Ennoble | A True Charity Podcast

A trusted employee resigns. Team conflict simmers. Dedicated staff show signs of burnout. Leaders respond with more meetings, more training, another staff retreat — and the same problems return anyway.

 In this episode, Heather Isaac, Director of Consulting Services at Life on Belay, digs into three "separate" problems that usually share one root cause: an organization that has never clearly defined — or consistentl...

Some of the people who understand public policy best have never set foot in a state capital. They're the nonprofit leader helping a single mother keep her family housed, the caseworker watching a father turn down a raise because he can't tell how it will affect his benefits, the pastor whose church quietly covers gaps no government program was built to reach. They see the exact point where policy meets a person — and in this ...

Show Notes: 

A one-time act of kindness feels good in the moment, but Scripture doesn't frame care for the poor as optional or occasional. Learn what it actually takes to move from scattered acts of generosity to sustained, relational service.

 Drawing on her own experience building lasting ministry relationships, Sonya Stearns walks through a practical, five-step framework for finding — and sticking with — the ...

Roughly one in three Americans receive some form of federal financial assistance — and behind every statistic is a person trapped in dependency, cut off from the relationships and opportunities that could help them flourish for good. True Charity Network members work on the front lines of that crisis every day, and their firsthand experience is exactly what policymakers need to hear. In this episode, we walk through six legis...

If your dashboard is always green, you might be measuring the wrong things. True Charity has long pushed ministries to track outcomes — long-term life change — instead of just outputs, or activity. But more data collection brings its own tangle of problems. In this episode, we walk through seven tough questions every ministry should ask before adding another metric to the dashboard, so your data drives real stewardship ...

Ideas and implementation are not the same thing. Just as an aspiring pilot needs both the classroom and the cockpit, effective charity practitioners need to know what to do and what it looks like to actually do it. In this episode, we walk through nine field-tested models — pulled straight from True Charity Network members who've lived them out — that turn effective charity theory into real, dignity-affirming practice.

E...

True Charity's Amanda Fisher walks Summit attendees through ten field-tested program models that move ministries beyond the handout and into real, dignity-affirming change.

In just a few fast-paced minutes per model, she unpacks Earn-It Projects, Food Co-ops, Christmas Markets, Mentorship Programs, Self-Reliance Clubs, Award for Performance, Work Shuttles, Childcare Co-ops, Discounted Provider Networks, and Charitable Loans — ...

Episode Summary

This month's Ennoble episode features a bold, satirical piece from James Whitford: a parody in the tradition of C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters, imagining what the Devil himself might think of the American Dream as the nation marks its 250th birthday. 

Writing from the voice of the Adversary, Whitford traces how the phrase "pursuit of Happiness" — originally rooted in Jefferson's substitution for Locke's...

Episode Summary

This month's Ennoble episode dives into a 2023 study from the American Journal of Preventive Medicine examining what happens when SNAP recipients face work requirements — and whether cutting government food assistance actually leads to greater hunger. 

You'll Learn

• How researchers used a "natural experiment" to isolate the real effects of SNAP work requirements on hunger
• The three key findings from the Gu...

Episode Summary

This month's Ennoble episode takes listeners to Southeast Georgia, where a growing movement of over twenty-five organizations — nonprofits, funders, and churches alike — is putting effective charity principles into practice. Author Amanda Fisher traces how the region moved beyond one-way, emergency-only giving toward a shared commitment to long-term, dignity-driven transformation.

You'll Learn

• How over ...

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 sta...

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 ...

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 p...

Rachel explores the vital role of proximity and place in pursuing holistic work alongside people in poverty. Drawing on her experience with LOVEtheLOU, she will share practical examples of cultivating grassroots leadership, creating opportunity within at-risk neighborhoods, and walking with communities as they navigate challenges toward flourishing.

This educational content is just the tip of the iceberg for practical resources avai...

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 Networ...

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. Check out how it can help yo...

Episode Summary

Navigating charitable solicitation registration requirements can feel overwhelming, but failing to comply with state fundraising laws can carry serious consequences for nonprofits. In this episode, Frank DeVito breaks down what nonprofit leaders need to know about charitable solicitation registration, state exemptions, donor contact requirements, and ongoing compliance obligations.

You’ll learn:<...

Episode Summary

Charity work can be deeply rewarding — and deeply discouraging. In this episode, Bethany Herron shares two powerful stories that reveal both the heartbreak and hope found in relational charity work.

This conversation explores why dignity-driven charity requires tenacity, relationships, and patience — and why faithfulness matters even when outcomes feel uncertain. Whether you are a donor, volunt...