15 Dec 2024 Do Associations and Nonprofits Need to Worry About Online Reviews?
You might think that online reviews are only for local service providers and stores. But today, they’re also vital for nonprofits and associations. Read on to learn why your organization should pursue online reviews and how to get members and donors to leave them.
Why Online Reviews Are Important
Nowadays, everyone is doing business online, whether they’re shopping, advancing their careers, or making charitable donations. Before making decisions about where to spend their money, the majority of people check out the recipient on the internet, with online review sites a top go-to for information.
Surveys show that 93 percent of consumers make buying choices based on web reviews. Additionally, many people trust online reviews like they do recommendations from family and coworkers — more than they believe advertisements or trade advertorials.
If you’re an association or a nonprofit, having a trove of positive online reviews is essential.
Benefits of Online Reviews for Associations and Nonprofits
There are multiple other reasons why your group can benefit from online reviews. First, online reviews can help boost you higher in internet search rankings. This helps people who aren’t familiar with your organization find you.
You can also improve your performance with comments garnered from your reviews. Things you might see rated include:
● Value in conferences or educational opportunities
● How well membership helps with professional development
● Use of donations or fees and budget transparency
And of course, the public can learn more about your mission, vision, and values from what people say about the organization. You can generate both local and global support for your goals and use reviews as another type of publicity about the impact you have. You could even include reviews on your website as testimonials.
How to Get More (5-Star) Reviews for Your Organization
Pick a Platform or Two
First, you need to decide where you want people to review your association. That will depend on your field, your location, and where potential members or donors are likely to spend time. For instance, Google or Facebook may be ideal for some professional associations, while more charity-based groups would gravitate towards platforms like Charity Navigator or GiveWell.
Don’t forget to claim or verify your organization’s profile using the site’s protocol. And you’ll have to select staff or board members to monitor and respond to reviews (more on that below).
Make It Easy to Give Feedback
Next, you want to create a path for people to leave reviews. Ideally, you want several ways, so you increase your chances of receiving feedback. Some options are:
● Adding link(s) to your association website
● Emailing or texting messages around events
● Making in-person requests at meetings and conferences
● Including links or QR codes on printed materials
Don’t just ask for a review; be specific about where you want the review to be given. If you can provide a link, all the reviewer has to do is click it.
Respond to Reviews, Both Positive and Negative
Managing review sites is a lot like handling social media. You need to be engaged with your public to make the process effective.
When someone leaves a great review, be sure to thank them. You might consider asking them to encourage their colleagues to leave reviews too.
And when you get a negative review, respond with openness to dialogue. You can ask to fix a problem and get an updated review. Or you can take a particularly volatile conversation offline while letting the public know you’re dealing with the situation and not ignoring it.
It’s inevitable you’ll get some spam or phishing reviews. Usually, the best you can do is report them to the hosting platform and hope they get deleted. Don’t feel the need to engage with those.
Keep Reviews Impartial
Having nothing but five-star reviews can look fake to readers, making them distrust the feedback. It’s best to refrain from rewarding people for reviews, unless you can issue a disclaimer stating the review was impartial regardless of the perk earned. Be aware that some sites may have rules prohibiting offering something in return for a review.
Do Work that Merits Top Reviews
Finally, it’s your day-to-day work that will bring you those coveted high reviews. When asking for online reviews, be specific about what you want feedback for, such as resources you’ve provided and how long the person has been affiliated with your group. Then, go do the best you can to earn genuinely positive reviews!
Does your association need help setting up review profiles or adding online review links to your website? Jaffe Management can help with that, along with a range of other services for associations and nonprofits. Email us at: info@jaffemanagement.com, or give us a call at 212-496-3155.