One comment….I think some orgs have had decades of the luxury of being a preferred organization to which to donate. This is mostly a function of being the only organizations that had the extra funds to craft public campaigns that solicit donations for a cause. TV spots and print ads are expensive and out of the reach of many smaller nonprofits.

However, with the advent of social media, easy webpage publishing, and very affordable internet marketing (not to mention the new social enterprises that are developing innovative technologies and courting nonprofits to use them), getting the word out and campaigning about an organization has easily come into the reach of these smaller organizations. Subsequently out of necessity, they have had to make the case of why they can be trusted as much or more than the superhuge nonprofit that comes to mind when a donor thinks about a cause.

From the donor’s perspective—now more than ever, they have an unlimited variety of causes and organizations to which to contribute. Once the donor decides to give, they have to invest some time in figuring out which organization to which to contribute. In the forefront of many donor’s minds is the issue of trust. Organizations are recognizing this and must do something to convey a message that they can be trusted. When trust is addressed by a nonprofit, it appeals to the donor’s ego and conveys that the organization is concerned with the desires of the donor. When done exceptionally well, it can convey an organization’s thankfulness, gratitude, the importance of the donor, and the desire to be responsible with the gift. It is these organizations that find a way to convey responsiblity to the donor as well as gratitute that will ultimately win the giving game.