Reports of fraud have soured many people on nonprofits, and sizable percentages criticize charity spending and say leaders are paid too much. Nonprofit experts suggest how to gain the public’s trust.

Almost two-thirds of Americans have a great deal or fair amount of confidence in charities, according to a new Chronicle poll — the first to measure public views on that question since 2008. But, a sizable percentage say charities don’t spend money wisely.

Some charity leaders are bullish on quarterly updates like those that businesses are required to do but acknowledge the risks involved with flinging open the books.

Experts interviewed by The Chronicle reveal strategies charities can use to improve their public image, especially through better communication and more transparency.

Sen. Charles Grassley urges nonprofits to become more transparent as a way to bolster confidence.

A decade ago, the group was rocked by investigations by Congress, the IRS, and the EPA, and donations withered. A structural overhaul — and a big dose of transparency — helped restore the public’s trust.

Nonprofits could boost donations by $22 billion annually by understanding donors better and focusing more on donor-advised funds, employer matches, and workplace giving, according to a new report by Camber Collective.

Comedic actors and educators at an unusual nonprofit criss-cross the country to hold writing workshops in schools that have helped thousands of students pen original stories.

A wealthy couple living in the nation’s capital reaches out to nearby neighborhoods still struggling to recover from the legacy of racism and the riots that followed the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

New York Cares, which mobilizes more than 62,000 unpaid workers each year, teaches small groups what it has learned — and how to avoid the pitfalls that come from poor planning.

Behind the much-touted trends of downsizing in philanthropic organizations, the picture is more complicated.

Donors often have fewer restraints, more power, and more gravitas than the charities they support to speak out about a cause.

As the charity comes under a new round of federal scrutiny, some worry about growing cynicism toward charities in general.

More of a couple’s giving goes to groups like the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army if the wife’s paycheck grows, but if the husband’s income increases, the more likely recipients are umbrella groups like the United Way.

After investing so much private and government money in an effort to spread programs with proven results, the White House should fight hard to protect one of its signature programs.

Veteran journalist Dale Russakoff discusses what philanthropists should know about the billionaire Facebook founder’s well-intentioned push to transform the Newark, N.J.'s troubled school system.

Departing President Donna Shalala and her outside-the-box choice to be her top fundraiser secured 28 gifts of at least $1 million from Hispanics, totaling $61.5 million.