Major donors are stepping up to boost digital-learning capabilities at historically Black colleges and universities. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is backing Complete College America's $2.5 million effort and the United Negro College Fund is using $1.75 million from the Lilly Endowment for training to specifically improve digital learning options at HBCUs.

Nonprofits should act now to get the most out of the year-end giving season, Joan Garry writes. Garry shares a last-minute formula for year-end giving success, beginning with gathering the ingredients for a solicitation and writing an initial request for donations.

The colonial mindset in philanthropy creates a barrier to systemic change and equity when organizations allow foundation funding to steer their work, rather than the communities they aim to serve, says M. Scott Frank of InteRoots. InteRoots' approach involves working with the community to identify a project, then relying on community members to implement the project in a culturally appropriate manner and take ownership of it.

Girls Rock Santa Barbara had to roll back its sleepover camp and other programs during the summer last year, but it is working hard to keep its programs alive because making a difference in just one girl's life is worth it, said executive Jess Sherwyn. The organization is dedicated to helping girls and gender-diverse youths recognize that they can become leaders in music and other spaces, despite whether they see people like themselves in current leadership roles, Sherwyn said.

Develop a deeper trust in yourself by listening to your intuition, honoring your emotions, forgiving your mistakes and being willing to risk failure, writes Mike Robbins. "As we build up our ability to take risks, we also grow our capacity for courage, expanding our ability to trust ourselves," Robbins writes.

Advertising agency leaders talk about why they've sought B Corp certification from nonprofit B Lab, which measures a company's positive impact across categories, including diversity, pay equity and sustainability. "By bringing [social impact] to the core of our business, it [has made] for more honest conversations with our clients about making positive change in the world," says Zeus Jones' Elsa Perushek.

The Fair Fight Political Action Committee led by former Georgia state lawmaker Stacey Abrams has donated $1.34 million to RIP Medical Debt to help eliminate medical debt in Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi. "I know firsthand how medical costs and a broken healthcare system put families further and further in debt," Abrams said.

All board members should serve on a board committee, but determining where to place them is often more art than science. This resource, complete with worksheets for the five most popular committees, is designed to help. Download it now.

BoardSource has answered governance questions posed by nonprofit leaders for over 30 years. Here are the answers to those questions most frequently asked about board meetings. Read more.