Is trust the driver of donor giving?

Spending time in nonprofit strategy conversations I often hear a version of this: trust is everything. It underpins fundraising, communications, brand, even governance. Build trust and donors will come. Strengthen trust and they’ll stay.

It’s a seductive idea, and an understandable one. Trust feels foundational, especially in mission-driven work where credibility and integrity matter. And to be clear, it isn’t wrong.

But it is incomplete. And potentially distracting.

When you move beyond intuition and look at the evidence, trust starts to look less like the key engine of donor growth.

The research: Trust isn’t a major driver for giving

A large meta-analysis of charitable giving published in the Journal of Economic Psychology by Arno R. Kootstra, Pamala Wiepking, and René Bekkers (2021) confirms what most of us would expect: trust and giving are related.

As the authors note, “there was a positive relationship between trust and charitable giving.”¹ This statement aligns with both experience and common sense. People are more likely to give to organizations they believe are credible and aligned with their values.

What is less commonly discussed is the strength of that relationship. The study reports that trust translates to roughly 5% of the variation in giving behavior.¹ While not insignificant, it is not decisive. Trust plays a role, but it is a relatively modest one in the context of everything that influences giving.

Why is this the case?

A closer look at the research adds important nuance and insight. Trust is not uniform; trust in a specific organization has a stronger relationship with giving than general trust in institutions. This is encouraging, as it suggests that how an organization behaves and communicates can influence donor perceptions.

As the study notes, however, many motivations for giving “do not rely on a relationship of trust.”¹  People give for a range of reasons, many of which have little to do with trust. Emotional connection, personal identity, timing, and context all play a role.

Equally important is the nature of the relationship itself. The findings do not establish whether trust leads to giving or whether giving builds trust.¹ It is possible that trust is not the starting point of the relationship, but something that develops as people engage with an organization and experience its impact.

Trust becomes an over-weighted strategy

The challenge for many organizations is not that they value trust, but how that value gets translated into strategy. Over time, “trust matters” has become “trust drives growth,” and that shift, subtle as it is, begins to shape decisions.

You can see it across strategy as well as time and budget allocation. Organizations invest heavily in deepening relationships with existing supporters, place significant emphasis on retention, and develop messaging that is careful and often the same to that of their peers. These are reasonable responses if trust is assumed to be the primary driver.

As a result, organizations often double down on what they feel they can control. They deepen communication with existing donors, invest further in stewardship, and focus on retention. All of this is valuable, but it does not expand the base of support.

Keeping focused on growth

Stepping back from the idea that trust is the primary growth driver, raises a practical question: what promotes growth?

Looking at organizations that do grow, a different pattern becomes apparent. Yes, they are trusted. They also build distinctiveness, reach beyond their existing base, show up consistently in ways that make them memorable, and create clear, simple pathways to engage.

Being noticed, being remembered, and being easy to support are what make growth possible. They bring new people into the system and create opportunities for further engagement.

This dynamic is especially true for small and mid-sized nonprofits. These organizations often have strong missions, committed teams, and loyal supporters who trust the work being done. Yet growth can feel slow or uneven because the organization isn’t known, visibility is inconsistent, or it is not present in the moments when potential supporters are ready to act.

Some practical learnings

For organizations under a few million in revenue, this has very real implications. It suggests that your growth is less about proving credibility to the people who already know you and more about reaching those who don’t.

That means shifting focus in a few practical ways:

1. Expand your reach beyond your current base
   Growth requires new people. If most of your time, budget and communication are going to existing supporters, you’re reinforcing loyalty, not expanding it.

2. Prioritize being remembered, not just understood
   Clear messaging matters, but distinctiveness matters more. If you don’t stand out, you won’t come to mind when the moment to give arrives.

3. Show up consistently, not just at campaign moments
   Intermittent visibility limits growth. Consistent presence builds familiarity, which increases the likelihood of engagement over time.

4. Make the giving path simple and obvious
   When interest turns into intent, friction matters. If it’s not clear how to help, or if it feels like work, many people won’t follow through.

5. Balance acquisition with retention
   Stewardship is essential, but it cannot carry growth on its own. Expanding the base is crucial.

Growth comes from being noticed, remembered and easy to support. None of this replaces trust-building. It does, however, widen our aperture to create the conditions where trust can form and your nonprofit can grow.

I’d be interested in your perspective. And, if you’re wondering how this applies to your organization, please reach out.

Mike

mike@depauw-co.com

Reference

¹ Kootstra, A. R., Wiepking, P., & Bekkers, R. (2021). The relationship between trust and charitable giving: A meta-analysis. Journal of Economic Psychology.