May 30, 2023 | Alan's Letter
{Spoiler Alert: This is a personal, partisan, pro-democracy letter. After reading, please file this away in your Now or Never folder.} Memorial Day has just passed, and we are reminded that freedom is not free and cannot be taken for granted. What we’ve fought for in...
Apr 25, 2023 | Alan's Letter
For those of us advocating for charitable reforms that address both the threat of plutocracy and encourage a greater contribution by ultra-rich donors and foundations to address society’s ongoing crises, April was a bad-news (four articles) month. A few weeks ago I...
Mar 28, 2023 | Alan's Letter
“Raise the bar” derives from track and field’s high jump, a sport I competed in while in junior high school. When I think now that I was able to get my entire body four to five feet off the ground, I have to test whether I’m actually remembering or dreaming (stand up,...
Feb 28, 2023 | Alan's Letter
I’m at the stage in my life where I think a lot about aging and weather. When did these otherwise neutral nouns both become pejorative terms (“looks like we’re gonna have some weather”) where we require an adverb (“aging well”) to soften their meaning? A few weeks...
Jan 31, 2023 | Alan's Letter
Just as we were sending out my December letter I learned that Inside Philanthropy, one of the major publications covering charitable giving, awarded me its “Philanthropy Critic of the Year” Award saying, “The Leonard and Sophie Davis Fund president is also chair of...
Dec 27, 2022 | Alan's Letter
It’s Resolutions time of year, or perhaps Goals time of year, both of which are aspirational. For the most part, the resolutionary is responsible for making it happen, and when it doesn’t happen, they feel a little guilty. That’s why I suggest predictions, which avoid...
