Philanthropy is supporting incredible work for the greater good. But in the ways we talk about that work, we could do better. Even as we evolve to meet the compounding challenges that society faces, trust in institutions, including philanthropy, is falling.

Rebuilding that trust starts with a hard look at the words we use and the stories we tell, a project the Council and the Center for Public Interest Communications began in late 2022.

New Report: Building Trust With Better Communications

After a year of research, we're excited to release “Philanthropy’s New Voice: Building Trust With Deeper Stories and Clear Language,” the largest study of narratives in philanthropy. It offers science-backed strategies for foundations to build understanding and trust, including: 

  • Insights about how audiences with different demographics, ideologies, and experiences receive stories about philanthropy;
  • Actionable guidance on the types of stories that will bring more transparency and clarity to your work; 
  • Reflections from individuals in the policy sphere about philanthropy; and
  • Suggestions for transparent, clear, and accurate language that better represents the work that foundations do.

Download the report free.

Download the details of our research, including findings, interview protocols, and survey instruments for each of the methods.

Join Us!

We look forward to creating tools to help philanthropy adopt these recommendations and build trust in our sector. We hope you'll join us by: