Angela F. Williams is President and CEO of United Way Worldwide.
The world is changing fast. One day brings a new natural disaster; the next, another economic swing. World alliances shift, new leaders take the stage and the pace of change can feel overwhelming.
In 2024, half the world’s population lived in countries that held elections. Despite these opportunities for civic engagement, people feel more divided than ever, with trust in institutions across the globe eroding. Thankfully, there are some bright spots.
At a time when everything seems in flux, civil society—the network of nonprofits, community groups and grassroots organizations throughout the world—remains focused on collective missions and societal impact. These organizations bring people together in ways that governments and businesses increasingly struggle to do. And now, perhaps more than ever before, we need civil society to lead as a trusted, unifying force to bridge gaps between people and address problems that communities are facing globally. Here’s why businesses should be invested in seeing civil society succeed, too:
A Mistrust In The Public And Private Sectors
In the U.S., last year 2% of Americans said they trusted the public sector to do what’s right “just about always,” and 21% trusted it “most of the time.” The private sector doesn’t fare much better, with only 30% of customers saying they “highly trust” companies. By contrast, 57% of Americans say they trust nonprofits—and that’s no surprise to me as a leader in the space.
Our goal as nonprofits is to show up in neighborhoods, in crises, in everyday life. Nonprofits often are typically nonpartisan and focus on the issues that matter most to communities: food security, education, health, financial empowerment and more. In my experience, people tend to turn to nonprofits in times of need for two main reasons: They are a source of trust and they deliver to people in need. No matter how political winds shift, civil society’s values remain rooted in universal human rights—values that can benefit everyone, regardless of race, gender, religion or ideology. And this focus on values equates to greater trust in the work nonprofits do. Businesses would be wise to adopt a similar approach.
Why It’s Important To Lead With Your Values
Governments increasingly are hamstrung by divisive political rhetoric. Corporations often are viewed as prioritizing profits over people. But civil society organizations, deeply embedded in communities and grounded in service, are uniquely positioned to build, nurture and maintain trust.
I saw this firsthand in Valdosta, Georgia, after Hurricane Milton. Amid devastation, I met a volunteer at one of our organizations who was eight months pregnant and experienced devastating destruction to her home—yet she was still out there, helping her neighbors get connected to vital resources. Similarly, on a recent trip to India, I met local leaders who built 10,000 percolation wells, improving access to clean drinking water in a city facing a critical water crisis. These stories aren’t just about filling gaps in government assistance or corporate or philanthropic funds—these stories are about offering hope and real, tangible solutions when people need them most.
What gives civil society its staying power is its deep connection to community. Yet, just as demand for civil society’s superpowers grows, resources supporting it are shrinking. In the U.S., overall charitable giving fell 2.1% from 2022 to 2023, with individual giving decreasing by 2.4%. Right now, our communities cannot afford to lose the critical support that nonprofit organizations provide.
That’s why now is the time for each of us to recommit to the organizations and causes we care about—your support as business leaders can help to fill this growing gap. While some corporations are stepping in, many are holding back—even as they report record profits. If the private sector truly wants to support communities, businesses should invest in trusted civil society organizations that understand local contexts where their stakeholders live and work, and are already making an impact, hand in hand with the people they serve.
Not only is this the right thing for businesses to do, but it is what their customers expect. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, customers believe CEOs are justified in addressing societal issues if the topics are relevant to their customers, employees or communities. By working with civil society organizations, private sector companies can more closely align themselves with their customers’ wishes, which in turn makes customers four times more likely to remain loyal to those brands.
The public sector, too, can benefit from civil society’s credibility and infrastructure. Nonprofits are positioned to engage citizens in productive conversations about shared solutions—helping to re-energize democratic participation from the ground up.
The challenges we face—economic uncertainty, natural disasters, political division—demand bold, collaborative action. Governments can’t do it alone. Businesses can only go so far. But if they partner with civil society, we can collectively bring people together, empower local changemakers and build a future grounded in trust and cooperation. As our challenges continue to grow and, at times, seem insurmountable, we must recognize and realize the untapped potential we can only unleash together. Our global challenges demand it, our shared future depends on it and the next generation deserves it.
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