How Direct Service Organizations Break the Cycle of Distrust in Civic Engagement

ACCESS is a Michigan-based nonprofit organization focused on building community and fostering civic trust. We understand that people connect with people, especially if they’re community members, and our approach to civic engagement reflects that. When our canvassers are out in the community, our priority is making sure people’s needs are met. We work to connect them to health, education, housing, food, and economic development services, all before talking about voting. Trust takes time and conversation, and we are committed to that.

In 2025, most people don’t trust elected officials or the media. Only 22 percent of Americans believe that elected officials in Washington do the right thing all or most of the time. At the same time, trust in legacy media continues to decline, particularly among younger generations, with people under 30 consistently viewing social media as equally trustworthy as national news outlets.

This trust deficit raises a question that’s vital to the future of American democracy: Where can people turn for reliable and credible information on civic engagement?

The answer lies within the direct service organizations that already serve as trusted lifelines in our communities, organizations like ACCESS.

Founded by a group of dedicated volunteers in 1971 out of a storefront in the south end of Dearborn, Michigan, ACCESS began as a small community effort to support immigrant families adapting to life in the United States. Today, the organization has grown to include 11 locations and more than 120 programs, offering social, economic, health and educational services to Michiganders of all backgrounds.

People turn to community-based nonprofit organizations like ACCESS because they trust them. They know these organizations exist to help them navigate systemic inequities, not to advance a political agenda. Civic engagement can’t exist without trust. When Americans trust the messenger, they’re more likely to participate in the democratic process. Direct service organizations are in the unique position to connect the dots between economic, health, and educational services to the political process that builds America’s social safety net.

Nonprofit organizations are uniquely positioned to promote civic engagement; their mission focuses on people, not politics. Direct service organizations can connect their communities to civic tools and strengthen our democracy through:

• Get out the vote campaigns. Voter outreach includes phone banking, door-knocking, and tabling. The most important part of the work is that communities are engaged in community spaces that are more familiar to them.

• Voter protection. Direct services organizations can address misinformation and disinformation meant to suppress the community’s voting power. This is a crucial part of engagement.

• Election information. Informing the public about the issues at play in U.S. elections are directly connected to ensuring engagement. Culturally relevant fact sheets, social media graphics, videos, and templates all can encourage civic participation.

Direct service organizations like ACCESS meet people where they are. Nobody is better equipped to engage Americans in civic life than those already embedded in their lives and communities. Through decades of service, ACCESS has become a cornerstone of civic engagement in Michigan, working to ensure that every voice is heard.

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Shams al-Badry is the Civic Engagement Manager of the National Network for Arab American Communities, an institution of ACCESS.