Donor Surveys Help You Learn About Your Donors
Donor surveys can be implemented in a number of ways,
including mail, e-mail, telephone, focus discussions, and face-to-face
meetings. Whether comprehensive one-to-one interviews, or a mix of
any of the other options, surveys do not need to be complicated
research instruments. A simple questionnaire (or format, for personal
meetings) can be tallied either by hand or, if you structure the
questions right, on a simple computer spreadsheet.
Guidelines
First, take a hard look at what you want to learn and about
the uses to which you intend to put their response. Although some
questions are "standard," you will be more productive if you develop a
survey tailored to your organization's specific need.
Whether comprehensive one-on-one interviews, or a mix of other
information gathering methods is used, donor survey planning must take
into account:
- Size and make-up of the donor base to be surveyed.
- Survey timeline.
- Adequacy of resources to perform the survey.
Suggested Questions To Be Presented To Donors
(Use or adapt those of relevance and importance to your organization)
- On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 highest) how familiar are you
with (your NPO)?
- Have you formed any deeply held opinions about us --- what
are they?
- What do you perceive to be our mission statement?
- Do you see our mission as vital and valid?
- Do you perceive us as being successful at carrying out
that mission?
- Do you believe we are the right organization to address
what we declare in our mission statement?
- What do you know about us overall?
- What do you know about our?
- Administration - Board of Trustees - Volunteers / Auxiliaries -
Staff - Facilities - Add other components related to type of NPO:
i.e., faculty, curriculum
- What do you see as our strengths?
- What areas, if any, do you see potential for improvement?
- Have we earned and maintained your trust and respect?
- What priority in terms of community (and your) needs would
you place on our (List THE main program, service, or project which
drives your organization)?
High _______ Moderate ________ Low ________
- What priority do you place regarding importance to the
community (and to you) on the following?
(List OTHER key programs, services, and projects known to be
associated with the organization. As many as reasonable and
practical.)
High _______ Moderate ________ Low ________
- What are your impressions of our financial condition?
- What makes you feel good (or otherwise) about your
financial support?
- Have we been efficient stewards of your donations and
resources?
- How would you describe the most compelling reason the
community should support us?
- Which other organizations do you support? Why? How are
we ranked in priority with them relative to the amounts you give?
- Has any controversy been associated with us to your
knowledge?
- Have you ever had any questions or concerns about any of
our leaders? About our administration? ----- About our Staff?
- How do you feel about the various materials we send to
you? Newsletters, solicitation letters, other communications?
- Are we included in your financial estate plans? If not,
are you familiar with charitable giving opportunities that offer you
income?
- May we please have any other of your comments, advice, and
recommendations?
Responses
Will your donors answer honestly and objectively? The answer is a
qualified "Yes." Some will answer a question not quite truthfully
because they wish they were something other than they are. Some may
not understand a question thus, will give a "wrong" answer. Sometimes
a donor may find a question to be inappropriate, even offensive ---
and they will not reply.
Acting On The Findings And Recommendations
Once a donor study has been completed and you've received
a report of its findings, conclusions, and recommendations, you're
ready to start the toughest part of the process. Now, you have to
listen and pay attention and act. You have a wonderful opportunity to
greatly benefit from what your donors told you about the pleasure and
satisfaction they derive from their support to your organization, as
well as alerting you to their concerns and cares. You work as best
you can to "fix" the things that need fixing, according to what the
donors told you. And you need to continue and to enhance the
cultivation practices which are the most desired and satisfying to
your donors. This will surely help in great measure to maximize your
chances for a continuation of their giving and it will provide
opportunities for even larger gifts in the future.
What if the Donor Study Tells You What You Don't Want to Hear?
Make sure that you take the time to go over every aspect
of the donor study. Don't skip over negative things that on first
reading seem minor. It is folly to take the time to conduct a donor
study, spend the money on it, and then risk alienating people
important to the organization by ignoring the study's
recommendations. An organization that ignores some or all of a donor
study's findings is making a mistake that can damage the organization.
Who
Should Conduct The Survey?
The principal value of having outside counsel perform a
donor survey is the opportunity to obtain candid answers to tough
questions. A consultant is not part of the organization's "family,"
and that means the responses from study subjects will be more candid
and complete.
However, face-to-face meetings between donors and staff or volunteers
are great relationship builders as well as a productive data-gathering
tool when structured for "listening and learning," instead of "talking
and selling."
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Those are my views on the subject. What are yours? I welcome
your comments and suggestions.
