Giving Compass' Take:

· Ben Paynter reports that although the world relies on charities to solve many problems, a poll from Gallup and the Wellcome Trust shows that only 52% of the global population has confidence in the nonprofit sector.

· What role can funders play in earning back public trust in the nonprofit sector? 

· Learn about civil society legitimacy. 

In fact, only 52% of the global population has confidence in the charities operating within their country’s borders. For nonprofits seeking to deliver aid, that should point to a new need for long-term success: gaining community buy-in where they’re working.

The findings come from Gallup and the Wellcome Trust, which surveyed more than 144,000 people across 140 countries as part of a new poll on public attitudes toward science and health. Turns out, in many places, people trust the interventions more than people delivering them. Worldwide, 79% of people think vaccines are safe and 84% agree that they’re effective. (Not great numbers considering both are definitely true—but still better than charities fare.)

“In many countries, charitable organizations and NGOs play a key role in society by providing goods, services, or information,” the researchers write in a report summary. “The trust that people have in these organizations can either enhance or inhibit the organizations’ effectiveness and their ability to generate public goods. As such, charities and NGOs need to keep this trust in mind as it directly affects the spheres and activities they can undertake within societies.”

Read the full article about trust in nonprofits by Ben Paynter at Fast Company.