Conveying Trustworthiness

Several development projects increase their self-sustainability by conveying their trustworthiness to beneficiary communities, donors and other potential collaborators so they can feel certain that their contributions will be well put to use.

Securing new sources of political and financial support, as well as the involvement of different stakeholders –including local ones– can help initiatives create more comprehensive solutions that are relevant to more people. In addition, having different supporters (rather than relying on merely one or a few) gives initiatives greater agency to negotiate their interests and needs without fear of losing these sources of support. 

However, resources in the development field are scarce and there is much distrust and apathy towards development projects because some institutions and communities have had bad experiences regarding abuse, politicization, inefficiency and corruption. Therefore, development initiatives often have to show “success-stories” and efficient resource management in order to attract support. Guaranteeing transparency, consistent behavior, stability of resources and staff, local engagement and clarity of objectives also helps this cause.

In other instances, however, what prevents collaboration is not mistrust, but rather the fact that potential participants do not fully understand how they can contribute, what the project is about and what kind of impact their engagement could have. 

Thus, to convey trustworthiness and give certainty to stakeholders, some initiatives show the results they have achieved in the past or implement pilot projects in order to demonstrate the relevance of their innovations; others communicate a well-systematized model that makes the project’s objectives clear, as well as the roles and responsibilities of each person, and the concrete ways in which they will put support to use (“for each donation of X amount, school supplies will be bought for two children”, for example). Some organizations collaborate with people who help them convey their message and lend them credibility (such as influencers, community leaders or celebrities). Others use legal instruments such as trust funds to give both donors and beneficiaries guarantees on how things will be carried out, and to ensure that everyone’s interests are fairly negotiated and supported. Some others hire external auditors or prepare annual reports to make their work transparent. Still others agree to matching funds (on which, for each contribution the initiative puts forth or secures, the other party invests an equivalent amount of financial support).