Why People Stay Stuck in Poverty: Understanding the Welfare Cliff

Overcoming the Busyness Trap: Three Disciplines for Charity Practitioners

Episode Summary The demands of charity work can make every task feel urgent. Emails pile up, problems arise, and the important work gets crowded out by whatever is loudest. In this episode, Dan Remmenga — nonprofit leader, fundraising strategist, and founder of C3 Cultivation — shares how three simple disciplines can help charity practitioners escape the busyness trap and lead with clarity and faithfulness. Drawing from personal experience and biblical examples, Dan walks through a practical framework rooted in Scripture: pray, prioritize, and protect. Whether you lead a large nonprofit or serve as a solo practitioner, this conversation offers a timely reminder that doing less — with intention — is often the most faithful thing you can do. You'll Learn: * Why urgency is often the enemy of your most important work — and how to stop letting it win. * How starting your day in prayer creates space for wisdom and better decision-making. * A simple method for identifying the two or three things with the greatest Kingdom impact in your work. * Why Nehemiah's boldness is a model for protecting your priorities in ministry today. Memorable Quotes “Urgency has a loud voice. Meanwhile, the few activities that create the most value and move the mission forward are ignored or postponed.” “Name your priorities. Then guard them like your life depends on it.” What's Next? Learn more about effective, relational charity through the True Charity YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TrueCharityUS [https://www.youtube.com/@TrueCharityUS] If you're a network member, explore practical leadership and ministry tools through the True Charity Member Portal: https://members.truecharity.us/ [https://members.truecharity.us/] Not a member? Discover how True Charity is equipping a movement of practitioners committed to faithful, focused, dignity-driven care: https://www.truecharity.us/ [https://www.truecharity.us/] Thank you for listening! If this episode encouraged you, please leave a review — it helps more people find the show. This educational content is just the tip of the iceberg for practical resources available through the True Charity Network [https://www.truecharity.us/membership/]. Check out how it can help you learn, connect, and influence here. [https://www.truecharity.us/membership/] Already a member? Access all your benefits through the member portal [https://members.truecharity.us/].

More Than a Handout

Episode Summary What does transformational generosity actually look like — and is it possible to give more than a handout without giving less money? In this episode, Jeff Ferguson, True Charity's Vice President of Advancement, tackles a question that stopped a room of nonprofit donors cold: if effective charity means being with rather than doing for, should donors give less? Jeff's answer is a resounding no — but it does require something deeper. Drawing on Scripture and the insights of Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert's When Helping Hurts, Jeff lays out three disciplines for donors and nonprofit leaders who want their generosity to produce lasting transformation rather than dependency. Whether you're a donor wondering if your giving is making a real difference, or a nonprofit leader trying to help your donors understand the mission more deeply, this episode will challenge and equip you. You'll Learn: * Why the real question isn't how much to give — but what kind of generosity produces transformation. * How discernment, relationships, and a focus on empowerment can reshape the way donors engage. * Practical questions every donor should ask before investing in a nonprofit or ministry. * Why relational giving — not just financial giving — is what moves people from crisis to flourishing. Memorable Quotes “The donor’s question that night shouldn’t have been whether generosity should decrease — but what kind of generosity produces transformation.” “Effective charity focused on the dignity and worth of the individual does not require less of an investment — it requires more.” What's Next? Learn more about effective, relational charity through the True Charity YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TrueCharityUS [https://www.youtube.com/@TrueCharityUS] If you're a network member, explore the Giving Guide and other donor education tools through the True Charity Member Portal: https://members.truecharity.us/ [https://members.truecharity.us/] Not a member? Discover how True Charity is building a movement where generosity goes beyond the handout — and changes lives from the inside out: https://www.truecharity.us/ [https://www.truecharity.us/] Thank you for listening! If this episode encouraged you, please leave a review — it helps more people find the show. This educational content is just the tip of the iceberg for practical resources available through the True Charity Network [https://www.truecharity.us/membership/]. Check out how it can help you learn, connect, and influence here. [https://www.truecharity.us/membership/] Already a member? Access all your benefits through the member portal [https://members.truecharity.us/].

Hopeful Together: The True Charity Summit as Encouragement

Episode Summary Effective charity can be lonely work. When you’re committed to relational, dignity-driven care in a world still largely defined by handout culture, it’s easy to feel like you’re fighting the battle alone. The True Charity Summit exists to change that. In this episode, Cole Edmonson recaps the 2026 True Charity Summit in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, where over 200 practitioners from 27 states gathered for two and a half days of connection, equipping, and encouragement. From keynote sessions to spontaneous beach conversations, the Summit proved once again that the effective charity movement is alive, growing, and full of hope. If you’ve ever wished you could find your people — this episode is your invitation. You'll Learn: * What the True Charity Summit is and why practitioners keep coming back year after year. * How the 2026 Summit equipped attendees with fresh tools, perspectives, and relationships to take home. * Who won this year’s Excellence in Charity and Waypoint Awards — and what made their work stand out. * How to be part of the movement at the 2027 Summit in Holland, Michigan. Memorable Quotes “I have finally found my people! The Summit covered it all and I could not be more grateful!” — Melissa Demopoulos, Bringing Children Hope “I went to the True Charity Summit and definitely felt like I found my people. I kept saying over and over again, ‘I can’t believe I didn’t know about this before.’” — Traci Slager, Love INC Newaygo What's Next? Watch highlights and past sessions on the True Charity YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TrueCharityUS If you’re a network member, connect with fellow practitioners and explore Summit resources through the True Charity Member Portal: https://members.truecharity.us/ [https://members.truecharity.us/] Not yet a member — or ready to join us in Holland? Learn more about the movement and the 2027 Summit at TrueCharity.us: https://www.truecharity.us/ [https://www.truecharity.us/] Thank you for listening! If this episode encouraged you, please leave a review — it helps more people find the show. This educational content is just the tip of the iceberg for practical resources available through the True Charity Network [https://www.truecharity.us/membership/]. Check out how it can help you learn, connect, and influence here. [https://www.truecharity.us/membership/] Already a member? Access all your benefits through the member portal [https://members.truecharity.us/].

TC Summit 2026 General Session - Michael Matheson Miller

Michael Matheson Miller, Senior Research Fellow and Chief of Strategic Initiatives at the Acton Institute, illuminates the connection between the design of the human person and poverty alleviation work, equipping us with a richer vision of purpose and meaning in what we do each day. This educational content is just the tip of the iceberg for practical resources available through the True Charity Network [https://www.truecharity.us/membership/]. Check out how it can help you learn, connect, and influence here. [https://www.truecharity.us/membership/] Already a member? Access all your benefits through the member portal [https://members.truecharity.us/].

TC Summit 2026 General Session - Panel Discussion

Join us for a powerful panel discussion on this year’s conference theme, By Design. Featuring two case managers and two program participants from Network member organizations, this conversation will offer a firsthand look at what dignifying, empowering, and hospitable case management looks like in practice. This educational content is just the tip of the iceberg for practical resources available through the True Charity Network [https://www.truecharity.us/membership/]. Check out how it can help you learn, connect, and influence here. [https://www.truecharity.us/membership/] Already a member? Access all your benefits through the member portal [https://members.truecharity.us/].