Trust in American institutions is down. Trust in nonprofits dropped by 5% this year, dipping below the halfway mark to 45%. Trust in business also dropped by 5% down to 49%. Trust in government is down 3% to 39%, and media dipped 6% to 39%. In every institution measured, trust is down.

This data comes from the 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer (ETB) which was released earlier this month. Since 2001, the ETB has conducted an annual study that seeks to assess the state of trust globally and in individual countries.

At first blush, the 2022 study may appear to be rather alarming. But it might not be in fact.

Leslie Lenkowsky, professor emeritus of public affairs and philanthropic studies at Indiana University, was quoted in the Chronicle of Philanthropy saying that he does not believe U.S. nonprofits should be alarmed. “A 5-percentage point decline in trust is ‘not much on a year-to-year basis,’ he said.”

That may be so—and as recently as 2019, nonprofits saw a 9% decline in trust—but what is alarming about 2022 is a decline in trust across the board. (The same trend is observable in 2018 and 2014, as well.)

The 2022 data might not be that uniquely alarming for nonprofits, but the study is indicative of a broader trend in America: lack of trust in institutions. If this year’s numbers in isolation aren’t cause for particular concern, this broader trend is.

And that trend forces a question upon us: how can fundraisers and nonprofit professionals address this trend to help renew trust in nonprofits and civil society?

Renewing Trust

  • Mutual Aid Societies
  • Remain local
  • Cultivate real, flesh and blood, relationships

Read the full article about trust in nonprofits by James Davenport at Philanthropy Daily.