Charities That Stereotype Those They Aim to Help — and How to Do Better

Welcome to the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s weekly newsletter highlighting stories and conversations from The Commons, our project exploring how philanthropy and nonprofits are working to close divides, repair the social fabric, and strengthen communities.

From senior editor Drew Lindsay: Journalist Bobbi Dempsey covers nonprofits and often writes about poverty and the people affected by it. And what she has found confirms what she learned as a child: that families in need often have to put on a performance to prove that they are “poor enough” to deserve assistance.?

In a personal essay this week in The Commons, she writes of her childhood with her mom, a divorced mother of four struggling to make ends meet through part-time gigs. At food banks and other safety-net groups, they often faced more suspicion than kindness as staff assessed whether the family was truly “needy.” Dempsey writes:

“While I knew that our poverty was often viewed by society as a byproduct of laziness, these encounters were different. The nonprofits — charitable groups committed to helping me and others like me — judged us for looking not quite poor enough.”

For her essay, Dempsey spoke with others whose interactions with charity have been less than charitable. She also explored solutions that include creating a culture of empathy in your organization. At Feeding America, for instance, people who come to the organization for help are called “neighbors,” not “clients” — a subtle way to “reinforce the human connection,” she writes.

We’re grateful for the opportunity to bring you Dempsey’s piece through a partnership with the Economic Hardship Reporting Project , a terrific nonprofit that supports independent journalists writing about inequality.

Upcoming Events: Has the Election Brought Us Closer??

GOP pollster and CNN contributor Kristen Soltis Anderson has some counterintuitive post-election findings: that the country is in a moment where we could restore trust in institutions, including nonprofits and grant makers. I invite you to join me for a conversation about Anderson’s findings on Thursday, February 20, at 12:30 p.m. ET, when she visits The Commons in Conversation. We’ll also talk about her surveys that suggest philanthropy has an important role to play in closing America’s divides.

?? The event is free with registration. ??

Of the Moment

News and other noteworthy items:

• LinkedIn co-founder and philanthropist Reid Hoffman joins Lever for Change for a podcast to discuss his $10 million open call to expand an effort to build and restore public trust in the country’s core institutions — in government, the media, public health, higher education, and more. “The breadth of possibilities is quite large,” Hoffman says. “I’m looking for that startlingly great lever that could make a real difference.” The Trust in American Institutions challenge launched in December and will close registration February 19 and applications March 19.?
• In USA Today, Hali Lee, co-founder of the Donors of Color Network , argues that small-scale organizing and giving circles will be more effective fighting the Trump administration agenda than mass marches like the Women’s March following the president’s 2016 inauguration. “We need fewer pink hats and more kitchen tables,” Lee writes.
• What might heal our divides and tamp down hate-filled violence? “Big citizenship,” or large-scale national service, write John Bridgeland and Alan Khazei in the Washington Post. Noting that Democrats and President Trump and Vice President Vance have endorsed national service, they argue a scaled-up effort could ”reignite a revolution of service and ingenuity to help solve our public challenges [and] bring Americans of all backgrounds together.” Bridgeland is a former director of the White House Domestic Policy Council under President George W. Bush, and Khazei is a co-founder of the education nonprofit City Year .
• The Council on Foundations is out with a report examining five efforts to bring Americans together and navigate divides. The report looks at each project’s theories of change, the work, and the measurements of impact. Case studies include Resetting the Table 's work in Buffalo following the 2022 mass shooting at a grocery store in a Black community and the Trust for Public Land 's initiative to help park directors and community organizations design programs to build connections and relationships among visitors from different backgrounds.

The Commons in Conversation: Replay

If you missed one of our interviews for The Commons in Conversation, or want to watch one again — or even better — share one with a colleague, head over to the Chronicle's YouTube channel. We've got them all there for you.

About the series: The Commons in Conversation is a series of exclusive, one-on-one conversations with national and local leaders working to strengthen a fractured America. Chronicle editors and writers host individuals from across the country in casual discussions about what it will take to bring Americans together. Guests share ideas and promising solutions and how the philanthropic world — from major philanthropists to everyday nonprofit leaders — can contribute.