NYN Media Buzz: Nov. 29, 2017

For nonprofit campaigns in New York that utilize professional fundraisers, about one-third of charitable donations are paid to these fundraisers, according to an annual report released by the office of Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

Charities in the state raised about $1.2 billion through 987 fundraising campaigns conducted all or in part by professional fundraisers, with $403 million going to pay for special events, direct mail and telemarketing, states the report. Some nonprofits did better than others in ensuring donations are used for programming. About a third of all charities covered by the report spent more than half of all donations on fundraising. Overall expenses exceeded revenue for 131 of those campaigns.

Former U.S. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy and former Xerox CEO Ursula Burns will co-chair the selection committee for Bloomberg Philanthropies’ 2017 U.S. Mayors Challenge. Thirty-five cities will receive $100,000 to refine their proposals over six months. One city will receive a final prize of $5 million and four others $1 million each.

More than 300 applications were received this year with 40 percent of applications proposing either health, youth or citizen engagement-related projects.

Harvard sociology Professor Mario Luis Small has joined the board of trustees at the Russell Sage Foundation.

The Russell Sage Foundation appointed Small to its board of trustees on Nov. 27. He will join more than a dozen other academics on the board for the New York City-based foundation, which funds research into behavioral economics, immigration, inequality and other social science topics.

Small has authored a number of books including 2017’s “Someone to Talk To,” which examines how people decide to receive help. He also serves on the board at the Chicago-based Spencer Foundation.