Read no further than the first line of the report, “BROKE: How the Nonprofit and Philanthropic Sectors are Talking About Poverty – and How We Can Do Better,” and you’ll hear a loud and alarming wake-up call: “Our research shows that organizations in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors are reinforcing repressive, victim-blaming narratives that shift fault and responsibility for poverty from greedy corporations and unfair laws to ordinary people.”

The report, a collaboration between The Center for Public Interest Communications and the Radical Communicators Network, analyzes the language, framing and narratives around both poverty and wealth – or, in plain language, why the rich get rich and the poor stay poor. Its conclusions show how nonprofits, foundations and others working in this area have unintentionally made matters worse, but the report also offers recommendations on how they can start improving their communications immediately. Download the full report here.