Have you ever wished to gain insight into the perspectives of your valued donors? Donor surveys offer a solution. By crafting thoughtful survey questions, you can effectively gauge donor satisfaction, comprehend the motivations driving their contributions, and critically evaluate and enhance your fundraising strategies. Moreover, soliciting donor input constitutes a pivotal step in the stewardship process, fostering deeper connections with your nonprofit. When armed with an understanding of the values held by your donors (and potential donors), you can elevate their giving experience, amplify fundraising efforts, and cultivate a fresh wave of supporters.

Sample Donor Survey Questions

To set you on the right path, we’ve curated a core set of exemplary survey questions for your consideration. These fundamental inquiries can be adapted across various survey formats—online questionnaires, face-to-face interviews, and registration forms. In all instances, these questions serve as a conduit for gathering invaluable insights, while also demonstrating to donors

your genuine regard for their perspectives.

1.      What motivates you to support our nonprofit through donations?

At times, the most straightforward questions hold the most significance. This “why” question delves into the rationale behind a donor’s contribution. This inquiry can also be approached retrospectively: Reflecting on the years during which you generously supported us, what were the driving factors behind your involvement and contributions?

2.      Among the programs and services your contributions support, which hold the most significance for you?

Furthermore, consider delving into follow-up questions: Which programs or services resonate most with our donors? To facilitate responses, consider presenting a list of core services or programs beneath the question.

3.      To what extent have your contributions created an impact, and how would you describe that impact?

Understanding donors’ perceptions of their donations’ impact and the reasoning behind their viewpoints can assist your organization in gauging its effectiveness in conveying tangible outcomes. This question can also be posed as: How can we further demonstrate the meaningfulness of your contributions?

4.      What is your preferred mode of giving?

Dissect this question by inquiring about donors’ favored giving frequency (one-time, annually, monthly), preferred type of donation (in-kind, cash, stocks, auctions, event tickets), and favored giving method (check, text-to-give, online, peer-to-peer).

5.      Which other organizations or causes do you also support with your donations?

Beneath this query, consider including: Which organizations excel in communicating the significance and impact of your contributions? In what ways? Among all your donations, which experiences have brought you the greatest sense of joy? How and why? Analyzing these other organizations’ practices can unveil successful engagement strategies (and potential areas for improvement).

6.      How would you rate your overall satisfaction with contributing to our organization?

Employ this question to gauge the overall satisfaction levels of your donors. Presenting this on a quantifiable rating scale can provide a clearer assessment of responses. On a scale of one to five, if one is representing highly satisfied and five is representing unsatisfied, what is your satisfaction level?

7.      What modes of communication do you prefer, and how frequently would you like to receive them?

Probe into donors’ preferred communication channels (email, phone, mail, social media), desired frequency (daily, weekly, monthly, annually), and preferred content (newsletters, opportunities, reports). This question can also be broken down to inquire how past communications have been helpful, accurate, enlightening, responsible, and meaningful.

8.      Are there aspects we have yet to address that would heighten your satisfaction as a donor to our organization?

Often, donors possess specific ideas and topics on their minds that are challenging to anticipate. This comprehensive question provides an avenue for these insights. You can also extract responses by asking: How can we bolster our initiatives? How can we more effectively express our gratitude?

9.      Can you share a specific story or instance highlighting how my contribution was utilized to create an impact?

Donors seek tangible evidence of their contributions’ real-world effects. By inviting donors to share specific stories showcasing their donations’ outcomes, you allow them to better comprehend the concrete results of their support. These impact stories offer assurance that their contributions are utilized effectively and establish a stronger emotional bond between donors and your organization’s mission.

 

10. How can I further engage with your organization and contribute beyond monetary donations?

Donors genuinely invested in your organization’s mission often desire to contribute more than financially. Inquiring about opportunities for additional engagement—such as volunteering, participation in events, or advocacy—enables donors to explore varied ways of contributing based on their interests, skills, and availability.

Supplementary Queries for Your Fundraising Survey

If you’re seeking to delve even deeper into your donors’ perspectives, consider these additional questions:

• What guiding principles guide your philanthropic decisions?
• As you contemplate your giving and volunteer efforts, do you identify a common thread or underlying value?
• What expectations do you hold for the charitable organizations you engage with? To what extent are we fullfilling those expectations? How could we enhance our performance in that regard?
• How well acquainted would you say you are with our board and CEO? If not familiar, how would becoming acquainted with our leadership impact your relationship with us?

Next Steps: Crafting Your Donor Surveys

Considering the array of survey objectives, as well as the diversity of donors, it’s likely you’ll require multiple surveys tailored to different needs and audiences. Each survey should feature questions aligned with the specific subset of donors, the insights you seek, and how you intend to utilize that information.

For instance: Do you want to understand small donors, new contributors, recurring supporters, major donors, or those who’ve lapsed? Are you interested in comprehending their motivations for giving, preferred communication methods, or areas of funding interest?

Answering these queries will guide you in selecting the appropriate questions and structuring their delivery. Generally, three primary factors should be considered when designing surveys:

Live vs. Asynchronous

Live surveys facilitate in-depth, spontaneous discussions and immediate follow-ups. Conversely, asynchronous surveys accommodate respondents’ schedules and provide them with ample time to consider their responses.

In-Person vs. Remote

While face-to-face surveys foster robust and enduring donor engagement, remote surveys—such as those distributed by mail, conducted via video calls, or completed online—can reach a broader range of participants.

Open-Ended vs. Closed-Ended

A blend of open-ended and closed-ended questions is recommended. Multiple-choice, checkbox, and ranking questions tend to be swift to complete and are well-suited for asynchronous surveys. On the other hand, open-ended queries encourage more detailed, expansive responses.

Regardless of the format you choose, allocate sufficient time to formulate your questions and review them with relevant stakeholders from your marketing, fundraising, and engagement teams.

Collecting your questions and shaping your survey marks just the initial phase. Following data collection, commit to attentively listening and responding in a meaningful manner to the feedback received—both the positive and the constructive.

Remember, this ongoing process of engagement is instrumental in building strong relationships with your donors and continuously refining your nonprofit’s strategies.

Role of Articence

Articence is an innovative online platform specialising in creating surveys and forms, offering organizations and individuals a seamless and user-friendly way to design, customize, and deploy a wide range of survey instruments and data collection forms. With its intuitive interface and diverse features, Articence empowers users to craft tailored surveys, from gathering customer feedback and conducting market research to engaging donors and assessing employee satisfaction. By providing a versatile and accessible tool for survey creation, Articence streamlines the process of obtaining valuable insights and information, contributing to informed decision-making and enhanced engagement across sectors.

Conclusion

Conducting donor surveys is a powerful tool for nonprofit organizations seeking to better understand their donors and enhance their fundraising efforts. Organizations can uncover valuable insights into donor motivations, preferences, and satisfaction levels by asking the right questions. These insights, in turn, can guide strategic decisions, improve communication strategies, and ultimately lead to stronger relationships with donors.

Remember, the survey process doesn’t end with the collection of data. Once you have gathered responses, analysing the results and taking actionable steps that are based on the feedback received is crucial. Continuously engaging with donors through well-designed surveys demonstrates your commitment to their opinions and experiences, fostering a sense of partnership and investment in your nonprofit’s mission.

Incorporating donor surveys as a regular practice within your nonprofit’s strategy can lead to a more informed and effective approach to fundraising, ultimately contributing to the success and longevity of your organization’s endeavours. So, go ahead and start crafting those thoughtful survey questions to uncover the insights that will propel your nonprofit forward.