Ever heard the phrase:
“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know?”
I used to hate that phrase.
Because it’s generally interpreted in the most cynical way:
That you need to know a bunch of rich and famous people to succeed at life.
But there’s an optimistic interpretation too.
And that interpretation concludes that it’s not about who you know yet.
It’s about who you can build trust with. It’s about the social capital you earn through relationships, and integrity.
It’s that trust that leads to getting the things you need to make your efforts successful: Funds. Volunteers. Media opportunities and public awareness.
I’ve talked about this in numerous past videos, but people who throw a fundraiser up online, without having built relationships or trust with a lot of people beforehand, are unlikely to see a lot of donations.
Why? Generally, people don’t donate to organizations (or people) they don’t know (and thus don’t yet trust).
We know that today, a staggering 81% of consumers need to trust a brand before they buy from it (Edelman’s 2023 Trust Barometer).
The same applies to nonprofits and social impact work.
In fact, it’s even more important in social impact work, because donors aren’t typically getting an item or service in exchange for their money like consumers get when they buy from a commercial business.
You’re giving them impacts. And the satisfaction of knowing they helped. That’s what they’re “buying” when they donate.
The founders and leaders I’ve met who are killing it in getting funding focus on building trust and relationships as they are getting started.
Here’s one example:
In my recent interview with Amy Weiss, founder of Undies for Everyone in Houston, Texas, she explained that one of the first things she did when they got an influx of donations due to Hurricane Harvey was post every day on social about how the donations were being used and who they were helping.
All for one goal: To build credibility. Be good stewards. Earn trust.
And it has paid off; The support Amy got that year equipped Undies for Everyone to expand to multiple locations across the country. They now serve over 200,000 kids.
How to Build Trust
You might already have a lot of credibility, connections, and trust in your community.
That’s awesome – it gives you a major leg up in starting new organizations, projects, fundraising, and more.
But if that doesn’t describe you yet, don’t worry. It takes a little time, but there are concrete things you can do to start building this trust.
Here they are:
1. Go to community events. Start meeting people.
Community events are golden opportunities for networking. According to LinkedIn, 85% of jobs are filled through networking – so if we translate that to social impact work, we can see how these engagements could lead to future partnerships, collaborations, and opportunities that you might not have access to otherwise.
When meeting people, don’t ask for something, but do ask questions. Get to know them. Authentically share your passion for your social impact efforts.
If they ask how to engage, tell them how! Make it something small at first: Check out our website, follow us on social media, come to this event we’re hosting in a few weeks. Invite them to deepen their knowledge on their terms.
2. Get clear on your values. Share them openly.
People want to align with and support others with whom they share values.
If you don’t know what your or your organization’s values are yet, take some time to dive deep into your heart and soul and articulate them.
How do you want to operate in the world as a social impact leader? What rules are important for you to follow in how you conduct your business?
Share your values on your website. Reinforce them in your words on other platforms, and especially in your actions.
3. Show up consistently.
A lot of successful social impact founders I know seem to be everywhere. (it’s an illusion, of course; they’re only human and everyone sleeps.)
But they show up. At other organization’s community events. At gatherings where city leaders talk about local challenges. As supporters and friends to other social impact leaders. Cheering on other community members on social media posts.
Showing up consistently shows people you’re in this for the long haul. That builds trust.
4. Show up online, too.
Social media can be a powerful place to share your social impact organization’s progress and impacts.
Don’t be afraid to share your challenges and setbacks too – normalize the idea that this work takes time, is not perfect, and doesn’t always work out exactly the way we plan.
People will appreciate the transparency – which also builds trust.
Social impact work is an art and a science. It takes experimentation. And that sometimes means failure. It’s okay. People need to understand that.
5. Always be listening – and adapting.
If you want to make the biggest impact possible in your work, you need a lot of data and feedback. What we know as individuals is pretty limited.
To find solutions that work, we need input from the people closest to the problems. And when we get that input, we need to adapt to show we heard them.
Adapting and evolving as new information comes in is a powerful way to build trust. Hand in hand with humility, adapting proves that your ultimate goal is to improve other peoples’ lives (vs stick to your own ideas, even if they aren’t working).
It takes time
I get it. There’s a lot to be done, and the social impact world is rife with a sense of overwhelming urgency all the time.
But progress doesn’t happen without trust. It’s worth taking the time to focus on it.
I promise you won’t be sorry in the long run!
