Regardless of who you’re trying to help or who your potential collaborators are, we’re all human and we need to know that we can count on people to show up and do what they say they’re going to do. In times of difficulty, relationships get tested, stress levels rise, and resources become taxed. But if you’ve spent the days, months and years leading up to this moment being a solid and reliable presence and good philanthropic partner, then you’ll be a leader people trust. And you’ll also have no shortage of allies at the ready to support you in return, making the act its own reward.

As an advisor to philanthropists for over 20 years, I wouldn’t be able to help my clients if we didn’t trust each other. Trust accumulates over time like money in a bank account. Because of this investment our work together is more honest, more effective and much more rewarding. Building trust is not complicated but it requires a commitment to get out of your office and deeply connect with people, such as nonprofit leaders, civic leaders, and the people you seek to help with your charitable dollars. Here are the five most important things I’ve learned:

  1. Be patient. Let’s start with this one because it’s a dying art. With the pace of change it’s easy to get into perpetual foot-tapping mode (guilty). But, building trust takes time.
  2. Be authentic. Your background doesn’t matter. Whether you are privileged and wealthy and working on housing equity, or whether you’ve lived the causes of homelessness first-hand and are helping to find solutions, what makes the biggest difference is being honest about who you are and what you know.
  3. Be reliable. Say what you’ll do and do what you say. Trust and dependability go hand in hand.
  4. Don’t be afraid to show your weaknesses. There’s no better barrier to trust than feigning perfection.
  5. Be trustworthy. If you practice this every day, things won’t feel so daunting in times of crisis when everyone is trying to move quickly and adapt to changing circumstances.

Read the full article about trusting relationships by Kris Putnam-Walkerly at Forbes.