Trust in Charitable Organizations

Public confidence in charitable organizations such as the Red Cross and United Way is essential to a high performing nonprofit or charitable sector. Indeed, confidence affects almost everything that matters to the future of the sector, especially the public's willingness to contribute money and volunteer time. Given its importance as a harbinger, even small declines in confidence should raise alarms across the sector. Complacency does little harm when confidence is high or rising, but may undermine the call for aggressive action
during periods when confidence is low or falling. Unfortunately, according to new research by the Brookings Institution's Center for Public Service, the recent decline in confidence is uncomfortably large, particularly when juxtaposed with other research that has given the sector the benefit of the doubt through question wording or generous analysis.