1 lesson from me

Lasting relationships and influence are built on trust. Donor relationships are no different. In this lesson, I share a few tips to help you understand the ways nonprofits can undermine donor trust and how you can build and strengthen trust with your donors. 

Seven ways nonprofits can erode or undermine donor trust

• High rate of fundraiser turnover
• Lack of impact reporting
• Lack of fiduciary and/or governance transparency
• Inconsistent and/or non-inclusive communication
• Over solicitation and under appreciation
• Concerns about organizational efficiency
• Nonprofit improprieties and scandals

Six ways you can build donor trust

• Be intentional about building relationships
• Create positive donor experiences
• Follow through on commitments
• Communicate frequently and ask for feedback
• Report outcomes and impact
• When a mistake is made, address it proactively

In the full, on-demand lesson I created for Growth members in my Fundraising Transformers community, I take a deeper dive to provide insightful tips and actionable steps you can take right now to build trust with your donors.

As part of the full lesson, I also include a copy of my Major Donor Portfolio Planner to help you plan and manage a full year of activities with your major donors. To help you assess your effectiveness with building donor trust, I include a Donor Trust Quiz. I also discuss the ethics of influence vs. manipulation in the full, on-demand lesson.

1 quote from someone else

“Trust is the glue of life. It is the foundational principle that holds all relationships.” 

Source: Stephen Covey, Author & Leadership Expert

1 question for you 

To help other fundraising pros like you, what are some of the ways you build and maintain trust with your donors?

To share your thoughts and suggestions, reply to this email or tweet me @tammyzonker.

Keep transforming your fundraising,
Tammy Zonker
Fundraising Strategist & Keynote Speaker
Recognized as one of America’s Top 20 Fundraising Experts
Creator of the Fundraising Transformers Community 

p.s. To take a deeper dive and learn how to build trust with your donors, join my Fundraising Transformers community as a Growth member and get immediate access to this lesson plus 60+ on-demand classes waiting for you inside your private member library. 

p.p.s. If you find this lesson helpful, please forward this post to someone else you know who may benefit.