs under 40, three of whom gave more than $500 million each. The increase is striking compared with 2012, when giving by the Philanthropy 50 rose just 4 percent.

We copywriters have powerful tools at our disposal. Microsoft Word probably leads the pack. It makes our jobs faster and easier. But in today's business-centric world, Word has evolved into an implement for corporate use. As writers who specialize in fundraising, this presents a challenge.

Giving Tuesday 2014 appears poised to repeat its sophomore year growth, when the day of philanthropy nearly doubled donations around the world. Based on the goals of participants and promises of matching gifts, and a sample of this year’s campaigns, Giving Tuesday could raise $40 million or more. Estimates of online donations tied to Giving Tuesday in 2013 range from $21 million to $32 million.

Organizers of the "1-1-1" model for corporate giving hope to use Giving Tuesday to dramatically expand the effort.

The goal of the 1% Program, launched on Tuesday, is to recruit 500 companies to pledge 1 percent of their equity, 1 percent of their employees’ time and 1 percent of their product to charity by Giving Tuesday 2015. The effort is patterned after the 1-1-1 model that Salesforce founder Marc Benioff created 15 years ago.

Anything that makes the reader's job harder, no matter how insignificant it might seem, is a turn-off.

(Press release, Nov. 25, 2014) — Blackbaud, a global provider of software and services for the nonprofit, charitable giving and education communities, announced the availability of Blackbaud CRM^™ 4.0. The new release offers customers rich developments in the areas of usability, quality, performance and innovation.

The unpredictable nature of the Ebola virus has made the government’s partnerships with private donors critically important in the crisis response. Working outside the politically charged federal appropriations process and the sometimes sluggish bureaucracy, foundations and private individuals have been able to offer much-needed relief for those on the front lines.