MacKenzie Scott has already donated an estimated total of $146 million to 24 nonprofits this year, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy. This amount is based on organizations that have publicly stated they received a donation from Scott in 2023. The number of nonprofits is probably much higher. Scott's donations range from $1 million to $15 million, and she has given to community-led and -focused organizations Read More
Basic Investment Glossary Terms to Help Optimize Your Endowment
Endowments can provide a long-term source of financial stability and growth for a nonprofit organization. Nonprofit boards and endowment committees don’t have to be experts in investing to successfully manage an endowment. There are a few key terms and concepts that every stakeholder should know to make informed decisions and maximize the potential performance of your endowment. Inflation This is a hot topic all Read More
Fairlight’s Q2 2023 Market & Economic Snapshot
The stock market gained in the second quarter of 2023 driven by the performance of a mere 10 stocks. At the same time, the bond market was a mixed picture. While headline inflation was down, core inflation is still high. What does it all mean? Read about it in Fairlight’s Market and Economic Snapshot. Talk to the financial experts at Fairlight Advisors to learn more about managing your nonprofit’s Read More
Nonprofit Investing: Growing After a Major Gift
It's a dream come true After years of planning and managing a well-crafted fundraising campaign, your nonprofit lands a game-changing, million-dollar, unrestricted gift. Or maybe it’s an accumulation of smaller donations that develops into a pool of cash many times greater than the nonprofit’s annual budget. While you’d think such an opportunity would launch a flurry of activity to deploy those funds, we’ve found Read More
3 Things Nonprofits Need to Know About Markets
Nonprofit endowment investors depend on the stock market to be reasonably consistent so they can meet their philanthropic program spending. Unfortunately, the stock market has been extremely unpredictable or volatile, zigzagging like a rollercoaster, reacting emotionally to the latest news. So how do nonprofits with a true endowment navigate these volatile market conditions? Here are 3 things nonprofits should know Read More
Why Target Date Funds in Your 403B?
Whether your nonprofit is starting a 403 B Plan or you are reviewing your retirement plan investments, having Target Date Funds in the line-up is a good thing. Why are Target Date Funds a good thing in a 403 B or Nonprofit Retirement Plan? At Fairlight, we often find nonprofit employees asking us questions like “Where should I put my money” and “How often do I need to look at my retirement plan”? We also hear Read More
Three Lessons For Nonprofits When Banks Fails
On Friday, March 10th, major headlines around the world announced the failure of Silicon Valley Bank (ticker SVB) and the largest bank failure since Washington Mutual in 2008. Understandably, this made investors nervous, including nonprofit leaders and board members even though many did not hold deposits with SVB directly. The question on their minds: “Our my bank deposit accounts at risk now? Were other, regional or Read More
U.S. News & World Report: What Are the Types of IRAs?
Nonprofit Investing and Emerging Markets
At Fairlight Advisors, we have long advocated that a nonprofit endowment investment strategy include a well-diversified, global market portfolio which includes both equity and fixed income allocations to emerging markets. The last five years of returns have been lumpy for Emerging Markets to say the least. While there were some bright spots such as China’s faster recovery from the pandemic in Q’3 of 2020, there were Read More
What’s on the Fixed Income Menu: An Array of Solutions for Nonprofit Reserves
Imagine a toolbox with only one tool: a hammer. The hammer is versatile for projects big and small, but if you’re building a house, as we all know, a toolbox with a lonely hammer won’t get the job done. In the same way, building a financially resilient nonprofit needs a variety of financial planning tools to fund the philanthropic mission. Yet several small to midsized nonprofits park all their funds—whether for Read More
