James Whitford
Founder & CEO
Read more from James

 

Listen to this article:


If you’ve attempted to help others out of poverty for any length of time, chances are you’ve run into a question that no amount of concerted effort will make go away. It’s one that’s plagued just about everyone good-hearted and giving enough to try to make a difference:

“Is this doing anyone any good?”

Handouts lead to more handouts — to the same people. More handouts lead to expectations — from the same people plus others they tell about the stuff they’re getting. Expectations eventually lead to dependency that traps them in a hopeless cycle of enslavement to “what others can do for me.” 

Twenty years into poverty alleviation, I’ve seen it — and seen it everywhere. That’s why I’ve shared my thoughts in my new book, The Crisis of Dependency: How Our Efforts to Solve Poverty Are Trapping People In It And What We Can Do To Foster Freedom Instead. 

In the following excerpt, I share one of the most valuable lessons we can learn in moving away from that question so we turn our well-intentioned effort into truly effective charity. As I point out, doing so means moving one step closer to bringing justice to those we serve: 

Every few months, a handful of students from our men’s long-term recovery program spend a week with me and my wife. We have morning devotions together, eat together, work outdoors together, and enjoy time fishing, throwing horseshoes, or laughing around a campfire. These men all meet the standard definition of poverty, but there’s no sign of that during our week together. It’s seven days of sacrifice, effort, and solidarity rooted in compassion, responsibility, and relationship. These means to an end become an end in itself — justice. This isn’t easy but it’s beautiful. It is to desire being with more than doing for.

Bruce gets this. He lives in White Clay, Nebraska, with his wife, Marsha. They founded a ministry to help the Lakota Natives on the reservation in Pineridge, South Dakota. This particular reservation is one of the most impoverished areas in the Western Hemisphere, rivaled only by Haiti.

Once, Bruce and I were in his truck heading north from White Clay to Pineridge, and he was lamenting the constant barrage of short-term mission trips. He said something I’ve remembered for years: “James, I want people to stop coming and doing for the Lakota people. I want them to come and be with the Lakota people.” After living there for years, Bruce and Marsha have learned that good intentions often result in a lot of activity, but that doing for rather than being with is a means that falls woefully short of justice.

Bruce and Marsha have the hearts we all need — hearts to trade short-term, long-distance mission trips for short-distance, long-term relationships. And it is in those relationships that we get close enough to understand the real need. There are no “distant” fixes for poverty…

The last time I visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, I was there to see one specific name on a wall of 58,318 names memorialized for the ultimate sacrifice they paid on the battlefield: William H. Pitsenbarger, or “Pits.”

On April 11, 1966, thirty-five miles east of Saigon, twenty-one-year old United States Airforce pararescueman William Pitsenbarger was lowered through the trees by a helicopter into a firefight where injured Army soldiers were pinned down. He tended to their injuries and helped soldiers into the lift basket. When the helicopter began taking on enemy fire, the pilot called Pitsenbarger to return to the chopper, but Pits waved him on, remaining with the other wounded soldiers, improvising splints and stretchers out of vines and saplings. It’s estimated that he saved sixty men that day before he was shot and killed by a Viet Cong sniper.

Pitsenbarger knew the only way to help these men was to be in the fight with them. Dumping aid from a chopper would have been futile. Sure, they could have simply dropped crates of bandages, tourniquets, and morphine syringes, and then they could have flown away saying they did something for the injured. But Pits knew that in order for each soldier to receive what he really needed, he needed to be with them. Each man required individualized triage for his unique injury.

In other words, to do for them well, he had to be with them first.

The same is true for impoverished individuals. There is no way to shortcut the process of helping people out of poverty. Ultimately, it requires someone who desires “being with” before “doing for.” Unfortunately, our country and communities have a tremendous number of energetic planners who want to do something about poverty more than they want to be with people in poverty. And as long as that inversion persists, the poor will never receive the relational inspiration or the social capital required to escape poverty; they will never be welcomed into circles where new opportunities are born; and they will never be encouraged toward avenues that create wealth.

 

Help people gain lasting freedom from dependency! For more of these key principles, order your copy of James’ book today.  


 

Bethany Herron staff portraitBETHANY HERRON
Vice President of Education
Read more from Bethany

 

Listen to this article:

 

 

“We just knew that we weren’t doing it well, but we weren’t really sure what to do. True Charity helped us find some of those answers.”

