How to build trust on social media

The UK charity sector has a trust problem. Every year, the Charity Commission monitors public trust in the charity sector. For successive years, levels of public trust in the sector have been in decline.

2021 was an exceptional year. For the first time in several years, there was a positive bump in the level of trust for charities. The 2021 Commission’s report says: “Where the national spotlight has fallen on charity, it has been on the positive difference it can make, for example on charities’ role supporting those living in food poverty, on the importance of medical research, or on the public generosity inspired by the late Captain Tom Moore.

Given this context, it is perhaps not surprising that we have seen modest but significant improvements in public attitudes towards charities over the past 12 months. As high-profile scandals involving charities recede in public memory, trust and confidence in charities continues gradually to improve.”

However, the 2022 report doesn’t tell the same positive story. It states that, “public trust in charities has plateaued.”

This doesn’t necessarily mean that confidence in charities is at the beginning of another period of inevitable decline. What it does mean is that building public trust should be a strategic priority for communications - especially on social media.

Where the money goes

The 2022 public trust report found that the public expect, “a high proportion of charities’ money [to be] used for charitable activity”.

Charity social media channels are full of incredible stories about how projects and services have impacted individual lives, but cash is often absent from the narrative.

The challenge is to tie spending and impact together. There are some good examples of this on some charity websites, such as the breakdown of how a £1 donation is spent at Oxfam or Unicef’s blog: busting 5 myths about large charity organisations.

On social media, charities have the opportunity to bring these facts and figures to life by introducing the people behind the numbers who are delivering the services, ensuring that every penny is well spent, and raising more money for the future.

Trust has shifted from a model where organisations with authority were viewed as trusted to one where individuals with influence are seen as trusted. Charities can’t hide behind a logo and expect trust. The people behind the brand must have a public face if they want to truly connect with their communities and the general public.

Making an impact

The 2022 Charity Commission research into public trust shows that charities can’t tell the story of their impact enough.

Often the impact of charities’ work is told through case studies. These stories are vitally important, but impact statistics also have a role to play.

Investing time and resources into measuring the statistical impact of donations is invaluable. Often this happens in an annual cycle as part of the annual report, but it’s really important to be able to tell the longer term impact of your charity’s work too.

Infographics on the problems your charity is trying to solve and the impact your work is making act as a visual shorthand that will complement the compelling case study stories you are already telling on your social accounts.

This ten year impact report from South African literacy charity FundZa is packed with stats and infographic style explanations of the charity’s impact. It also doesn’t shy away from talking about lessons learned, which is an essential part of impact reporting, and translates very well to social media too.

Not just what you do, but how you do it

According to the 2022 Charity Commission report, the public also really value understanding how charity services work and whether they are consistent with the spirit of the charity. Social media can be a real help with this because it’s quick and easy to share what your charity does and the way it works in real time. But with busy schedules, how often does your social media manager spend time creating content with frontline staff or coaching them to feel confident with taking images and video of their work?

Livestreaming is a great way of creating quick, authentic content with frontline staff. Shelterbox do this really well, going live regularly on their Facebook account from different parts of their organisation to talk about what’s going on in a particular project.

Social media is the space where charities have the freedom to influence public conversations and shape public opinion outside of mainstream media narratives. You can help to inspire public trust in your charity by allowing the public behind the scenes, introducing them to your staff, and sharing the facts and stats on the long-term impact of your work.