A note from...
Emily Schwartz Greco
Philanthropy + Nonprofits Editor
Today, Giving Tuesday, is a big day for charities. Most of them are taking part in this annual online campaign by clogging your inbox with requests for support. Successfully asking for money and knowing how to follow up is part science, part art – and a topic that’s central to the study of the modern mechanics of charity.
One common convention is for nonprofits to thank donors by phone. This isn’t just cordial, it’s strategic. Fundraisers typically swear that these calls make donors, especially new ones, more likely to give again. Yet when University of Southern California economist Anya Samek sought to measure this effect, what her research team found surprised her.
Anya Samek, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Like any personal touch, there's a chance this common fundraising step makes people feel warm and fuzzy inside. But a five-year research project found that it doesn't make donors more generous.
Among Tubman's most daring feats was helping slaves escape. She believed she went into trances and had visions. These, to her, were God's way of guiding her, which made her quite fearless.
Alan Barreca, University of California, Los Angeles
More places around the world are experiencing days with record high temperatures. These prolonged hot spells may have unanticipated impacts on pregnant women, triggering early deliveries.
A project involving tens of millions of patient records poses ethical issues, even though patients could ultimately gain. Here's why privacy concerns are a hurdle.
The economy of the Bahamas depends on Haitian labor. But some Bahamians see no place for migrant workers in their country's long, slow recovery from Hurricane Dorian.
Google claims quantum supremacy – IBM says not so fast. One researcher explains why he doesn't see quantum computers outpacing classical computers any time soon ... and maybe not ever.
New research shows that men living in the most deprived areas were 51% more likely to experience depression than those living in areas that were not deprived.
John Woinarski, Charles Darwin University; Brett Murphy, Charles Darwin University; Dale Nimmo, Charles Sturt University; Michael F. Braby, Australian National University; Sarah Legge, Australian National University; Stephen Garnett, Charles Darwin University
New research has revealed 100 plant and animal species have become extinct in the past two centuries – a far higher number than previously thought.
