Summer hits differently.
It brings warmth and sunshine- but also a certain kind of chaos. If you’re a parent, you might know exactly what I mean: fewer routines, more unpredictability, less structure. In my own life, that seasonal shift is both liberating and clarifying. With fewer meetings and less structure, I notice the cracks more clearly- those things that weren’t working as well as I thought.
That’s why I’ve come to see summer as a gift. It’s the perfect time to pause, reflect, and plan ahead. Not reactively, but thoughtfully. Strategically.
And the best planning? It starts with community feedback.
Whether you’re leading a nonprofit, running a school, growing a business, or managing a team in healthcare, your success depends on how well you understand and respond to your people—your community, clients, customers, employees, or families.
But to build rich plans, you need rich insights. And rich insights don’t come from a one-size-fits-all survey or leadership hunch. They come from listening deeply across diverse voices, with feedback tools that meet people where they are.
At Possip, we’ve spent years helping schools and organizations collect feedback through what we call “Pulse Checks.” And we’ve seen what happens when organizations use community input not just to look back- but to look forward.
Why Summer?
For many leaders, summer brings a natural slowdown. Even in healthcare or business, the pace often shifts. It’s a time when planning and reimagining can happen without the rush of daily demands. That makes it a strategic season to gather feedback and plan ahead.
So here are 8 ways we’ve seen organizations—from schools to nonprofits to businesses—use community feedback in summer to lay a strong foundation for the future.
1. Service and Experience Design
Whether it’s a patient intake form, donor welcome email, or client onboarding journey, now is the time to understand how people actually experience your services.
Ask: What feels confusing? What’s welcoming? What builds trust?
2. Communications Strategy
People tune out when messages miss the mark. Use feedback to understand how your audience wants to hear from you—text, email, social, multilingual, visual—and what they care about most.
Ask: What messages were helpful? What were ignored?
3. Workplace Culture and Inclusion
Ask your team how they experienced your culture. What energized them? What held them back? What behaviors or policies felt inclusive—or exclusive?
Ask: Do your people feel seen and heard?
4. Customer or Client Response Systems
Whether you’re serving families, donors, customers, or patients, gathering feedback on how your organization responds to needs and concerns builds stronger loyalty and trust.
Ask: Did people feel respected and supported when they spoke up?
5. Onboarding and Team Support
Summer is a great time to revisit training, mentorship, and early experiences for new staff or volunteers. Feedback from past joiners can lead to a better start for the next ones.
Ask: What made people feel prepared—or lost?
6. Absences, Coverage, and Continuity
Every organization deals with unexpected absences or turnover. Feedback can help you improve systems that keep quality and continuity high, even when someone’s out.
Ask: Where did the handoffs break down?
7. Policies That Shape Culture
From dress codes to meeting norms to employee expectations—ask for feedback before enforcing policies. Build guidelines with your people, not just for them.
Ask: What policies do people not understand—or feel left out of?
8. Safety, Belonging, and Behavior Norms
Especially in high-touch environments—schools, clinics, community programs—it’s critical to ask how safe and welcomed people feel, and what behaviors create positive experiences.
Ask: What behavior do we want to see more of? What do we want to shift?
Community Feedback Isn’t the End. It’s the Start.
Planning without input is like drawing a map without asking anyone who lives there.
So use this quieter season to ask better questions. Send a survey. Host a listening session. Offer open-response options. Make it easy and inclusive. Because what you hear this summer could shape what you build this fall.
Whether you’re running a classroom or a clinic, a team or a nonprofit, a retail store or a regional office—your best plans will come from your best insights.
And your best insights? They’re already in your community. You just have to ask.
Summer gives us time. Let’s use it to listen. Let’s use it to plan.
