Using charity comms to build trust

For charities, the way you communicate with your supporters makes a different. Your social media channels, your website, your emails, and your content are all crucial to your ability to build connections with your audience and engender trust. 

Trust plays a large part in the amount that charities are able to fundraise. Research shows that philanthropic impact is the second most researched element of a charity by potential supporters before donating, meaning that they want to trust that their money is going to help where its intended.  

By curating your charity communications, language, and profile, audiences get to know and trust you over time. Charities can use their comms to evoke authenticity and benevolence. Here, we showcase the best strategies to enhance confidence in your organisation.

Do scope out your target audience 

Do research on who you’re speaking to. Leverage your CRM system for socioeconomic, political, and demographic background of your targets.  

To start, go through the audience segmentation process to define and refine your ideal audiences. The basic details of your process should reveal contact preferences, what platform they typically use, and their donation patterns.

Choose a platform and tailor your posts 

Trust is earned in many different ways and across different media. For most charities, choosing a platform includes Facebook. Here, trust is built upon being part of a community. To grow the feeling, encourage engagement and interaction within your audience and beyond.  

Social Pilot says that it’s not enough to have a snazzy page. They say that: “People need to see that others have said good words about you, your customers are recommending you, and experts are appreciating you. They want to see that you have testimonials, real-life examples of work done by you, and content that offers value and information.”  

Ultimately what works on Facebook is to have others do the talking for you. Remember, tailor your strategy to match how a particular platform works rather than posting the same content on every outlet. 

Be honest and transparent 

Building trust using charity communications starts by being open and transparent about how you work. Use your media to truthfully showcase your impact reporting, annual reports, infographics, and fundraising campaigns.  

Our top tip here is to give audiences the inside scoop. Emphasise how you work by livestreaming your campaigns or work with beneficiaries. Top of the list by showing your supporters how you spend money. Highlight where donations go, and how much it costs to do each piece of your work.

Let your beneficiaries and staff speak for themselves 

Use your charity communications to give your audience a voice and showcase the importance of the work you do. Talk to your beneficiaries, use case studies to demonstrate impact, and show – don’t just tell – your supporters about the services you’re delivering.  

Many charities already use this technique. In 2020, Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity (GOSH Charity) Christmas message featured a heartfelt video. The advert featured cartoon children being whisked away while they slept so they could be home for Christmas.  

At the end of the video, the message shifted to live video, showing real beneficiaries and their delight at being home. From this perspective, beneficiaries showed how important GOSH Charity’s work is. 

Look after your budget 

For charities on a shoestring budget, you can still achieve great communications. For software, our top tips here are to use free tools and to take advantage of charity discounts. Mailchimp, Hootsuite, and others offer charities and non-profits reduced rates.  

For those special projects, employ freelancers – they can get the job done without any long-term obligations.

Don’t brush things under the carpet 

There are times when a gaffe goes a bit too far. Whether it’s sharing a controversial post or a shameful past, owning up to errors improves transparency.  

Keeping up with social progress takes effort. The Royal British Legion (RBL) recently acknowledged its part in discrimination and apologised to the LGBTQ+ community. The row started with the RBL criticising LGBTQ+ wreaths laid at the Cenotaph. The charity allegedly ‘denounced’ the ornaments and ordered them to be removed from the monument.  

The tides changed when human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell wrote to the charity highlighting the injustice and how the community was treated. He also mentioned how the RBL had ignored previous communication attempts.  

In April, the Royal British Legion’s Director General, Charles Byrne wrote back to Tatchell: “I am deeply saddened by your previous experience with the charity, and I can only apologise on RBL’s behalf for not responding and the discrimination shown at the time.”  

The apology was picked up by mainstream news outlets and since then, RBL has focused on how they can be more inclusive.  

The news reported not only Byrne’s statement, but the steps taken afterwards. Looking at the charity’s communications, it is important to note that the RBL’s top leadership came out to condemn its previous views. For the charity, the apology helped to not only increase trust, but to showcase what they are doing to repair relations with the LGBTQ+ community.