Comment pouvez-vous établir une relation de confiance avec des soutiens potentiels ?

Value exchange and win-win mind of thinking can build trust with potential supporters. This value can be money, skill, caring, a hug, a beautiful smile and greetings, and etc.

JC'S Place Inc. is helping homeless Veterans with job readiness, and financial literacy. We are in the process of having a Charity Fashion Show to raise money for transitional housing for our homeless veterans.

A great way to show impact is a case study. A basic format can be problem to solution with insight into the impact the funding made. Whenever you can and as often as you can, tell supporters what you did with their money!

Highlight the ways different types of funding fuels your work. For example, I have a client that can track and share small but powerful stories of how unrestricted funding supported everything from last-minute clothes purchases for children they served who had outgrown their school uniforms to middle-of-the-night locksmiths to keep another client safe after requesting a restraining order. On the other hand, they can share how restricted funding reassured staff and programs running during times of other organizational changes. These real-world stories aren't just about tugging heart strings: they're proof that your organization has done more with the money than the potential supporter could alone.

A bank won't loan you money without looking at your books. A foundation likely won't issue a grant without reviewing your budgets. Individual donors deserve the same opportunity to gather insight. Internal transparency can help foster external transparency, too: your staff, board, and supporters should all have a similar view of what's going on and what possibilities lie ahead.

The African Proverb is “if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”. I know we’ve all heard this before. In fact, we were all most likely in situations where we’ve measured our progress due to the team we’ve cultivated or haven’t cultivated. Building trust in collaboration is essential, even I am still learning this. Being able to collaborate without the fear that someone may pick up our idea and make it their own shows transparency and ultimately make others want to be transparent with you as well. Continuous acknowledgment of the progress of people around you not only makes people feel good, but provokes a sort of motivation in them to want to connect and build with you.

Get to know your supporters and think about what they would get excited about. For example, I once learned that one of our small donors loved interior design as a side hobby. After inviting her to help us create a more welcoming training room, she ended up becoming a large donor with a multi-year gift. Definitely a win-win!

In the most simple terms, just be human. Be real and talk to your supporters like you would a friend. The more ‘you’ you are the easier it will be for supporters to connect to you. You can then build on that transparent connection which leads to trust

Yes to all the ways outlined here to build trust. Reminder that a key to building trust is consistency. If we only sporadically do the actions described in this article, building trust will be difficult. Consistency compounds.