Prospect research

Julian Blackwell has donated £5 million from his personal Trust to the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford, "the largest single cash donation ever made to a university library in the UK" acc

The 20 most expensive streets to live in have been announced by house price website Mouseprice.

The second annual Wealth Club™ 2008 Millionaires Gala Dinner and Conference, held at the beginning of this month by wealth creation education company Whitney UK Ltd, raised £147,050 for Make-A-Wish

The Birmingham Post has published its list of the 50 wealthiest people in Birmingham. In the past year the minimum wealth required to appear on the list has risen from £50 million to £60 million.

At the top are four billionaires, with last year's ranking appearing in brackets:

1. (1) John Caudwell £1.65 bn (£1.65 bn)
2. (16) Lord Paul of Marylebone & family £1.5bn (£350m)

Save the Children has created a new senior fundraising role of
'Director of Philanthropy and Partnerships' which it hopes will help it benefit from the latest trends in major donor and corporate fundraising and the emergence of a new generation of hands-on philanthropists.

Milwaukee philanthropist Chris Abele is to give $5 million to the Royal Shakespeare Company, according to The Business Journal in Milwaukee. It will be the theatre company's "largest single donation from an American in its history".

Abele, who is president of the Royal Shakespeare Company America Inc, which raises funds in the USA for the Stratford-upon-Avon-based theatre company.

A team of prospect research specialists have launched fResource.org (to be pronounced 'free-source'), a website "to help you in your fundraising by providing key information on products and tools that you can use to find new funding and develop existing streams". Although produced in the UK it is designed to have a international audience.

Philanthropy UK, the resource for aspiring philanthropists, has redeveloped its website to offer "practical information and tools to enable donors to give effectively and to make a positive contribution to their community."