Arabella Advisors’ analysis and research is often used as a primary resource by leading media. Below is our coverage in recent years.
Arabella's Bruce Boyd offers suggestions for families that want to learn to give together.
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Arabella's Lucy Bernholz writes on the words that capture 2011 for the philanthropic sector.
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Arabella's Eric Kessler provides guidance for charities looking to work with donors.
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Arabella's Lucy Bernholz writes on Judaism and philanthropy.
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Arabella's Wayne Farmer and Sam Beinhacker offer their perspectives on the role of philanthropic advising in today's grant-making landscape.
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Arabella's Bruce Boyd answers questions on best practices for philanthropic giving.
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Giving USA's annual survey reveals an increase in charitable giving in the United States. Arabella's Eric Kessler was interviewed for the story and detailed how Arabella's clients are impacting philanthropy.
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Arabella Advisors has acquired San Francisco-based Blueprint Research + Development, helping the firm meet growing demand for quantitative analysis of non-profits and foundations. This article details the acquisition and features quotes from Arabella's Eric Kessler and Lucy Bernholz on the exciting news.
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The uniting of Arabella and Blueprint Research and Development is big news across the philanthropic sector. This article focuses on Arabella's new prescence on the West Coast and includes quotes from Arabella's Lucy Bernholz.
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Want to do some good for the holidays? That's great. Just make sure you do it right. In this article, the Wall Street Journal surveyed financial advisers and philanthropy consultants about the most common mistakes that donors make when choosing, or giving to, charities and how to avoid them this holiday season. Arabella's Eric Kessler provides his thoughts into opportunities to leverage money so donors' dollars can do extra good.
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The holiday season is coming up fast -- and with it a prime time for charitable giving. But as the Wall Street Journal notes, "with a moribund economy and high unemployment everywhere, the need is probably far greater than many people's capacity to give." In this article, Arabella's Eric Kessler provides his insights into how individuals can give smartly during the holidays.
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This summer, Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates challenged fellow billionaires to take a “Giving Pledge,” promising half or more of their fortunes to charity. How could their pledges affect philanthropy? Canada’s Globe and Mail asked Arabella’s Eric Kessler, who noted that “having a clear benchmark” has stimulated conversations among philanthropists and “certainly has moved the needle.”
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As the news media’s attention to the crisis in Haiti fades, donors face a critical question: How can they best contribute limited resources for the desperately needed longer-term recovery efforts? Disaster expert Regine Webster and Arabella founder Eric Kessler explain how donors can help ensure that their gifts make the biggest possible difference by heeding these five principles.
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Following the devastating earthquake in Haiti, the Wall Street Journal asked Arabella Managing Director Eric Kessler for his perspective on how donors can best leverage their dollars to help speed relief and recovery efforts. Eric pointed to the importance of working with organizations that are already well established in Haiti, noting that “supporting these organizations minimizes the learning curve associated with working in a complex disaster environment.”
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The Wall Street Journal asked Arabella’s founder, Eric Kessler, for his perspective on the trend of public-private partnerships in philanthropy for a November 9, 2009 story. Eric pointed out that “government and philanthropists have been on parallel tracks for decades trying to solve bigger problems, and now the tracks are coming together.” Arabella is currently working with several clients on such public-private partnerships.
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In a November 7 piece, the Miami Herald profiled the Summit Series, “an invitation-only gathering of some of the world's top young entrepreneurs.” The conference, held in South Beach, brought together young business leaders for a combination of fun, networking, and learning – including several sessions on philanthropy. Eric Kessler helped lead the philanthropic learning and noted that, “this conference is filled with people that are going to be tomorrow's greatest philanthropists, whether they know it yet or not.”
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onPhilanthropy.com solicited Bruce Boyd’s philanthropic expertise for an article on Mergers and Alliances published on July 16, 2009. Boyd’s article “Merge Ahead?” addressed the increasingly common trends of mergers and alliances in the non-profit world. Successes, justification and next steps for philanthropists were shared throughout the article.
to read the article.
