When I was volunteer president of H.E.E.A.L., the board assumed a good program finds its own families. It doesn't. A grieving family doesn't shop. An adult picks for them, a school counselor or a hospice coordinator, in a few minutes between other tasks.
We led outreach with three facts that adult could repeat without checking anything: free, local, no waitlist. And we moved financial reporting and public communications under board accountability.
The referring adult is protecting themselves from a bad referral more than judging the program. Make the second referral as safe as the first.
The program and the fundraising grew over my years as volunteer president.
Work out what a yes costs the person who has to give it. That's the first question on any outreach.