Issue #19

Weekly evaluation inspiration for...

Non-profits who DARE

Hi! I'm Allison and I help organizations learn about their work to improve programs and transform communities. I think engagement is critical to this work, and I love when an engagement activity pays off.

A local group recently asked me to help them survey their members. They had a small budget set aside from a larger grant, and they wanted to make the most of the opportunity to look across the organization and inform future planning.

I hear a lot about survey fatigue, and I've written about it before. When I bring up surveys with organizations, they sometimes push back, because their experience has included low response rates and data that isn't super useful.

I'll make recommendations about how to make surveys more helpful, but most organizations see them as a menu and choose a couple that work for them. This local organization agreed to take all of the recommendations, and implement them.

They ended up with a great response rate, which will give us a really good picture for future planning.

Here's what we did:

1. We engaged staff to help develop questions that would be meaningful and aligned with learning priorities.
2. We designed communications tools to make sure members would understand why we were asking, and how their feedback would inform future program planning.
3. The organization used existing channels to let people know the survey was coming a few days before.
4. We sent out the survey through a standalone email and put posters up at the locations, including during a special event day. We sent out a final reminder the day before the survey closed.
5. We noted on the posters that there were volunteers able to help if needed, and we provided volunteers with instructions to help. The survey was 100% virtual, with a QR code on posters and a link in the email and on the website.

75% of the responses came within 24 hours after an email. You don't want to send out too many reminders, so you need to balance getting the message out.

I'm really looking forward to digging into the data. When you deliver a service that people can choose to attend, hearing their feedback can increase satisfaction among your existing members, and help you reach new people.

What's your experience with surveys? Hit reply and let me know!

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