Arabella founder and managing director Eric Kessler recently explored nonprofit mergers and alliances in a guest post on TacticalPhilanthropy.com. That post, and our related M&A Issue Brief, prompted a thoughtful online discussion on the proper roles of mergers and alliances within the nonprofit sector and under current economic conditions.
to read the post.
On June 11, 2009, the Wall Street Journal covered work by Bruce Boyd in its “Practice Management” column. Bruce is a principal at Arabella and managing director in our Chicago office. The article describes his work helping a family foundation strengthen intergenerational ties and communication between family members and thereby become more effective — not to mention more rewarding for the entire family.
As Bruce says in the article, “philanthropy is a way of knitting a family together...It forces the family to look outside of itself — to think about what the money can do not for themselves but for their community. And that’s a powerful idea.”
to read the article. (Wall Street Journal subscription required.)
In the latest installment of our “Adventures in Philanthropy” column on Minyanville.com, Arabella principal and managing director Bruce Boyd tackles the question “To merge, or not to merge?” for philanthropists considering investments in nonprofit mergers and alliances. Arabella Advisors is also preparing to release an Issue Brief on mergers and alliances that will cover the topic in even more depth.
to read the article.
Joe Weinstein and Eric Kessler provided their insight to the Minyanville Blog on May 5, encouraging philanthropists to get innovative and take risks to support those social innovations.
Arabella Advisors’ 100 Days teleconference was referenced in this article by Rick Cohen on May 4, 2009. Cohen quoted panel speakers Tim Walter of the Association of Small Foundations and Steve Gunderson of the Council on Foundations, whose remarks reiterated the sentiment amongst foundations and grantmakers concerning their lack of support for Obama’s new proposal for health care reform.
At the Council on Foundations Conference in Atlanta, GA, a group of bloggers were published on the Asian American Giving online philanthropy journal about their views of the COF conference. Eric Kessler was referenced on his views of philanthropic efforts surrounding disaster recovery efforts in the last year as well as the H1N1 Flu Virus.
Arabella Advisors’ 100 Day Teleconference was referenced in an article appearing in the Tax Exempt Organization Tax Review on April 28, 2009. The article referenced the discussion on the teleconference concerning President Obama’s proposal to reduce the charitable contribution deduction for high-income tax payers.
On April 28, 2009, Arabella Advisors hosted a teleconference for donors on the Impact of Obama’s first 100 days on philanthropy. This article by Shelly Banjo recounts key points from the teleconference and explores how the new administration is reaching out to philanthropists and family foundations as potential partners, creating an opportunity for them to leverage their expertise and reputations, as well as their money. Ms. Banjo writes:
Eric Kessler, principal and managing director of Arabella Advisors, notes that some of the nation’s top philanthropists and foundations have already met with cabinet secretaries to discuss public-private partnerships related to education, health and energy.
Wealth Manager Magazine solicited the philanthropic expertise of Holli Rivera, Director of Family Philanthropy, for their April issue. Rivera wrote an intriguing article on the evolution of American Philanthropy. The article discussed the shift of philanthropy through multiple generations, increasing involvement, and the new resources available to help donors achieve effective grantmaking that is reflective of the family’s values and priorities.
to view this article online.
Arabella Advisors contributed again to Minyanville.com on April 1st with the article “Adventures in Philanthropy: Three Wall Street Mistakes.” The article identified three practices from the finance world that do not translate in the world of philanthropy. The article warns against diversifying your philanthropic portfolio, encourages long term returns and urges philanthropists to look at the context behind philanthropic investments.
to view this article online.
Minyanville is a website designed to entertain and educate individual investors, traders and those interested in finance. The site featured an article on March 4 by Eric Kessler which focuses on four strategies for allocating assets and measuring returns in your charity portfolio during difficult economic times.
