What are Recommendations?
Recommendations are verified feedback from users on Spheriq. They help build trust and highlight how working with an organization was experienced in practice.
A recommendation is particularly valuable when it doesn’t just offer general praise, but highlights something specific. For example:
Did the organization communicate reliably?
Were commitments fulfilled?
Was the collaboration professional and constructive?
Did the team handle challenging situations well?
Recommendations help other users get a more complete picture—in addition to profile details, Fit & Hope, and other available information.
Why are Recommendations important?
In the nonprofit sector, data alone is often not enough. Many decisions also depend on how an organization is perceived in its collaborations. Recommendations therefore provide an additional layer of guidance.
On Spheriq, recommendations help to:
Making trust visible
Sharing practical insights
Better assessing quality
Supporting other organizations in their decision-making
Recommendations are also factored into the Hope rating. Positive recommendations can increase Hope, while a lack of feedback or negative feedback can have a corresponding impact on the rating.
Who can give a Recommendation?
Recommendations can only be submitted by verified users. This ensures that recommendations on Spheriq are transparent, reliable, and protected against abuse. You must therefore verify your identity before submitting a recommendation.
How do I give a Recommendation?
Here's how it works:
Find the profile of the organization you want to recommend.
Click “Recommend”.
Write a brief, specific description of your experience.
What makes a good Recommendation?
Here’s a guideline:
specific rather than general
based on experience rather than theory
fair and objective
relevant to other organizations that want to get a sense of the situation
Brief comments on how the collaboration was experienced - for example, regarding reliability, communication, professionalism, or ability to get things done - are particularly helpful.
Who can view Recommendations?
Recommendations are visible directly on the profiles of the recommended organizations. In addition, you can view all the recommendations you’ve made in your personal profile.
Recommendations are part of Pro Insights and are visible to users at the Pro level and above.
Privacy, Fairness, and Verification
Recommendations on Spheriq follow clear guidelines:
Only verified users can submit recommendations.
Recommendations are checked for plausibility.
The goal is to provide guidance, not to stigmatize or enable abuse.
It is also important to distinguish this from feedback: Feedback is stored anonymously and is not displayed on the organization’s page, whereas verified recommendations can be displayed on the organization’s profile alongside the user who submitted the recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Do I need to be verified to leave a Recommendation?
Yes. Recommendations can only be made by verified users. Verification is a prerequisite for this.
Are Recommendations the same as Feedback?
No. Recommendations and feedback are not the same thing. While both are incorporated into Hope, feedback is processed anonymously and is not displayed on the organization’s profile. Verified recommendations, on the other hand, are publicly visible and are linked to the person who provided the recommendation.
Who can view Recommendations?
Recommendations are visible to users at the Pro level and above. Regardless of their level, all users can see the recommendations they have submitted themselves and those received by their own organization.