Donor surveys: why and how to run them

Donor surveys are one of the simplest ways to find out what your supporters really think. Ask the right questions and you can keep more donors, raise more money and run smarter campaigns.

When someone donates, you get their money but rarely their reasons. You don't know what moved them to give, how they'd like to hear from you, or whether they'll give again.

A donor survey closes that gap. Below, I cover why surveys are worth running, what to ask and how to send one people will answer. As a bonus at the end, I'll show how to keep all your nonprofit's documents organized with Document Library Pro.

What are donor surveys?

A donor survey is a short questionnaire that gathers feedback and insights from the people who support your cause. That includes current donors, lapsed donors and people who have never given but might.

Surveys can cover almost anything, from why people give to how they want to hear from you. The answers help you understand your supporters and make better decisions across your fundraising.

The benefits of running donor surveys

A good survey pays for itself in better decisions. Here's what donor feedback gives you:

The point of all this is action. A survey only helps if the feedback changes something you do.

Good questions to ask in a donor survey

The questions you ask depend on your goal, but a few work well for almost any nonprofit:

• What first inspired you to give?
• How do you prefer to hear from us?
• Which part of our work matters most to you?
• How would you rate your donation experience?
• How likely are you to give again?

Keep the list short. A handful of focused questions gets far more responses than a long form, and it respects the time of people who already give to you.

Running an effective donor survey

Once you know what to ask, a few habits separate a survey people finish from one they close. Keep these in mind:

• Start with a thank you. Tell donors why you're asking and how long it will take.
• Mix up the questions. Use mostly quick multiple-choice options, with one or two open questions for detail.
• Use warm, inclusive language. Write as if you're talking to one supporter, not a database.
• Make it easy to finish. Every extra question costs you responses, so cut anything you won't act on.

If you'd rather not build the survey on your own site, a standalone tool like SurveyMonkey handles it. But if your site runs on WordPress, you can create the whole survey there, which I'll cover next.

Timing matters as well. The best moments to ask are just after a donation, after a big campaign or event, or at the end of the year. Email is the usual way to send a survey, though you can also share it through your nonprofit social media.

Create your donor survey with WS Form

Building the survey is easier than it used to be. My pick for WordPress is WS Form, which has a drag-and-drop builder and can email responses or save them straight to your site.

The feature that saves the most time is its AI form generator. Instead of adding every field by hand, you describe the survey you want and WS Form builds a first draft for you. You'll need the OpenAI add-on and an OpenAI API key to switch it on.

Once it's set up, go to WS Form → Add New, open the 'OpenAI' tab and choose the 'AI Generated Form' template. Then paste in a prompt like this:

Create a donor survey for a nonprofit. Open with a short thank-you message. Ask what first inspired the person to give. Ask how they prefer to hear from us. Add a 1 to 5 rating of their donation experience. Ask how likely they are to give again. Finish with an optional open-text box for any other feedback.

Click 'Create' and WS Form builds the survey in seconds. From there you can tweak the wording, reorder the questions and style it to match your site, then publish it or email the link to your donors.

Bonus: organize your nonprofit's documents with Document Library Pro

Surveys are just one of many things a nonprofit has to keep track of. The files pile up fast, from board minutes and annual reports to policies and donor packs.

Document Library Pro turns all of those files into a searchable, sortable library on your own site. You choose what's public and what sits behind a login, so your team and board find what they need without digging through email.

It's the same approach the organizations in our nonprofit resource library examples use. And since you run a nonprofit, it's worth knowing that Barn2 plugins come with a 15% nonprofit discount.

Frequently asked questions about donor surveys

What is a donor survey?

A donor survey is a short questionnaire that gathers feedback from your supporters, including current, lapsed and potential donors. It helps you understand why people give and how to keep them giving.

What questions should I ask in a donor survey?

Ask what inspired people to give, how they prefer to hear from you, which part of your work matters most to them, and how likely they are to give again. Keep it to a handful of focused questions.

How do I send a donor survey?

Most nonprofits send surveys by email, using a tool like WS Form or SurveyMonkey. You can also share the link on your blog or social media to reach supporters who aren't on your mailing list.

When is the best time to survey donors?

Good moments are just after a donation, after a major campaign or event, and at the end of the year. Many nonprofits also run a regular check-in, such as an annual survey.

Get more from your donor surveys

A donor survey only helps if you act on what it tells you. Share the results with your team, make one or two real changes, and let donors know what you changed because of their feedback.

Do that and your next survey gets an even better response, because people see that you listen. When you're ready to organize everything that surrounds your fundraising, Document Library Pro keeps your nonprofit's documents in one tidy place.