Sage Opinion: Profits Rule

A short time ago The New York Times published an article about the Goldman Sachs Foundation and their $200 million endowment. They grant millions annually to two causes: women entrepreneurs and business education for disadvantaged people. Both are international programs. What may be of special interest to non-profits is a brief mention of Warren Buffet buried in the middle of the article. It seems the "Sage of Omaha" has his own ideas about corporate giving. He doesn't like it. In fact, he thinks it's contrary to the purpose of publicly traded corporations. They're here to serve  the stockholders and make sure their dividends are as substantial as possible.

Website Clones Cause Reports

Upworthy.com recycles Internet content. Their editors monitor the Internet for stories of relevance to non-profit missions and finding some, they craft catchy headlines to draw the reader into the narratives. The stories are unfailingly about disasters, famines, plagues and other charity issues. Recently the Gates Foundation discovered the site and has contributed money to it in exchange for running stories relevant to the Foundation's agendas. The Atlantic Monthly website has run a good story about Upworth complete with links to some of their stories.