How to create the perfect survey

Keep your finger on the pulse: gathering intelligence from audiences in the form of surveys empowers charities. The feedback lets leaders know how they are impacting beneficiaries, and how to improve.  

Designing a survey isn’t as simple as it sounds. Pitching the right questions takes consideration. Our top tips help managers consider, execute, and receive information.

Here are the simple steps you can follow.

Think about the data you’re looking for 

Decide on what the ‘problem’ area is first. The next step is to gauge what type of information fits within the objectives. It’s helpful to make a list of questions associated with the topic.

Decide on who you’re going to ask 

Using audience segmentation exercises, there’s a vast range of people to draw data from. Some personas may be relevant to the investigation, others may not be.  

For charities with beneficiaries, recipients of the survey could form a focus group. Mind, the mental health charity, uses these to collect qualitative data. The technique has two main benefits.  

The first: “The great advantage of involving people online in smaller focus groups is that there is a lot more time to learn what is meaningful to each individual.” Second, the charity found that because the survey questions were held over a number of days, the investigators gained a much deeper insight.

Consider the type of survey  

Surveys collect many data points. Most digital ones have the option of including different types of questions. The main ones are:  

Explore digital survey tools 

The best digital survey tools involve different question types and the ability to collate answers. For both basic and advance users, try Survey Monkey at no cost. The free version includes ten questions per survey. For those thinking of expanding the query, make sure to use the free trial version for testing. Behind the paywall, subscribers can maximise the results by exporting them to Excel and sharing.  

There are many other survey options available, including Typeform or even more simply, Google Forms. Work out exactly what you need and choose the right option for you and your budget. 

Start drafting questions 

Draft your questions and include them in the survey. Make sure to use simple language for accessibility. Then edit for grammar and spelling. Content editors are helpful here.  

Send out the pilot version  

Identify a select group of people for testing. They should represent a wide range of audience members. Let this trusted group give you honest feedback, so you can refine the survey.  

Hubspot offers a top tip. They say to include a ‘red herring’ question to filter out those who are versus aren’t paying attention. Often, it’s a qualifying question and: “This is especially important when you’re designing longer surveys — because you may be surprised (and dismayed) to see how many respondents forget what country they’re from or how many employees their company has.” 

Refine the survey 

By taking a look at all the possible answers during the pilot testing, charity surveys can be refined for wider audiences.  

Send it out 

Now that the survey has been perfected, send it via email or social media. Make sure that you intermittently remind participants to respond. For those on social media remember to tease audiences with limited feedback – you might want to pre-release some of your findings. 

Report on what you’ve found 

Check out how other charities have reported their survey findings. Homelessness charities are excellent at pulling out galvanizing statistics to support their work. Other charities, like Age UK, make use of the same strategy. For example, in 2020,  the charity noted that nearly one in seven older people have had their care reduced, and link that to immediate funding needs. 

Our top tip here is to engage board trustees with the work. They may be called on by the press to explain the findings.