As the working year begins and NPO, school and tertiary fundraising staff resume their duties, the focus is on raising money. Raising more money; raising money in new/innovative ways; CEOs and boards will be stepping up their pressure and asking for updated fundraising plans:
- How much money will be raised?
- From which donors?
- Via which methods?
- By when?
Questions such as these dominate. But many queries miss vital points. Too few (if any) fundraisers, CEOs or directors ask:
- How trusted is our NPO, school, university or faith-based organisation?
- What do people think of us?
- Have we ever tried to find out? If not, why not?
- Have we had bad publicity? If so, what did we do about it? Was it sufficient or did we just issue a media release?
- How seriously do we take our policies or are they just a compliance tick box exercise?
- What do we do about staff members or volunteers who commit crimes? Do have them prosecuted? Or do we quietly get rid of them to avoid a scandal?
As a fundraiser of over three decades and a resource mobilisation advisor, I am regularly asked for consulting time to address a thesaurus of variations of the: ‘How can we raise more money?’ questions.
I have never been asked for a session on addressing donors’ mistrust or gaining potential donors’ trust – or even for advice on strengthening the trust of existing donors to retain their support. After all, it’s primarily from current individual funders that legacy money will hail. They are also vital for much undesignated funding, to buy tickets to events, give to crowdfunding and capital campaigns and to support income generating initiatives.
Asking anyone – from seasoned fundraisers, NPO trustees, or even the ever-multiplying AI platforms – for advice on attaining, maintaining and regaining donors’ trust, results in lists (with much overlap). Suggestions cover everything from transparency and accountability and having clear missions and visions to strong governance and ethical practices, as well as building a competent board, ensuring ethical fundraising practices, and clearly demonstrating impact. These lists go on – and all points are important. More up-to-date versions highlight the importance of understanding and meeting the evolving expectations of donors; regularly surveying donors to understand their priorities, preferences, and concerns; as well as recognising and respecting the diverse backgrounds, values, and giving preferences of donors.
The Oxford Dictionary defines trust as: ‘The firm belief in the reliability, truth, or ability of someone or something’. And Merriam-Webster Dictionary tells us that truth is: ‘The assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something; one in which confidence is placed’.
Captain Tom Moore captured the hearts of people globally during the dark months of the pandemic when the world was in lockdown. His efforts raised £38.9 million (too many zeros to even try to convert to ZAR). Sadly, after his death, the trust in the 100-year-old Captain Tom, demonstrated by the 1.5 million donors worldwide who backed his efforts, was shattered when the UK’s Charity Commission investigation into The Captain Tom Foundation found ‘repeated instances of misconduct and/or mismanagement by the family’ [of the late fundraiser, who set up the charity in his name]. Â
The Commission’s report is critical of the conduct and actions of the Foundation’s former trustee and CEO (Hannah Ingram-Moore) and a former trustee (Colin Ingram-Moore). It sets out evidence of ‘serious failings in the charity’s management, including failures to act solely in the best interests of the charity and to effectively identify and manage conflicts of interest’. The report finds that Mr and Mrs Ingram-Moore, who are now disqualified from serving as charity trustees, were responsible for a ‘pattern of behaviour’ which saw them benefitting personally from their involvement in the charity. The failure to manage conflicts of interest arising from Mr and Mrs Ingram-Moore’s link to each other and the charity’s links to their private companies happened repeatedly and led to direct and indirect private benefit for the family.
Tragically, each such expose′ only serves to chip away at reducing people’s confidence in the non-profit world.Â
Lack of trust in an NPO (or the non-profit world in general) will negatively affect its fundraising, support for events and even income generating initiatives. Therefore, before trying to write more ‘winning’ fundraising copy, embracing new methods of raising money, expanding the advancement team, creating a board portfolio of Fundraising, spending money on social media advertising or any of the other obvious things (that, sadly, most NPO leaders and directors focus on), how about establishing how trusted an entity is???
- Is the theory of change (per project) updated, logical and an accurate reflection on how the organisation enables the impact that donors pay for? (Oops – does the NPO have such a document??)
- Is the Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (PMEL) in the theory of change at its optimal and being embraced by everyone within the organisation?
- When last (if ever) have donors been asked for their views?
- How about a short (no more than five question survey)?
- Please tell us what moved you to support our work?
- How do you talk about our organisation?
- Is there anything you feel we should change/improve?
- Do you feel comfortable to drop in to visit us, without prior arrangements?
- Have board members been asked why they serve? They should never be paid!
- Is everyone clear as to why the NPO’s volunteers give of their time? (Has anyone ever asked them?)
- How open is everyone within the NPO to innovation/adopting new technology to streamline and improve service delivery? Or do they resist as they think AI will take their jobs?
The lack of trust among people globally, particularly in the UK, to donate to SA non-profits, motivated global South Africans, Derek Lubner and Henk Swanepoel to found iZinga Assist. Leveraging cutting edge technology, iZinga Assist verifies NPOs’ authenticity and assesses their legal compliance, as well as financial management and governance. NPOs verified by the platform also have their theories of change and monitoring and evaluation processes assessed, to reassure potential donors. Currently being piloted among SA organisations, this unprecedented level of NPO assessment and verification, a first the country, is available to registered non-profits at no charge. (I was honoured when Derek and Henk asked me to serve on the board.) www.izassist.org
Building and maintaining donors’ trust is a continuous process that requires dedication, transparency, and ethical practices. By prioritising accountability, effective communication, strong relationships, and long-term impact, non-profits can establish a solid foundation of trust with their supporters. Ultimately, trusted NPOs are better positioned to achieve their missions, expand their reach, and create meaningful, lasting change in the communities they serve.
There isn’t a one magic fix for growing and retaining donors’ trust. A good starting place is to acknowledge the importance of trust – on all levels.Â
Jill Ritchie will be presenting a session on Donors’ Trust during the Annual Online Papillon Fundraising Conference on 20 and 21 May. Early bird discounted bookings are now open https://www.papillonpress.biz/conferences/2025-annual-online-fundraising-conference/