Thinking about Impact and Public Perception

This week I had the opportunity to attend an event presented by the Charities Review Council and Thrivent Financial entitled, "Delving into Public Perception: what Minnesotans think about the charitable sector (and what to do about it)." To a captive audience of non-profit professionals, presenters discussed findings from a survey conducted for the Charities Review Council that polled Minnesotans on their giving habits and attitudes towards charities. The survey questions touched on issues of trust, ethics, and the proper use of funds by charities. For the most part, the survey respondents believed that charities could be trusted, that they are ethical, and that they wisely spend the money they receive from donors. Although the survey findings concluded that, for the most part, the public’s perception of charities is quite favorable, the event’s presenters reminded the audience that many external and internal forces have the potential to hurt charitable organizations.