This feedback from one of our network members is a common chorus across our community. When I first joined the True Charity team, I felt it too. As a ministry spouse with years of experience in church benevolence, I always knew what we did wasn’t working. At the time, I chalked it up to living in a fallen world. “We live in a brokenness,” I often thought, “so there’s nothing more we can do.”

I’m glad I was wrong.

What a small vision I had of God’s redemptive work! And, what a surface-level understanding of the implications of mankind made in God’s image (the Imago Dei). Like many of our network members, I was fueled by compassion. Yet, I didn’t understand that how I practiced charity — and equally important, my hope for those in poverty — truly mattered. 

My charity was meant to be broader than simply sharing the Gospel and feeding the hungry. God created every individual with intrinsic value — and they aren’t hopeless. Quite the opposite — God’s heart for the poor is restorative. May our imaginations be awakened to consider the beauty to be found when relationships with God, others, self, and the rest of Creation are restored — not just for ourselves but for those in poverty. 

 

Where Do You Go When Something Feels Off in Your Charitable Practice?

“Without counsel, plans fail, but with many advisers, they succeed.” (Proverbs 15:22).

So, where should we go when something feels off? We seek counsel — from the Lord and from the Scriptures. But we should also seek it from others who have already figured out what works and what doesn’t.

One of the best places to find this type of community is the True Charity Network. It’s a hub for collaboration — a place to train, connect, and strengthen your poverty alleviation ministry — whether you’re not sure what to do next or have discovered something you must share with others.

Thinking back, I often wonder how our church’s benevolence programs would’ve changed if we had advisers in the field to learn from.

How to Tap Into the Resources Available

If you’ve ever explored one of our resources — whether it was a training video on mental illness or guidance on how to start a specific program — that information comes from our 220+ network members and business partners who share what works (and what doesn’t).

But did you know this community doesn’t just exist scattered across the nation? Once a year, the True Charity Summit gathers practitioners like you to train, connect, and strengthen one another. 

Here’s What to Expect at the Summit

The True Charity Summit is more than just a conference; it’s a gathering of passionate individuals committed to seeing lives changed through effective, dignified charity. It’s a place where ministry leaders, nonprofit professionals, and advocates come together to advise one another towards poverty alleviation that leads to flourishing.

One past attendee put it this way:

“The Summit puts under one roof like-minded, servant-hearted individuals seeking guidance and direction on behalf of those they pray over in their daily walk. Sharing stories and best practices leads to problem-solving and inspiration by the Spirit. It takes a village to solve issues of this magnitude, and True Charity is a fabulous village resource!”

It’s simple. We are stronger together.

Where Has the Summit Been and Where Will It Be?

For years, Summit attendees gathered in communities close to Joplin, Missouri, near Watered Gardens, the rescue mission where True Charity began. But as the Network has grown, so has the reach of the Summit.

In April 2025, we’re taking it on the road — to Huntsville, Alabama!

With more space, more speakers, and more attendees than ever before, it’s set to be our biggest gathering yet. If you’ve been searching for advisors or wondering if there’s a better way forward, the answer is “yes” — and this is your chance to find that out.

What Does the Summit Content Look Like?

Each year, you’ll hear from dynamic, mainstage speakers who are experienced experts in the poverty alleviation space. 

In 2025, they include: 

  • Dr. Brian Fikkert — Founder of the Chalmers Center, Co-author of When Helping Hurts
  • James Whitford — CEO & Co-founder of True Charity and Watered Gardens Ministries, author of The Crisis of Dependency
  • Megan Rose — President & CEO of Better Together
  • Jules Glanzer — Senior Consultant at The Timothy Group, author of The Sound of Leadership

In addition, you’ll benefit from the networking and nitty-gritty that happens in over thirty breakout sessions.  

In 2025, you can choose from breakouts across five key tracks:

  • Building New Programs — Learn how to launch programs that truly empower people (rather than create dependency).
  • Program Refinement — Assess, measure, and improve your current programs for deeper relational impact.
  • Fundraising & Volunteerism — Develop strategies for attracting, equipping, and retaining donors and volunteers who believe in your mission.
  • Influence — Discover how to expand impact beyond your walls through advocacy, community engagement, and awareness strategies.
  • Infrastructure — Strengthen your mission from the inside out through leadership, sustainability, and avoiding burnout.

If you’ve been searching for a gathering of charity practitioners to learn and grow with – ones passionate about helping others move from temporary aid to true transformation, the annual True Charity Summit is for you! 

To learn more about the True Charity Summit, visit truecharity.us/summit.