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During the presidential campaign, President Obama said that national service would be “a central cause” of his presidency. In January, he issued his call to service and many thousands of people volunteered in their communities on Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. But will the nation truly respond to his call by increasing their commitment to service beyond that one day? Joe Weinstein, Associate Director at Arabella Advisors, examines this question in this op-ed.
to view this article online.
Caroline Preston’s piece shares Bruce Boyd’s expert views on the effects of the economic downturn on donor contributions. Bruce is quoted in stating that “the economic downturn reinforces people’s interest in supporting the causes and organizations that have been the most important to them. Given the scarcer resources, they want to make sure they continue to support those organizations.”
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Karyn Brianne Watkins blogged about Arabella Advisors’ High-Impact Giving Opportunities on January 6, referencing each of the giving opportunities as well as actions philanthropists can do to help these causes.
View and of this blog.
Bruce Boyd offered creative ideas for philanthropists to exceed their current level of giving beyond monetary contributions in C. Warren Mose’ article “The Business of Giving: Give More, Not Less,” on December 17, 2008. Boyd explains throughout the article that despite the economic woes of the country, it is still beneficial for companies to continue their generosity.
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Arabella Advisors’ High-Impact Giving Opportunities was highlighted in the Philanthropy Journal on December 8, 2008.
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James Picerno’s December 1, 2008 article, “Divining Intent” speaks to the altruism that drives philanthropy. It addresses the core root of philanthropy with the historic clichés that cultivate giving, as well as diving deeper into the multi-faceted drivers of generosity. Bruce Boyd is quoted in the article, explaining the necessity to understand the giving motivation in clients to be able to institute a sound philanthropy program.
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The December 1, 2008 edition of Barron’s features an article on “Next-Gen Givers” focusing on how Gen-Xers are revolutionizing charitable giving by coupling their desire for success with their desire to do good. The feature article references Eric Kessler’s experiences as a younger member of his family’s foundation and the roots of his environmental philanthropy. The article also features the work Arabella Advisors has done to bridge generational gaps in affluent families to cultivate and continue philanthropic traditions.
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Published on November 25, 2008, this article describes the growth of donor-advising business, citing Arabella Advisors as seasoned veterans in the philanthropic world.
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In this December 2008 special edition on philanthropy, Arabella Advisors is referenced as a key advisor to the Mead Family Foundation as well as other organizations, assisting new and seasoned donors in developing and implementing effective philanthropic strategy. The magazine also quotes Eric Kessler on how new generations are revolutionizing giving, describing this new charity as “not your father’s philanthropy.”
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With the financial markets in crisis, many foundations and nonprofits are feeling the effects of tightened endowments. In this article published on October 2, 2008, Eric Kessler notes how foundations on which many nonprofits rely are beginning to get nervous as their assets drop: "If you look at these nonprofit institutions that service the neediest people in our community, those people’s own assets are taking a hit personally, and now the community institutions they rely on for support are taking a hit and they don’t know where to turn."
to view the article online.
Click here to download a copy the article (pdf).
In this article published on September 25, 2008, Eric Kessler comments on how even the most established relief organizations are struggling to raise funds: “You’ve got to feel for the Red Cross and other agencies... They put in huge resources in anticipation of demand (from the hurricanes).... They have new leadership and a new understanding of efficiency and advanced planning, so its regrettable that their improvements are being met with a lack of support.”
to view the article online.
In this article published on September 17, 2008, Eric Kessler comments on how turbulent financial markets are set to place increasing and unexpected demands on philanthropists. Kessler notes, “This is a perfect storm of bad omens for philanthropic giving... You’ve got all of the horrible news from Wall Street, you have the election, and the hurricanes, and you are heading into the holiday giving period. Current events are creating a huge amount of need that philanthropists don’t plan ahead for.”
to view the article online.
