Charity Section is a senior writer at The Chronicle of Philanthropy specializing in equitable funding models and nonprofit innovation. With a decade of experience spanning frontline nonprofit work and investigative journalism, their reporting has influenced policy debates at the Council on Foundations and Independent Sector.
"The most compelling stories reveal how money moves – and who gets to decide where it flows."
Section’s work has been recognized by the Association of Fundraising Professionals and Stanford University. They maintain particular interest in data-driven stories that challenge conventional wisdom about donor behavior and organizational impact.
We’ve tracked Charity Section’s evolution from grassroots advocacy roles to becoming a leading voice in philanthropic journalism. Their career spans three distinct phases:
This 2023 analysis revealed how donor-advised funds (DAFs) enabled rapid response to the Hawaii wildfires, with $47 million mobilized within 72 hours. Section’s investigation combined IRS Form 990 analysis with interviews from 28 community foundation leaders. The piece sparked national debates about payout requirements and earned recognition from the National Philanthropic Trust.
What makes this work exceptional is its balanced approach to complex financial instruments. Section neither vilifies nor glorifies DAFs but provides fundraisers with actionable insights:
"The true power of DAFs lies not in their tax benefits but in their ability to democratize strategic giving – if we choose to wield them thoughtfully."
In this 2024 deep dive, Section profiled 14 organizations using micro-grants under $5,000 to combat systemic inequities. The article’s innovative "Impact Multiplier Index" compared traditional large-scale grants against aggregated small donations, revealing 23% higher program efficiency in micro-funded initiatives. Nonprofit tech leaders praised the piece for its data-driven approach to challenging funding orthodoxy.
Section’s 2023 guest feature in Alliance Magazine examined power dynamics in international giving through case studies from Ghana, Brazil, and Nepal. The article introduced the "Participatory Grantmaking Scorecard," now adopted by 17 major foundations to assess community involvement in funding decisions.
Section consistently highlights organizations reimagining power structures in funding. Successful pitches emphasize:
Why this works: Their analysis of the Decolonizing Philanthropy initiative (Article 3) demonstrates particular interest in shifting authority to grassroots leaders.
Section favors stories with original metrics that challenge conventional wisdom. Recent pieces like the Micro-Grants analysis (Article 2) prove their appetite for data that tells human stories.
While other philanthropy reporters cover star-studded galas, Section’s work focuses on systemic change. Pitches about influencer campaigns or viral fundraising stunts typically miss the mark.
At PressContact, we aim to help you discover the most relevant journalists for your PR efforts. If you're looking to pitch to more journalists who write on Philanthropy, here are some other real estate journalist profiles you may find relevant:
