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How can the poor have their say in agencies working to solve poverty? Social work practice, religion and governance inclusion

Brian R. Corbin

Published 2025 in Social Thought

ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT Administration and governance remain critical to good social work practices. However, debates about low-income persons’ involvement in nonprofit corporations’ decision-making remain muffled. As we celebrate the 60th anniversary year of the War on Poverty (1964–2024), what are some lessons learned from the one-time priority of low-income voices engaged in the governance and planning of anti-poverty nonprofits to today’s insights from the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEI&B) literature regarding the incentives and obstacles to low-income and marginalized persons’ participation in the governance of the organizations created to serve them? Lessons learned specifically from Catholic-funded organizations, which play a significant role in this research, serve as a focal point on how religion impacts social welfare institutional practices. This paper shares learnings about how various organizations engaged low-income and marginalized persons in their governance through a case study of the community development corporations (CDCs) – some funded by the Catholic Church – and community service agency (CSA) network in Youngstown, Ohio, USA. The Delphi process involving CEOs and board members, along with social network theory, provides further insights into the salient factors affecting the access and barriers to low-income persons’ participation in corporate governance.

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