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With three storms hitting the U.S. in the month of September, many nonprofits are aggressively seeking donor support. In this article published on September 6, 2008, Eric Kessler describes the gap between nonprofit demand for donations and philanthropists’ willingness to give, noting a "wide gulf between the organizations that planned for the worst and expended resources and the donors who are holding back because they don’t see as much of a need."
to view the article online.
Click here to download a copy the article (pdf).
In this article published in the Summer 2008 issue of the Stanford Social Innovation Review, principal and managing director Bruce Boyd examines how ensuring that the food on our dinner tables is produced locally is better for both our health and our environment. Boyd also explains how local food can create enormous local economic opportunity.
to view the article online.
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Arabella Philanthropic Investment Advisors was featured in the June 2008 issue of Town & Country as part of an article on giving abroad. Christel Dehaan, former owner of Rseort Condominiums International (RCI) and philanthropist, consulted Arabella Advisors with her international giving. This article looks at how seeking Arabella Advisors’ services helped Dehaan ensure that her donations were achieving their desired impact.
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In this article on May 23, 2008, Kessler comments on the frustration and loss of confidence that donors have had with disaster relief charities in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and Sept., 11, 2001. He explains that many clients are asking sophisticated questions about the impact of their dollars as they consider whether to give: "They want to know how the money is being used and what impact it is having." In the context of the recent disasters in Myanmar and China, geopolitics has also emerged as the dominant factor in hampering donations.
to view the article.
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In this interview that aired on National Public Radio’s Marketplace Money on December 29, 2007, Eric Kessler sheds light on a new breed of philanthropists that is using business strategies to determine how they give. Kessler comments on Arabella Advisors’ newly-released High-Impact Giving Opportunities, which highlight ten of the most pressing issues for donors to consider when planning their giving. Marketplace Money’s Tess Vigeland explores high-impact giving and how it relates to this emerging group of philanthropists.
to listen to the interview.
Click here to download a transcript of the interview (pdf).
You can listen to the following NPR interviews, featuring Arabella Advisors’ Principal, Eric Kessler, in live streaming audio from your own computer. Just click on the title below.
The Motley Fool Radio Show, November 25, 2005
Motley Fool founder and co-President, David Gardner, interviewed Eric Kessler on his weekly NPR radio show. David asked about things you should look for before you give money to an organization.
As the American Red Cross was welcoming its fourth CEO in six years, smart philanthropists were increasingly concerned about the impact and governance standards at their favorite charities. Eric Kessler warned in this Marketplace Commentary that you should look before you give.
In this article published on December 17, 2007, Arabella Advisors princical and managing director Bruce Boyd explains how banks are encouraging their clients to give to charity. As the wealthy are giving their money away at increasing rates, wealth managers show clients how doing good can yield higher financial returns.
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MarketWatch columnist Marshall Loeb interviews Eric Kessler in this December 17, 2007 column about strategic giving. Kessler lists five necessary questions donors should ask themselves before committing funds to a charity. Loeb cites Arabella Advisors’ High-Impact Giving Opportunities as a starting point from which donors can pick a charity with a purpose.
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Arabella Advisors is cited in this Chicago Tribune article published on December 13, 2007. The article cautions donors from giving without first researching the charities they intend to give to, along with assessing which issues are in most need of support. The story draws upon Arabella Advisors’ High-Impact Giving Opportunities, which helps donors assess which issues can give them the most bang out of their buck.
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Arabella Advisors principal Eric Kessler is cited in this article about charity accountability. The special report discusses the need for nonprofits to be accountable, yet no organized body or easy-to-understand information resource for donors and the general public exist.
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In the Winter 2008 issue of Wealth, a financial magazine published by Northern Trust, Eric Kessler discusses the importance of how instilling philanthropy in children begins at home. Kessler emphasizes getting off to an early start in encouraging young people to give while letting them pursue their own philanthropic interests. The featured article draws on Kessler’s knowledge and experience in family philanthropy.
