How To Handle Negative Reviews Online, as a Nonprofit Organization
Who would have thought that someone could say something bad about a well-intentioned organization? It happens – especially since nonprofits support causes that can be controversial and especially since social media is an easy platform to use for negative speech. No matter our surprise, nonprofits have to deal with the comment so it doesn’t escalate further and a positive reputation can be maintained. Let’s walk through how to handle negative reviews online.
The questions we all ask…
1. Should we handle this with aggression or simply respond with only nice things?
Our answer? Neither. Let’s start by reviewing a few of our favorite answers from a nonprofit forum on Nonprofit Marketing Guide,
“My preference is to respond directly to those comments. In my experience, a well-crafted PR statement can inform and draw in support; a defensively written statement brings up more concern and worry.” – LK
“I would start publicly so people see that you are responsive and open to all feedback – I typically invite them as a part of my response, to give us a call directly to share/discuss their concerns further at their convenience.” – AH
In the end, we find that a direct response that treats each negative comment as an unhappy client that you would like to make happy, can be the best approach. Start by responding on the social media platform, sticking to facts about your nonprofit and avoiding opinions. Then, ask them if they’d like to talk through this on the phone. This way you show the public you care and that the comment was incorrect, but it leaves a window to talk through the details with the instigator. If the instigator doesn’t respond, it discredits them as it shows they aren’t really willing to engage.
However, there are cases where comments violate Terms of Service, and those are a different case. Before taking the above actions, make sure they haven’t:
– used hate speech, harassment or the like
– publicized other’s personal information without permission (includes photo & video)
– wrote about information / viewpoints that aren’t relevant to your nonprofit’s services
2. Should we ignore the comment?
We have found that when a comment is not addressed, it can often increase the commenter’s frustration. Even if they don’t continue to pester you online, you don’t know what further actions they will take offline. Be sure to promptly respond to the comment – all your social platforms should be monitored frequently so the comment isn’t out there for more than a day without your nonprofit’s eye on it. Read more in “A Huge Social Media Yikes!”
If you are able to resolve the issue, feel free to ask the person to remove the comment or even replace it with an update on the issue. If the instigator never responds, you can post an update stating that you attempted to resolve the conflict, but the person never responded. Assert that you’d like to talk through the issue so people know your nonprofit cares what everyone has to say.
3. How can we balance the negative review with positive ones?
It’s often the case that people pay more attention to the one negative comment than the 10 positive reviews – it stands out. A way to highlight the good that your nonprofit does is to not only produce a lot of positive content on recent events, but also post feedback from your happy volunteers, donors and receivers of services. You can do this by asking clients if you can use a quote they said as a testimonial, including links to your social profiles in your email signature, or coordinating a poll on your site. Keep in mind that asking for reviews upfront does not comply with TOS.
Everything your nonprofit does online contributes to your nonprofit’s image as a whole. Make sure you’re avidly monitoring your social accounts and treating everyone’s opinion as worthy of a response.
