Questions Nonprofits Should Ask Before Seeking Feedback From the People They Serve

Why do you want to collect feedback?

• What programs or systems do you think would benefit from learning the opinions of participants?
• Are your leaders committed to incorporating feedback results into programming, planning, and policies?

What mechanism should you use to collect feedback?

• Would respondents have access to cellphones so you can run a survey by text message?
• Do your constituents have the literacy skills to respond to written surveys?
• Would mixing technologies and formats ensure the best representative sample of your beneficiaries?

How should you collect feedback?

• Should you allow respondents to remain anonymous?
• Should you use a third-party platform or intermediary to collect feedback, especially if you have a very close relationship with your beneficiaries?
• Should you ask open-ended questions or more quantitative, ratings-type questions?

How would you motivate your constituents to provide feedback?

• Would you need to prove the integrity of the system by providing quick responses to initial surveys?
• Would you offer incentives or compensation for participation, such as by reimbursing respondents for airtime minutes spent answering surveys on their mobile phones?

How would you share the feedback results and invite your constituents to collaborate in addressing them?

• What mechanism would you use to report back your findings: social media, radio, public installations, like information painted on walls?
• How do you plan to engage in a continuing conversation among constituents, community members, service providers, and decision makers?

—Drawn from information provided by Ashoka Changemakers and other experts