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In the Investment Management Consultants Association’s November/December 2007 issue of The Monitor, Arabella Advisors’ Bruce Boyd writes about philanthropy and philanthropists from a different perspective - the wealth manager’s. Boyd explains how wealth managers’ clients can see value in caring as much about their philanthropy as they do for their investments.
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Blog
Mitch Nauffts writes about Arabella Advisors’ High-Impact Giving Opportunities on PhilanTopic, a blog by the Philanthropy News Digest published by the Foundation Center. Nauffts introduces HIGO as part of a larger discussion on how to "advance thoughtful and effective giving".
to read this blog (entry posted on December 8, 2007).
In an article published on December 1, 2007, the Financial Times outlines a new breed of philanthropists who are applying business strategies to the way they give. The article centers on Arabella Advisors’ insights on the growing trend among philanthropists to treat their giving as an investment and to expect a meaningful social return from it. As Eric Kessler explains, “It’s about developing an investment strategy and taking an analytic approach to your time horizon, risk tolerance, goals, and outcomes.” Kessler also provides his understanding of the four steps donors must take in order to achieve their philanthropic objectives: Identify a vision; determine the most efficient and tax-advantageous method to achieve it; establish a clear implementation plan with the charity; and develop a clear mechanism for assessment.
to view this article online.
Click here to download a copy of this article (pdf).
Eric Kessler writes in the EGA Journal about the need for grant makers, especially those focused on environmental issues, to be prepared to respond quickly when natural and human-made disasters strike. He also encourages grant makers to not neglect their own internal disaster preparation and think through what steps they need to take to ensure continued effectiveness should a natural disaster strike in their own backyard.
The issue of the EGA Journal includes an article by Matthew Anderson-Stembridge on the environmental movement within the evangelical community. Working with Arabella Advisors, Anderson-Stembridge has developed the Creation Care Fund(CCF) to provide resources to evangelical Christian environmental churches and advocates who are taking a moral stand to bring greater attention to conservation efforts and climate change:
In the of Research Magazine, reporter Ellen Uzelac focuses on the reluctance some financial advisors have around starting a conversation with their clients about philanthropy. However reticent some financial advisors may be to providing advice on giving, recent trends, as described by Eric Kessler , among inheritors and “new wealth” investors are pushing some advisors to add philanthropic guidance to their list of client services. While a few financial advisors are providing in-house services around giving, many are turning to firms like Arabella Advisors to provide much needed assistance in this area of wealth management:
On June 13, 2007, an article in The Wall Street Journal focused on a new initiative of Citigroup, Inc. that will “connect wealthy philanthropists with poor entrepreneurs around the globe” through a charitable fund that will donate to microfinance institutions in developing countries. Citi asked Arabella Advisors to assess and analyze these charitable contributions.
Click here to download a copy of this article (pdf).
At the 2007 Conference on Philanthropy of the International Association of Advisors in Philanthopy (April 26-28), Eric Kessler discussed the challenges families are faced with when they give and what practices they should avoid.
Click here to listen to Eric Kessler’s presentation.
On March 9, 2007 The Wall Street Journal published an article about individual donors who turn to professional advisors to increase the effectiveness of their philanthropy. The article cited Arabella Advisors as a leading firm providing strategic planning and due diligence for charitable investments:
Donor consulting is a growing business…Arabella Philanthropic Investment Advisors, founded two years ago in Washington, D.C., is expanding to a new office in Chicago this week because of growing demand.
On December 30, 2006 The New York Times explored the increasing sophistication of faith-based donors who follow the tradition of end-of-year tithing. Eric Kessler explained how the growing complexity in tithing mirrors trends in the larger world of philanthropy and how Arabella Advisors helps donors ensure that results from their contributions are maximized.
One specialty of Mr. Kessler’s firm is working with clients to determine how much they should tithe, using an online survey [www.GiveSomeThought.com] as a starting point. In asking for goals and appraising financial suitability, the survey acts in much the same way as might an initial consultation with a financial adviser about college education savings.
