After four years of decline, trust in nonprofit organizations is trending up, according to a recently released report about a survey by the Independent Sector.
Fifty-seven percent of the survey’s respondents indicated that they had a high level of trust in nonprofits. That’s up five points from the previous survey a year ago. Importantly, results suggest that Americans are looking to nonprofits to heal what they perceive as a divided nation. Seventy-four percent of the respondents said that they were concerned about the future of the country.
“On one level, this year’s report is a cause for celebration. We are doing good work, and the public recognizes it. That’s excellent news,” LeadingAge President and CEO Katie Smith Sloan stated. “On another level, the Independent Sector report also suggests that our sector has a grave responsibility to assuage the deep worry that many Americans feel about the nation and its future.”
Respondents said they have more trust in nonprofits to address issues of the day — such as healthcare, housing, job creation, homelessness and poverty — than they do in large corporations and the government.
“With the sustained impacts of their work that respondents see and believe in to help those in need, nonprofits are one of the few societal institutions that many believe can still give them the hope they need for a better future,” the researchers noted.
At the same time, respondents expressed skepticism about nonprofits being able to avoid partisan politics and said they may be “disingenuous to their stated purpose and mission.” Skepticism was especially prevalent among members of Gen Z, born between 1996 and 2010.
“Americans have entrusted nonprofit organizations with a critical responsibility at a pivotal time in our nation’s history. People are counting on us to make a difference,” Sloan said. “As LeadingAge and its members live out our shared mission to be the trusted voice for aging, we should be humbled by the nation’s trust in us. Let’s not take that trust for granted. Instead, let’s commit ourselves and our organizations to earning that trust anew each day.”
Fifty-seven percent of the survey’s respondents indicated that they had a high level of trust in nonprofits. That’s up five points from the previous survey a year ago. Importantly, results suggest that Americans are looking to nonprofits to heal what they perceive as a divided nation. Seventy-four percent of the respondents said that they were concerned about the future of the country.
“On one level, this year’s report is a cause for celebration. We are doing good work, and the public recognizes it. That’s excellent news,” LeadingAge President and CEO Katie Smith Sloan stated. “On another level, the Independent Sector report also suggests that our sector has a grave responsibility to assuage the deep worry that many Americans feel about the nation and its future.”
Respondents said they have more trust in nonprofits to address issues of the day — such as healthcare, housing, job creation, homelessness and poverty — than they do in large corporations and the government.
“With the sustained impacts of their work that respondents see and believe in to help those in need, nonprofits are one of the few societal institutions that many believe can still give them the hope they need for a better future,” the researchers noted.
At the same time, respondents expressed skepticism about nonprofits being able to avoid partisan politics and said they may be “disingenuous to their stated purpose and mission.” Skepticism was especially prevalent among members of Gen Z, born between 1996 and 2010.
“Americans have entrusted nonprofit organizations with a critical responsibility at a pivotal time in our nation’s history. People are counting on us to make a difference,” Sloan said. “As LeadingAge and its members live out our shared mission to be the trusted voice for aging, we should be humbled by the nation’s trust in us. Let’s not take that trust for granted. Instead, let’s commit ourselves and our organizations to earning that trust anew each day.”
