Sadly, new research shows that Australians hold a negative view of nonprofit marketing mainly because of public distrust in religious organisations and trade unions. We’ve known this for a while but Swinburne University recently conducted a study on 1,000 participants to find out their thoughts on the not for profit sector – read more about the study here on Pro Bono Australia.
Recent high profile court cases into both the religious institutions and trade industries have created a shadow of distrust over the rest of the not for profit sector, and people whether they consciously realise it or not, no longer trust that their hard earned donations are going to be used appropriately.
So – How Do You Promote Trust in Nonprofit Marketing?
These might sound obvious but these 5 points are all essential in cultivating a community of trust in your nonprofit marketing strategy.
1. Get Clear on Your Vision and Mission Statement
If your not for profit has a clear mission and goal from the outset, and it is clear to you and your supporters it is much easier to promote trust – everyone knows where they stand. And an easy and clear mission makes it much easier to get behind.
2. Transparency
The number one factor in creating trust is definitely transparency – this is probably an obvious one as you need to do this for charity regulations but your donors also want to see how transparent you are, and not just once a year in the annual report but by regularly engaging them to keep them up to date and top of mind when they think of which charity to support. Show not only what you are doing with their donations but also who the people are behind your organisation alongside stories of who the funds are helping.
3. Providing Educational, Valuable Content
Keeping your supporters engaged is vital and making sure they know that you know what you are talking about gives you credibility – leading to trust. Show your credentials, certificates and other industry accreditation’s which all build trust in your organisation because it shows your legitimacy.
4. Social Proof / Testimonials / Reviews
Outside recommendations are one of the best ways to encourage trust in any brand. If a third party, and especially someone they know, recommends your not for profit this is your best bet in building trust. By encouraging your current supporters to leave Facebook reviews and Google reviews is an extremely effective way to do this. Also be ensuring your website is displaying testimonials from your top supporters.
Check out our free review tracker here to help keep track of your reviews.
5. Reliability & Authenticity
Like any relationship trust takes time. Do what you say you’re going to do, be honest, reliable and show your supporters you aren’t just talk, and display your results clearly as to where their donations are being spent. Go back to basics and cultivate relationships with your supporters and be real in all your communications – from social media marketing to emails to your fundraising campaigns.
If you would like help with your non profit marketing or just to chat about how we could help with any of the ideas above get in touch with the team today!
For further reading check out some more info on online reviews and reputation management here.