The article is devoted to the analysis of the scientific heritage of Mery Elen Richmond. A cornerstone of building the social work profession, Mary Richmond was known for her ability to organize communities, her development of casework practice, as well as her ability to teach and speak intelligently on a wide array of subjects. The subject of the article is the provisions on the activities of charitable organizations in the United States during the life and work of the researcher. The article describes the main problems in the activities of charitable organizations of the late 19th - early 20th centuries During this time Richmond was connected to the COS, she demonstrated her qualities as a leader, teacher, and practical theorist; ; revealed the functions of charitable organizations in the theory and practice of M. E. Richmond; described possible provisions for improving the activities of charitable organizations in accordance with the legacy of Mary Ellen Richmond, who is considered a principle founder of the profession of social work and the importance of professional education. Her first principle was that care had to focus on the person within their situation. Building on extensive research, she developed what she labelled ‘social diagnosis’. Her famous circle diagram visualized the correspondence of client and environment. Richmond identified six sources of power that are available to clients and their social workers: sources within the household, in the person of the client, in the neighborhood and wider social network, in civil agencies, in private and public agencies. This is a precursor of the system theory that was so popular in 1970’s social work.