News

• Published date: 01 December 2019
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/nba.30697
• Date: 01 December 2019

NONPROFIT BUSINESS ADVISOR DECEMBER 2019

12 © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company • All rights reserved

DOI: 10.1002/nba

against women, and also an allegation that men

weren’t harassed in the same way.

The IRS next argued that the purported conduct

didn’t amount to a hostile work environment be-

cause it didn’t affect a term, condition or privilege

of employment.

But the judge held that the alleged harassment was

pervasive because it lasted for nearly the entire time

the plaintiff had worked there.

He also ruled that the alleged misconduct was

severe because the coordinator had once allegedly

punched one st into an open palm, and he had pur-

portedly clenched his sts when he told the plaintiff

to quit.

The judge said a reasonable person could ob-

jectively interpret the alleged actions as a threat

of physical harm, particularly in light of: (1) the

allegedly ongoing harassment and (2) the fact that

two incidents purportedly occurred just days after

the plaintiff reported the coordinator.

The judge also ruled that the alleged harass-

ment was sufciently severe because the plaintiff

had claimed that she suffered anxiety and insomnia

because of it, and began taking leave from work to

avoid it. In addition, he ruled that the severity was

exacerbated when the plaintiff was allegedly told by

her supervisor that the coordinator was more impor-

tant than she was, that he had already been subjected

to prior disciplinary actions and that nothing could

be done about his behavior.

The judge refused to dismiss the claim.

[Pfau v. Mnuchin, U.S. District Court for the

Western District of Texas, No. 1:18-CV-422,

05/15/2019]. ■

News

Survey highlights giving trends

of family foundations

New research shows that family foundations in

the United States are awarding fewer but larger

grants and making more impact investments than

ever before.

The research, published in the National Center for

Family Philanthropy’s Trends 2020 report, shows that

a growing share of family foundations reported total

grantmaking of at least $500,000 in the past year

compared to the last Trends report in 2015 (46% vs.

34%). Meanwhile, fewer are making more than 50

grants or more (21%, versus 30% in 2015).

The survey also found that more family founda-

tions reported payout rates above the mandatory

minimum requirement of 5%, especially among those

established after 2010. These newer foundations also

were more likely to be making program-related invest-

ments (63% of foundations established after 2010),

mission-related investments (59%) and impact invest-

ments (47%), as well as loans and grants designed to

guarantee loan funds (39%).

And the share of family foundations that awarded

mission-related and impact investments doubled to

27%, from 13% in 2015, while 29% of respondents

said they planned to increase their payout rate and

expand their mission and impact investing, up from

19% and 12%, respectively, in 2015.

According to NCFP Founder and President

Virginia Esposito, the research sheds light on how

family foundations are adapting to changing times,

values and priorities as they strive for increased impact.

For more information, visit https://www.ncfp.org.

Benevity secures nancing

to support expansion of services

Benevity Inc., a leading provider of corporate

social responsibility and employee engagement soft-

ware, said it has raised $40 million in funding that will

support a substantial expansion of the rm and its

services, including the hiring of some 200 additional

staff members, adding to its current employee base

of around 600.

According to the company—which has grown

substantially over the last few years through acquisi-

tions of a number of smaller fundraising, employee

engagement, and grants and donation management

rms across the United States and Canada—the

funding will be used to “further accelerate client

and cause support services and product innovation,

including the development of more mobile solutions

and enhanced public-facing engagement capabilities.”

The additional full-time technology, sales, client

success and other operational positions it plans to ll

over the next year will further support that growth,

the company said.

For more information, visit https://www.benevity.

com. ■