Early GivingTuesday reporting showed giving remained flat despite inflation and so much uncertainty in the world right now. Donor participation was down 10% from the previous year. All in all, it’s a mixed bag! What can nonprofits do?
Build Trust!
We trust those we care about to communicate honestly and with transparency. Donors expect the same from nonprofits. Almost 70% of those surveyed, in BBB’s Give.org’s “Donor Trust Report”, said it’s important to trust a nonprofit before giving to them.
Here’s the kicker, only 20% of those surveyed “highly trust charities”. How do we begin to close that gap. The report provides some “trust signals” for nonprofits.
How can we close the trust gap leading to increased funding? The number one thing nonprofits can do to signal trust, across all generations, is share your organization’s accomplishments. This has increased from 44% in 2017 to 59% at the end of 2022.
Share how many children attended your student matinee. Share how many volunteers you trained for counseling, share the news about that new partnership with another nonprofit and how that’s going to support those you serve. Share your accomplishments!
You are doing amazing work in your community and people want to know.
Be sure you are communicating your accomplishments using multi-channel communications. Remember, different generations have different communication preferences.
Creating trust takes time through intentional relationship building and engaging your constituents. The first step towards trust appears to be communicating your organization’s accomplishments.
If trusting your organization, by communicating your accomplishments, can lead to increased giving, then perhaps, it’s time to look at what you are saying and how often it’s being said.
Let’s talk if I can support you in closing the trust gap.