The surefire way to undermine your nonprofit’s success? Do something counter to your values. Your nonprofit has spent years building up trust with your people and communities, and your partners and funders. And to create the world you imagine, you need their trust in you to deepen. Clean oceans, great preschool for all, accessible, affordable housing — none of it happens without trusting relationships holding together the people and organizations moving toward the goal.
Right now, there’s news article after article about companies and nonprofits changing their programming in a way that conflicts with their publicly stated values. Client and partner criticism and abandonment came quickly. It remains to be seen if these groups gained more than they lost from the switch-up. In social good work, our approach may change, but our values — our North Star — remain the same. We know that to cede our vision and values will sacrifice hard-earned relationships.
Fortunately, organizational leaders are a bellwether for partner trust. Recently, our founder, Kristen Grimm, joined the Chronicle of Philanthropy forum on “How Nonprofits Can Rebuild Trust with America” to share how leaders can build trust within and outside of their organization, even in times when polarization and distrust are high.
Trust in action includes walking your talk. You have to act with consistency and fidelity; there should be no daylight between your values and your and organizational practices. When organizations do this, especially when facing pressure to fold, they don’t just preserve trust — they strengthen it.
During the session, Aisha Nayandoro shared how the Mississippi-based nonprofit she leads, Springboard to Opportunities, walks its talk to build and rebuild trust. From the start, Springboard said it valued centering those closest to problems when creating solutions. They met with community members on their porches and couches to understand their dreams and needs. What they heard is that the community members simply wanted to be believed in and authentically partnered with. Based on those conversations and the trusting relationships Springboard built with local mothers, they launched Magnolia Mother’s Trust, which serves Black mothers. It’s now the longest-running guaranteed income program in the country. Magnolia Mother’s Trust operates the program under a belief that participants know best how and when to use the money for their families.
A couple of years ago, Springboard realized they were somewhat out of sync with their stated values. Springboard staff invited input from the community but still held most decision-making power. To close the gap between their values and practices, they acknowledged this misalignment publicly and restructured the organization to include paid fellowships, leadership training programs and advisory committees that all positioned community members as true decision-makers and leaders.
The data and reality proves that your stakeholders — both longstanding and new — need their confidence in your organization reinforced by your values-aligned actions, regardless of the moment. Nonprofits are well-positioned to leverage this moment by leaning on strategies that help build more faith in the work and mission. In these moments, staying true to your values might look like losing support, but these are precisely the times when trust-building and organizational integrity matter most.
Note: Watch the full discussion “How Nonprofits Can Rebuild Trust With America.” If you’re looking for ways to strengthen your organization’s trust, check out Spitfire’s “Replenishing Trust: Civil Society’s Guide to Reversing the Trust Deficit” to find concrete strategies for the moment.