Whether you like them or not, surveys are still one of the most effective methods to get feedback on everything. Maybe you want to measure the impact of an annual community survey, or you’re trying to figure out which communication methods donors prefer most. Either way, the survey needs to be engaging so you get a measurable response you can use.
The trouble is, when you don’t put enough time into designing your survey, you risk low response rates, unreliable data, and stakeholder fatigue. For example, any survey over 10 minutes long will see a 30% reduction in response rates.
To help you reach the completion rates you need, here is a quick overview on designing an engaging survey your NFP can use right now.
Start with a Clear, Agreed-Upon Purpose
You need 100% “buy-in” from all your stakeholders on the survey. That begins with a clear purpose before you list out any questions. Make sure you have identified the who, how, why, and what you’re measuring.
Some Australian nonprofits measure a program’s effectiveness. Others look at gathering feedback from volunteers or gala participants. Just be sure your purpose statement is clear and detailed. Saying “We want to gather data” is not as good as “We want to understand which parts of our volunteer support program are most valuable to past and current participants.”
The clearer the goal, the better your filter in finding the data you need to make changes and improvements for the future.
Know Your Audience
You need to design an NFP’s survey for inclusion. As a nonprofit, you are likely to survey a diverse community that may include people with varying disabilities, careers, cultures, and linguistic needs. Once you’ve identified your target audience, it may help to use language and formatting that resonate with them.
An older survey taker might need larger text or screen reader compatibility. Regional respondents may require plainer language. Others might need translations or local syntax. Try to build the survey with your audience’s “voice” in mind.
Write Neutral & Respectful Questions
Question design could be a career in itself. It is where you’ll get the most engagement. There are some simple principles to follow that reduce confusion, bias, and any sense of repetition:
- Stick to one idea per question
- Use plain English based on your region
- Stay neutral so you’re not leading the respondent one way or the other
- Respect sensitivity (include a “prefer not to say” for anything that may be personal)
Finally, mix in a few open-ended questions among your closed-ended questions. You might have a rating scale or multiple-choice questions, with a few short or long-answer questions. Stick to only a few actual writing sections so the survey doesn’t feel like school homework.
Keep It Short
Survey fatigue is real. The shorter the survey (2-5 minutes), the greater the response rate. People are busy. Life gets in the way, and you want something that doesn’t feel “too big to chew” for your audience.
Prioritise “must-know” questions and remove anything that duplicates ideas. Group them logically and signal the commitment time upfront (“this survey takes only a few minutes to complete”).
If you do have to go with a longer survey, then give a couple of sentences explaining why the detail is so necessary for the future. That extra transparency may be enough to offset the longer survey time.
Design the Survey Experience
Question design is one thing, but survey layout is another. You want a clean, uncluttered survey with progress indicators that ensure logical flow, mobile-friendly formatting, and reduced uncertainty.
Open with simple, non-confrontational questions and then build momentum from there. You should also include why the impact of this survey matters. The longer the respondent is on your survey, the more they invest in the results.
Build Trust Through Transparency
Clearly explain how your survey will be used regarding personal information. You want to explain:
- Why the survey is necessary
- How responses are measured
- If responses are anonymous
- How data is stored
Protecting privacy, especially if you’re conducting a research survey for your NDIS funding, is extremely important. Even something as simple as a short privacy notice before the survey begins goes a long way toward easing discomfort.
Choose the Best Survey Tools
Accessibility and user segmentation both improve survey results and relevance. Plenty of free tools and website applications can help you reach these goals. For example, you may want to target one survey to a specific region while ensuring full accessibility for screen readers.
For these reasons, many Australian NFPs use tools like Google Forms or SurveyMonkey, but QuestionPro, and Microsoft Forms are also possibilities. You can pilot these surveys with a small “test group” first to ensure they work as intended across all devices.
Final Thoughts on How to Build an NFP Survey
Being an Australian nonprofit means you need to properly measure the impact of your events, goals, processes, and public perception. That requires conducting occasional surveys with a target audience, which you can then use to add data to your website or in funding requests.
At Web 105, we help by building mobile-responsive, clean, and easy-to-navigate websites that healthcare providers, government agencies, and NFPs just like you need. We know how to integrate survey technology into extensions, apps, and plugins, so you can issue a new project whenever you need to.
Give us a call today, and let’s set up a time to discuss how our expert website designers and developers can help you succeed in an online presence that includes survey tools.
FAQs
How to build a good survey?
Keep it short and simple, with direct, unbiased, non-leading questions. Use the natural language of your target audience and be clear with your goals and expectations.
What are the 5 basic questions for surveys?
You want satisfaction ratings (how satisfied are you with . . .), open-ended questions for improvement, how you solve people’s problems, how they found out about you, and how likely they are to recommend you to friends, peers, or neighbours.
What are the best practices for donor surveys?
Always start with a “thank you,” explain why the survey is needed and how their responses add value, and then provide a mix of short, easy-to-read questions.