Stacy Palmer

Join us tomorrow at noon Eastern time for an online discussion on how to get the most out of a direct-mail appeal. What are the best ways to design and write an effective letter? How do you establish a tone that matches your organization?

Our guests will be Brenda Helget, program manager of annual giving and communications at the Methodist Hospital Foundation, in Omaha, Neb., and Mal Warwick, a consultant on direct marketing.

The Chronicle’s online discussions are free and open to everyone. People who ask questions in advance have a better chance of getting answers.

While foundations want to help African nations, they must avoid “philanthropic colonialism,” in which projects last for only a few years and ignore local needs, Peter Buffett, co-chair of the NoVo Foundation, said at a session held on the final day of the Global Philanthropy Forum’s meeting in Washington.