Abstract

An online survey is a handy tool for gathering information from volunteers and clients and assessing the overall efficacy of a project. This effective practice outlines steps and offers practical suggestions for those who have never created a survey online.

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Issue

Good program management strategies include procedures for eliciting feedback about projects. Traditional pen and paper surveys are neither efficient nor cost-effective.

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Action

Use online surveys to:

• Determine interest for project funding
• To gauge participant satisfaction
• Collect information about project outcomes 
• Gather and update contact data from funders and volunteers

Choose an Online Survey Tool

There are many online survey tools available, and many of them offer free basic subscriptions. To decide on a tool and subscription type, consider features such as the number of surveys you can create, the amount of questions you can ask within each survey, and the method by which results are analyzed and reported.

The four tools below offer free basic subscriptions. For a list of additional plans and features, visit each website's pricing page.

Survey Monkey
Zoomerang
SuperSurvey
Advanced Survey

Steps for Conducting an Online Survey

1. 1. Define your objective. What do you hope to learn from those you are surveying? What do you expect the survey to do for your organization?
   2. Select an online survey tool. Select a program that meets your needs and budget, and delivers the type of reporting you need.
   3. Determine the participants. Survey potential funders, volunteers, project participants, program employees, and sponsoring agency contacts.
   4. Develop questions for your survey. Be sure to keep each question relevant to your objective, and avoid asking for extraneous information.
   5. Create your survey. Choose question types and layouts that are most appropriate for the information you are soliciting.
   6. Test the survey. Have others in your organization check for errors and confusing questions. Make changes as necessary.
   7. Distribute the survey. Choose the best means of distribution from the methods offered by your online survey tool.
   8. Collect and analyze the responses!

Ensure a Good Turnout for Your Survey

The following are some simple tips to follow when creating your survey. Keep them in mind to increase responses and improve the quality of the feedback you receive.

• Provide an incentive: Make sure the participants understand you appreciate their efforts. Offer an incentive, even if it is just sharing the results of the survey.
• Introduction: Let your participants know the purpose of your survey, any specific instructions, an estimate of how much time it will take, and how the results will be used.
• Length of the Survey: To ensure an adequate amount of participation, the survey should not take longer than ten minutes to complete. The shorter the survey, the more participation you will have.
• Order of questions: Place important questions at the beginning of the survey, and demographic questions (such as age, gender, location, etc.) at the end. Lead with more interesting questions. Break up more complicated questions with simpler questions.
• Types of Questions: Use a question type that is appropriate for the topic. Make sure not to overwhelm respondents by offering too many choices. For matrix type questions (questions with a scale), offer small, meaningful rating scales and keep them consistent throughout the survey. For multiple choice questions, keep possible answers to a minimum, and offer meaningful choices.
• Wording of questions: Avoid acronyms, double-negatives, and other misleading language. Try to maintain a neutral tone in all questions. Use consistent phrasing, such as starting all questions with a verb. Keep questions as simple and to the point as possible, and make sure that you discuss only one topic per question.
• Edit and test the survey: Review each question, and consider how the answer will be useful to your organization. If the question is not relevant to the purpose of the survey, delete it.

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Context

Instead of mailing, collecting, and tabulating paper data, all you have to do is build your survey online. Most online survey tools offer easy methods to send your survey and provide easy-to-read reports of your results.

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Outcome

An online survey provides:

• A safe and convenient place for participants to share their ideas and opinions
• Opportunities for dialogue between your project and volunteers, funders, and the communities served

Additionally, the information received from an online survey can sharpen your organization's goals and help you respond to challenges.

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