Why survey feedback is essential for non-profits

Non-profit organizations have a lot of work to do in order to achieve their mission. They need to raise funds, they need to get people engaged in the cause and they need to make sure that they are following through on their promises. One of the most important parts of this is collecting feedback from their beneficiaries, donors, and stakeholders in general.

The importance of collecting feedback
Non-profits can use surveys to get feedback on what they are doing well, what they need to improve, and how they can better meet the needs of their beneficiaries. Surveys are also an easy way for non-profits to collect data that is relevant and actionable. The feedback can be used to measure public opinion on different causes, find out what donors want from a non-profit, and gather feedback on fundraising efforts. They even provide a way for organizations to test the waters for their new programs before implementing them. 

Methods for feedback collection

There are many different types of surveys a non-profit organization can benefit from, such as donor surveys, volunteer surveys, and event surveys. Because there are different types of surveys, they each have their own key characteristics and value to a non-profit organization. A donor survey is a research study that asks the donor's demographic information and how much money they plan to donate over a certain period of time. A volunteer survey would ask about the volunteer's demographics, experience, and interests or activities. An event survey may be used by groups that often host events in order to collect information on how well their events are planned, organized and executed. Such a survey might ask for participant feedback on an event such as questions about the level of satisfaction with the event.

What to do once you have collected feedback 

Feedback is a valuable tool for non-profits to measure their success and gauge stakeholders’ impression about their activities. This data helps them make decisions about future plans that will have a positive impact on the community or organization they serve. Here are steps non-profits can take once they have collected feedback: 

1. Analyze the feedback

The best way to analyze survey feedback is to start by looking at the data in the right way. This may seem self-explanatory, but it’s important to make sure that you are collecting the right data and reviewing it all in the same place. Place all the data in a visually-friendly document or a spreadsheet to help you categorize the feedback. There are also AI-powered platforms such as MonkeyLearn that efficiently analyze feedback of any scale.

The next step is to look for any patterns, themes, or trends in the data. There are a few ways that this can be done. One way is to use a word cloud generator to find words that are repeated often in the feedback and then rank them by frequency. Another way is to create a pie chart with different sections of feedback and then see which section has more mentions or what percentage of responses are about each section. It’s also important not just to look at what people liked and disliked but also what they would want to see more of in the future.

2. Implement insights 

Action plans are a way to organize and prioritize the insights from surveys. They can be used for both short and long term goals, depending on what is desired. While positive feedback is great to receive, it’s equally important to address negative points after collecting survey feedback. This can be done by offering solutions for the problems that were mentioned in the feedback, creating a plan for solving these problems and implementing it on a specific timeline, listening and responding to any concerns or complaints that were mentioned in the survey, and creating a plan for addressing these concerns or complaints in a timely manner. 

3. Share your findings 

The feedback non-profit’s receive from stakeholders is important, whether they are donors, beneficiaries, or volunteers. It helps non-profits know what they are doing well and what to work on. But, how do you share feedback findings and future plans with non-profit stakeholders? First, non-profits should share the data collected with their stakeholders through their social media channels, website, or newsletter. This will allow them to see the results of their input and help them understand the data in a more meaningful way. Second, non-profits should provide a plan for what they are going to do next based on the feedback received. This should include a timeline for when these changes will be implemented so that stakeholders can follow up and see how things are going.

Feedback is an invaluable tool for non-profits and can help enormously with their success. It can help an organization understand the needs of their target audience and make changes to their methods or products that result in positive change. More importantly than all, the feedback process can also make the non-profit feel more connected to its supporters and foster goodwill which will leave a lasting impression.