Expert: Charity Is Broken

Pablo Eisenberg, writing in The Wall Street Journal, says it's "hard to overstate the crisis facing charitable giving today," a crisis made worse by the current economic predicament. But rather than call on the government to disburse more funds, he says, nonprofits should demand nine systematic changes, including an increase in the "distribution percentage," or percentage of assets foundations are required to distribute annually; an increase in unrestricted "general operating support" grants; an increase in gifts to the "truly needy"—"the poor, people of color, women and children at risk, gay/lesbians, disabled and troubled youth"; and better funding for watchdogs like the Project on Government Oversight and the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy.