Reviews and Testimonials - Social Proof Is Not Optional
- Lee Domaszowec
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
I made a mistake… for nine years, and it ended up really hurting our business.
I didn’t ask for testimonials, ratings, or reviews. At all.
For many years, 100% of our business was referral or repeat business and we were very busy, so I just didn’t prioritize it. We were doing the work, getting results, and I thought that would always be enough.
Here’s what I learned the hard way. That doesn’t always work, and even when it does work, it doesn’t work consistently.
One really big problem is that people don’t trust you until you earn it. But… they might give you a chance when someone else they trust vouches for you.
If you’re early-stage, you can’t afford to wait for reputation to slowly form on its own. You need proof while you’re building. Even if you’re not early, you should always be cultivating donor testimonials and ratings.
Why the second person matters more than the first
When you start something new, the first person who believes in it is usually you. That’s normal.
The moment things start to change is when a second person shows up, someone who isn’t obligated, someone just outside your inner circle. That first follower, that second believer, becomes the reference point other people look for.
There’s a short Derek Sivers TED Talk called How to Start a Movement that visualizes this perfectly. The leader matters, but the first follower is what turns an idea into something others feel safe joining. Once that second person steps in, the third person isn’t deciding alone anymore.
That’s what social proof actually does in the early days. It reduces the feeling of risk by showing that someone else already made the leap.
Momentum matters, but only if you capture it
Early on, support doesn’t always arrive in big, dramatic ways. Sometimes it’s one person. Sometimes it’s a few smaller commitments close together. Either way, momentum only helps you if you capture it.
What slows people down is waiting until things feel polished or impressive before they document belief. If someone supports you today and you don’t capture why, you lose leverage tomorrow.
The point isn’t perfection. The point is preserving the moment when someone decided to say yes.
Ask for the words you actually need
If you ask someone, “Would you write something for us,” you’ll usually get a sentence that feels nice and does nothing for you.
Most people appreciate direction. A blank page makes people hesitate. Give them prompts and they’ll respond more quickly and more thoughtfully.
Ask questions that help future funders answer their silent concerns:
Why did you decide to support this organization?
What gave you confidence in the leadership or the plan?• What problem did you feel this work was really solving?
Why did you feel comfortable putting your own money or reputation behind it?
What would you say to someone considering supporting it too?
Notice what these questions do. They surface decision logic, not praise.
Sometimes a supporter will say, “Just draft something and I’ll edit it.” Take that option when it’s offered. It saves time and gets you something usable faster.
Whose words carry weight
Not all social proof lands the same way.
Early on, words from people who already have credibility in your community carry more weight because they borrow trust.
On a capital campaign we worked on to build a nonprofit veterinary clinic in New York City, I was very intentional about who spoke to which audience. Some things needed to come from our client or from me personally. Other things needed to come from people potential donors already trusted.
When someone respected says, “I put my own money into this and I feel confident about that decision,” it lowers hesitation for the next person.
We used quotes from known partners in our early grants and donor pitches and I asked a few industry experts and celebrities to provide quotes and photos for the website. We used their existing bank of trust to get a chance to earn our own.
That’s the role social proof plays.
What I’d do this week, and this part matters more than you realize.
Doing this early can dramatically change how your organization grows and how quickly doors open. If someone supports you this month:
Thank them properly.
Ask for one to three sentences explaining why they supported you.
Give them prompts so they’re not guessing what to say.
Save what they send, with permission to use it.
Put it to work immediately, and then bank it for future uses.
Use those words where decisions actually get made:
Donation pages
Grant attachments and LOIs
Outreach emails
Pitch decks
Follow-up notes after first meetings
When you talk to the next person, you can literally say it:
“These people already believe in us. They believe in this mission and this plan. You might not know us yet, but you know them.”
That shift alone changes the conversation.
If you want help gathering and using social proof without it feeling awkward or performative, that’s a normal SPARK conversation. We work through who to ask first, what words will actually help, and where to use them so they create momentum instead of sitting unused.
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