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Surveys can help schools understand how things are going and what your people need, but it only works if enough people respond. Some challenges might stop you from getting the responses you need, but with the right planning, you can overcome them. The more people you hear from, the better you can guide your organization or school to meet those needs.
Cate Reed, an experienced administrator and Senior VP at Teach For America, shares tips to help boost response rates on Pulse Checks powered by Possip and other surveys.
Why Survey Response Rates Matter
Surveys are a great way to hear from staff, funders, constituents, families, and students and Possip makes it easy. But it can be disappointing if you only hear from a small group. How can you know if the feedback represents everyone? How do you make sure one voice doesn’t overpower others? And how do you avoid hearing from just one group of people?
Making sure most of your people engage in surveys – whether it’s a one-time or annual strategic survey or in at least one in a series of shorter surveys over a period of time – makes the data you collect more valuable.
Key Obstacles to Response Rates
Surveys are a powerful tool, but getting enough responses is crucial. Here are some common obstacles:
- If you only send a survey once a year, you may not get much useful feedback.
- Long surveys take a lot of time and effort, which can overwhelm respondents.
- Some people may worry about negative consequences for sharing critical feedback.
- Language barriers or confusing questions can stop people from responding.
- People may feel like their feedback won’t be heard or acted upon.
Luckily, these obstacles can be addressed with a few simple strategies!
8 Tips to Boost Survey Response Rates
1) Publicize Your Survey
Make surveys a normal part of your community’s life. Let your people know when surveys are coming and how often. Update their contact information to ensure they get the surveys. Talk about surveys in person or through other communication methods. Put up a poster in the hall. Send a heads up through Slack or in a newsletter. If people see surveys as the main way to share quick feedback, they’ll be more likely to respond.
2) Offer Anonymity
Some people may be nervous about giving honest feedback. If they are your staff, reassure them that their responses won’t negatively affect their job. If they are a student, reassure them that their responses won’t affect their grades. If they are a parent, let them know their honest feedback won’t adversely affect their child. If they are a funder or volunteer, let them know their standing or loyalty will not be held in question. Let them know they can submit feedback anonymously.
3) Send Surveys at the Right Time
Timing is everything! Don’t send surveys at busy times, like right before the winter holidays. If you are sending a survey to families at your school, don’t send your survey in the morning during drop-off. Instead, try sending them during pickup or other times when families have a moment to spare. Conversely, sending surveys to staff members first thing in the morning gives them a chance to reflect throughout the day or respond immediately before they get swept into the tasks they need to complete that day. Pro Tip: Don’t wake up college students with a survey request.
4) Ask Simple, Quick Questions
Keep questions short and easy to answer. For example, instead of asking, “What’s the best way we communicate with you?” ask, “Does the weekly email from the HR team give you enough information? Yes, No, or Somewhat?”
5) Use Social Media
Post reminders on your company, school, or organization’s Instagram or Facebook page when you send out surveys. Use these platforms to share what you learned from the surveys and what actions you’re taking based on the feedback.
6) Offer Incentives
Fun incentives can motivate folks to participate. For example, you could hold “Popsicle Fridays” if you hear from 75% of families or do a lottery for those who respond for lunch with a teammate of the winner’s choice or a local diner gift card.
7) Ask Questions That Apply to Everyone to Increase Response Rates
Keep your questions relevant. For example, consider these scenarios:
- Instead of asking how parents liked the first grade play, ask about events that everyone attended, like a school-wide carnival.
- Instead of asking for feedback on a professional development session that a portion of the company attended, ask for suggestions on future sessions.
- Instead of asking program participants if they enjoyed the last program event, ask if they would recommend or invite a friend to the next event.
8) Share Results and Actions
When people see that you are listening and acting on their feedback, they’ll be more likely to respond next time. Share what you heard and what changes are being made based on the feedback. Possip makes this easy by providing customized and editable 360 script that summarize the responses you gather from each Pulse Check.
The more people you hear from, the better you can meet their needs and guide your staff and community in the right direction. When folks see their feedback making a difference, their trust in you will grow.
Resources
For further reading on related topics, consider exploring the following resources:
Speed Read of 8 Tips to Boost Survey Response Rates
- Asking people to use surveys to get a sense of how things are going and what they need can be super helpful, and boosted if you get a good response rate.
- There are ways to predict what might stop you from getting the responses you need, but you can overcome them with some planning.
- When you hear from more people, you’ll be more confident you are steering your community in a way that will meet the most number of your people’s needs.
Read below for resources, tips, and the why!