But beyond that, Mr. Kessler helps givers oversee specifically how the money is to be used, working with the donor and the church to reach agreement on whether it goes to religious education, for example, or perhaps to building upkeep. He then tries to set benchmarks in order to measure how efficiently the donated money is being spent.
“It doesn’t matter if they are giving $100 or $100 million,” he said. “People now want to make sure that their money is used well.”
Writer Alexander Soule examines the growing trend to earmark donations for specific purposes, even when giving relatively small contributions. This article describes donors’ concerns over grantee accountability and ensuring their philanthropic legacies. Eric Kessler added:
(Benefactors) are taking it to heart that they can’t just die and leave it all to their kids,” Kessler said. “The question we hear most often is how soon is too soon to get our kids engaged (or) when can we invite kids to family foundation meetings? That is the wrong question -- the right question is when can we start transferring the (values) of philanthropy … You don’t have to be a Bill Gates to have a lasting impact in Westchester.
Eric Kessler borrows four strategies from financial management that help donors be more effective in their philanthropy (November 22, 2006).
Click here to download a copy of the article (pdf).
This paper in Arabella Advisors’ home-town runs a weekly column on the nonprofit community. The January 9, 2006 column focused on Arabella’s efforts to help private donors.
What’s the first rule of effective giving? Combine
a soft heart with a hard head.
After working with nonprofits for 15 years, Eric Kessler
has learned that rule and a few others. Now as a donor
adviser, Kessler applies those rules to help philanthropists
get the most out of their charitable dollar…
…Kessler recently performed due diligence research
on charities supported by Alexandria-based Motley
Fool…”When we decided which charities
to select, he gave us some guidance, figuring out
which ones were the most effective,“ said Carrie
Crockett, who administers Foolanthropy….”And
we need to think critically when we are giving a lot
of money,” she said, reciting Kessler’s
advice.
This November 6, 2005 article described the many ways in which corporate philanthropists are and are not incorporating high-level due diligence in their charitable planning. With mounting governance scandals surfacing within well-respected charities, Eric Kessler contributed the Arabella Advisors’ perspective on smart corporate giving:
”They [corporate donors] want to pass the ‘front page test’ as I call it,” Kessler said. “The last thing they want is to find out that they’re giving to an organization that’s getting in trouble.”
Kessler says his firm does research on nonprofits the same way a mutual fund would investigate a potential investment – evaluating the strength of the management team, its fiscal controls and the efficacy of the organization. It also looks for any signs of trouble that could lead to negative press.
More articles in the Washington Post:
Non-Profits Uneasy About Turmoil’s Effect on Endowments (10/2/2008)
Gustav Relief Sends Red Cross Into Debt (9/6/2008)
In U.S., a Multitude of Forces Drains the Spirit of Giving (5/23/2008)
The irreverent online investor education community has made a big splash in the area of corporate philanthropy with their annual Foolanthropy campaign, assisted in part by the due diligence advice of Arabella Advisors. In an effort to help their millions of online members be smart donors, Eric Kessler teamed up with Patty Moss of Ernst & Young’s Personal Financial Services group to write this December 16, 2005 article on charitable tax deductions and effective philanthropy strategies:
Learn more about Foolanthropy at .
The leading society magazine of Westchester County, NY published an article by Arabella Advisors in its December 2005 edition. The article encourages donors who may already have an emotional commitment to a particular organization to step back and think strategically about how they can most effectively support and evaluate that group’s work.
Financial consultant and investment manager Michael Guerin featured Arabella Advisors in the December 21, 2005 installment of his regular Inside Business column. Guerin questioned Eric Kessler about opportunities for effective and expanded philanthropy under the special Katrina Emergency Tax Relief Act (KETRA) charitable deduction allowance, created to encourage philanthropy in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
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