Trust can be built in one of two ways: expertise or intimacy. Gary Vaynerchuk is an expert in the wine industry. He knows what he’s talking about, and that builds trust. On the other hand, if a friend gives a really strong recommendation for a wine, you’ll probably pick it up, because you know them well, and that intimacy creates trust.
Share your knowledge of what you know and love through your blog to create expertise. Connect and engage deeply with folks who are interested in what you have to say through social networks.
You can sell products if people trust you. You can create trust through intimacy or through expertise. The counter to this idea in the not-for-profit realm is that if you do not have expertise that comes from practice to share, then your advocacy works fails.