The Learning Curve Chronicles: Bootstraps, Benefits, and Wealth Building
- 10 hours ago
- 7 min read
In this monthly blog series, Circles USA Chief Learning Officer Kris Alexander shares insights on her learning journey, sources of inspiration, and what excites her about her work. The column offers a behind-the-scenes perspective on the learning curve that drives growth and progress at CUSA as we continually deepen and enhance our mission of building community to end poverty.
Let’s discuss bootstraps, benefits, and barn raising. I highly recommend you go watch our Executive Director’s keynote address at the 2025 CUSA Leadership Conference, because her talk on these themes is powerful. I’ve watched it about four times, and get something different each time.
As a quick refresher, “bootstraps” and “benefits” are the two primary camps that people tend to be in when it comes to the solution for poverty. Bootstraps focuses on personal responsibility: the individual or family needs to take control of their lives, as in “pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” Benefits, on the other hand, focuses on communal responsibility: working on policy and systems that provide support and safety nets to help people out of poverty. Scott Miller, founder of Circles USA, even co-wrote a book called Bootstraps and Benefits with conservative Denise Rhoades on the merits of both.
Circles recognizes that both personal and communal responsibility are necessary, and we call this third way “barnraising.” In her address, Kamatara describes the non-denominational process as “old-fashioned barn raising. A whole town coming together to help one family build what they need. There’s no hierarchy—just neighbors shoulder to shoulder, each giving what they can… When the barn is complete, everyone stands back with that deep sense of satisfaction that comes from shared effort. The family is stronger, but so is the town. The relationships forged in that work become the fabric of belonging.”
I grew up solidly middle class, and I had an incredibly privileged childhood. When I was 15 my parents divorced, and our economic status changed to skirting the line between lower-middle class and poverty. Later, through most of my twenties and as a young single mom, I was in poverty. I skirted that same line long into my 30s. Even then, I was afforded many opportunities as a result of my middle class mindset and upbringing, as well as the friends I had through my faith community.
In those years, I had a very harsh outlook on myself and others who were struggling financially. I was bootstraps through-and-through, and firmly believed that my poverty was my own fault. If I could only be better/smarter/stronger/more hardworking, I would get out of poverty. This was my judgment of others experiencing poverty as well.
Then, I learned more about the systems in place in the United States and how they make upward mobility incredibly difficult. As my personal financial situation shifted due to my hard work, my privilege, a little bit of luck, and a lot of social capital, I also shifted to a benefits mindset. I recognized all the people and systems that were supporting me in my upward mobility.
For many years I was almost 100% “benefits,” recognizing the many systemic barriers and the oppression that keep marginalized people in poverty. This mindset caused me to stop hustling to become personally wealthy, focusing instead on my basic needs and perhaps a little comfort. I felt that if we can’t all be wealthy and thriving together, I shouldn’t be on my own. As Civil Rights Activist Fannie Lou Hamer said, “Nobody is free until everybody is free.” However, the fallacy of this pure-benefits mindset is that we can’t change systems from the outside in; we have to operate from the inside out.
When I joined Circles USA, I realized I needed to have a more open mindset about bootstraps. Circles USA, as a barnraising organization, recognizes the pros and cons of both sides and focuses on bringing people together across lines of difference. I need to be a person who is open to those who believe something different from myself. Yes, I need to practice what I preach and be curious rather than judgmental. As a result, I have shifted much closer to center, recognizing the merits of personal agency and the need for individuals to take control of their lives and mindset—while still understanding the systemic barriers that keep people in poverty.
In Trauma of Money, the (amazing) program I went through last year to become a certified Trauma of Money facilitator, the focus was very much on benefits. The program recognizes all of the ways that these systems we are operating in (patriarchy, white supremacy, late stage capitalism, corporate greed) are keeping people in poverty and making upward mobility nearly impossible. They also teach about the trauma that these systems inflict on everyone, regardless of economic status or personal identity.
The conclusion of Trauma of Money, after exploring systemic barriers and oppression, teaches that we need to become individually wealthy in order to operate within those systems, especially capitalism. This is radically different from the conclusion I came to personally. Trauma of Money suggests we can utilize our privilege and power for our personal upward mobility, uplifting everyone else in turn.
This has been a pretty radical shift in mindset for me. I am now (trying to) look at my life through the lens of working to become wealthy, with the goal of making big changes in the systems. This is a new way of thinking, and a new way of showing up… And I have to admit, my success in this area is slow moving. I still feel indignant when people strongly advocate for bootstraps solutions without acknowledging the systemic barriers families experience.
Cue Twana Greene entering my life. Twana is the Director of Circles Washtenaw County in Michigan, and she is incredible. She is personally building her wealth, which allows her to utilize more of her time, money, and extensive talents to uplift others through Circles. Basically, she is living what Trauma of Money teaches. We were meeting the other day, and she told me about her new Wealth-Building Book Club that she is hosting with her friends and family. I immediately inserted myself, asking if I could join. It was clear to me that she has a ton of knowledge that I could learn from her. She graciously accepted my intrusion, and I am now reading Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids about Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! by Robert T Kiyosaki with the group.
This book makes me so uncomfortable. He has a strong bootstraps mindset and often ignores the realities that people face. There are even times he seems to insist we should worry about getting ours first, and leave others to fend for themselves. He has some serious misconceptions about our responsibility to one another and our community. Those pitfalls aside, he is also a genius around money and growing wealth within capitalism. This book, combined with Twana’s knowledge and organization, (she created a shared document with takeaways and action steps for us for every chapter of the book. Y’all, I cannot stress enough how amazing she is, and how lucky we are to have her at Circles) has taught me so much. We are only on chapter 3, and I can already feel my brain rewiring into a wealth mindset, building myself up as I build others up, and recognizing that my personal wealth brings communal wealth.
Twana is a beautiful example of this. Because she has created passive income for herself, she has more time and energy to devote to helping others. She is a philanthropist, supporting her community by funding projects and organizations that positively impact everyone around her.
Another way personal wealth builds communal wealth is through buying local. Large corporations can often keep prices lower than small, local businesses, so when money is tight we tend to prioritize cost over community sustainability. When we have more disposable income, we can shop more intentionally. That choice not only puts money directly into our neighbors’ pockets, it also reduces the strain on resources that comes when goods travel long distances.
And finally, wealth is closely correlated with health. As we grow wealth individually, our access to healthcare, nutritious food, rest, and preventative support expands. The healthier we are, the more capacity we have to show up for one another and for our community.
Reminding myself that my personal wealth strengthens collective wellbeing helps me feel grounded and aligned as I build financial literacy and expand my portfolio. The time and energy I invest becomes part of a larger cycle of good, increasing my ability to use whatever privilege I hold in service of those around me.
No matter the framework, whether bootstraps, benefits, barnraising, or something else, there is one belief they tend to share: money is a tool. We choose how to use it. In our society, money translates into power, and access to money carries privilege. The more individuals with this access in our communities, the better off everyone will be.
All of this leads me back to the importance of Circles. We are building communities to end poverty; and communities thrive best when they are well resourced, with plenty of opportunities and relationships to uplift everyone. It is yet another bonus of bringing people together across lines of difference. We not only have our Circle Leaders—those working to leave poverty behind—but we also have volunteers coming alongside them from all income levels. Allies and partners with resources are bringing their social capital to Circles, and their personal wealth increases prosperity for all. We are changing the country: one person, one relationship, one community, and one system at a time.
Read more from Kris on her monthly Circles USA blog, The Learning Curve Chronicles:
Building Community to End Poverty for 25+ Years
