78% of the unsheltered homeless struggle with some form of mental health issue, so encountering serious mental illness is likely when working with those in poverty. In Madness & Grace, Matt Stanford contends that you can do more than just refer them to a professional.
The U.S. has an elaborate social safety net. What if, rather than catching them when they fall, individuals get caught in the “net,” preventing freedom from dependency? TCI’s Jeff Lofting describes how one organization works with individuals to get untangled and free.
A public awareness strategy can enrich your organization, those you serve, and your greater community-but how do you get started? TCI’s Jeff Lofting provides the rationale for and steps to effectively communicate your work and the reasons behind it.
There’s a crisis impacting faith-based organizations. It’s rarely discussed, and that’s the problem. In “Mission Drift,” Peter Greer and Chris Horst expose this crisis and equip readers to help their organization stay Mission True. TCI’s Jeff Lofting provides an overview of this vital book.
For two decades, poverty fighters have turned to the framework within Bridges Out of Poverty. Bridges must be examined, though, to see if they safely deliver individuals to the intended destination. TCI’s Jeff Lofting reports on the structural soundness of this popular book.
The American Dream, salvation, or becoming whole–which of these should influence our approaches to poverty alleviation? TCI’s Jeff Lofting provides highlights from Brian Fikkert’s book, Becoming Whole, the sequel to When Helping Hurts.
Most nonprofits have at least two digital footprints: a website and social media profiles. But, charity rating sites can also be helpful tools in bringing exposure to your organization. Whether you know it or not, if your organization is a 501(c)3, it is likely listed on the various charity rating sites. This article discusses how to update your org’s profile to best represent what you’re doing.
Imagine a situation in which you learned that the water that you had been drinking for some time had been revealed to be toxic – what you thought was life-giving was actually bringing harm to those who consumed it. In 2011, Robert Lupton wrote an exposé of sorts entitled Toxic Charity that revealed to many that the charity they had practiced for years could likewise be toxic. It was important to realize this, but what does one do to replace toxic practices with those that are life-giving? Robert Lupton’s Charity Detox aims to provide the groundwork and methods for purifying one’s charity.
Imagine for a moment this scenario: You’ve finally escaped a traumatic and abusive relationship at the hands of your husband and found refuge in a local faith-based women’s crisis shelter, which is helping you begin the long process of healing. For the first time you can remember, you feel safe. One study shows that 92% of homeless mothers have experienced sexual and/or physical abuse…
Are strategies that seek to go beyond the handout model of charity new? No. On the contrary, Dr. Marvin Olasky’s book The Tragedy of American Compassion demonstrates that charity which promotes challenge, relationship, and spiritual growth was the norm for effective methods of addressing poverty.
