Bank of America

Charitable giving by America’s biggest businesses rose slowly last year and shows little sign of gaining in 2012, according to a Chronicle of Philanthropy study of 166 large companies.

(See an interactive table that pinpoints how much each company gave in cash and products and the causes they supported.)

Donations grew by 4 percent in 2011, according to the 115 companies that provided two years’ worth of data. That’s far less than the 13 percent rise from 2009 to 2010, when companies saw a sharp rebound in profits after the recession.

After 18 months of having its funding nearly completely cut off by a payment industry blockade, WikiLeaks says it’s finally found a new workaround that allows it to receive credit card donations.

In a statement to press Wednesday morning, WikiLeaks writes that the Fund for the Defense of Net Neutrality (FDNN) has agreed to accept donations on behalf of WikiLeaks, and that the group can receive payments through the French payment card system Carte Bleue.

Here are five steps, and three pitfalls, for building strategic corporate partnerships for your organization from Fund Raising Day in New York.

ArtPlace announced $15.4 million in grants for 47 projects nationwide to support the use of the arts to improve quality of place and transform communities.

ArtPlace received almost 2200 letters of inquiry from organizations seeking a portion of the $15.4 million available for grants in this cycle. Inquiries came from 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands.

The Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling in New York is the top-ranked recipient of ArtPlace awards in 2012. The museum will receive a $350,000 grant.

Research company Phoenix Marketing International announced findings from its monthly study among affluent individual investors age 21+ with $100,000+ in investable assets.

Participants in the March 2012 monthly Phoenix brand health and advertising performance study reported that they typically donate less than $2,500 each year to charitable organizations. Donations do increase among higher income households, but not exponentially. Phoenix research shows that one-third of U.S. households with annual income in excess of $150,000 donate at least $5,000 annually and about one in six donate more than $10,000.

Nonprofit Finance Fund released the results of its 2012 State of the Nonprofit Sector survey. More than 4,500 respondents at nonprofits across the country shared the details of how they are adapting their organizations and finances to current economic conditions. The survey reveals that while 2011 was a year of significant organizational and programmatic changes, many nonprofits are still facing fundamental challenges that threaten the stability of the sector and the well-being of the people they serve.

Investment by businesses in the arts has dropped to its lowest level for seven years in the U.K., despite a government drive to encourage philanthropy.

Companies gave $212.6 million in the financial year 2010/11, according to Arts and Business, which compiled the figures.

That is $15.9 million down on the previous year and the lowest since 2003/4.

But overall investment in the arts, including money from private donors and trusts and foundations, rose by $45.2 million to $1.1 billion, Arts and Business said.

Bright Pink is a national nonprofit organization with an annual operating budget of $900,000 that provides education and support to young women who are at high risk for breast and ovarian cancer.

Gone are the days when a chief financial officer at a nonprofit was regarded as a mere bookkeeper. That was the message conveyed recently at the Nonprofit CFO of the Year awards luncheon in Washington, D.C., last week.

Nearly 300 leaders shined the spotlight on three nonprofit CFOs: Stanley Berman of Global Impact was named CFO of the Year, Jason Daisey of Associated Builders and Contractors won the Nonprofit CFO Rising Star award and Kimberly McKinnish of the National Beer Wholesalers Association won CFO Transformational Leader.

A hacking movement calling itself Anonymous said yesterday that it stole thousands of credit card numbers and other client information from a U.S. security think tank with customers including the Air Force, defense contractors, police agencies, technology companies and banks. One hacker said the goal of the attack on Stratfor Global Intelligence was to pilfer funds from individuals’ accounts to give away as Christmas donations, and some victims confirmed that unauthorized transactions were made using their credit cards.