Nonprofit organizations do important work for their communities, providing support, and resources to those who need help. However, the operational aspects of running a nonprofit can be challenging, which is why it’s vital to ask stakeholders for feedback in order to ensure your organization and its mission are on the right track. In this article, you’ll find a comprehensive list of 50 nonprofit survey questions organized by stakeholder type and guidance on question types, when to ask them, and why each one matters. We’ll also explain how to create and customize your surveys using Jotform easily.
Pro Tip
Want an easy way to build surveys for your nonprofit? Create your own for free with Jotform.
Benefits of conducting nonprofit surveys
There are many use cases where nonprofit survey questions come in handy. First, it’s important to give your donors opportunities to offer feedback. Asking donors questions can help your nonprofit understand the motivations of your biggest supporters, including whether they’ll continue to donate and whether they feel comfortable recommending your organization to their friends.
Another case for using nonprofit surveys is when you’re managing volunteers. Many nonprofits rely on volunteers to run events, campaigns, and even day-to-day operations. Asking volunteers to provide suggestions for improvement or information about their availability in advance can help organizations operate more effectively.
Nonprofits can also survey staff and board members to learn more about their engagement levels in the organization or whether they have any ideas for future campaigns.
Create an nonprofit survey preloaded with these 50 questions.
Examples of nonprofit survey questions
Nonprofit survey questions for donors
For many nonprofits, donors provide the majority of operational funding. As a result, it’s vital to connect with them and get their feedback.
Here are some example donor questions to consider:
- Why do you support this nonprofit organization?
Type: Open-ended
When to ask: After donation or in annual surveys
Why you should ask: To learn about donor motivations and values
- Are you likely to donate to our nonprofit organization again?
Type: Multiple choice (Yes/No/Maybe)
When to ask: Post-donation
Why you should ask: To gauge donor loyalty and predict future giving
- Are you likely to recommend our nonprofit organization to a friend?
Type: Likert scale (1–5)
When to ask: Quarterly or bi-annually
Why you should ask: Measures donor satisfaction and likelihood of refer
- Which of the causes we support matter most to you?
Type: Multiple choice
When to ask: After onboarding or annually
Why you should ask: Helps tailor communications and fundraising appeals
- How smooth was the donation process?
Type: Rating scale
When to ask: Immediately after the donation
Why you should ask: Identifies issues in the donation flow
- Do you have any feedback on the donation process?
Type: Open-ended
When to ask: Post-donation
Why you should ask: Offers qualitative insights to improve UX
- Do you have any feedback on our campaigns?
Type: Open-ended
When to ask: After campaign completion
Why you should ask: Helps evaluate campaign resonance
- Do you understand how we used your donation?
Type: Multiple choice (Yes/Somewhat/No)
When to ask: Quarterly or after major initiatives
Why you should ask: Assesses transparency and communication effectiveness
- Do you prefer to make monthly or annual donations?
Type: Multiple choice
When to ask: At donation time or during follow-ups
Why you should ask: Informs fundraising and donor retention strategy
- Would you be interested in leaving a legacy or planned gift?
Type: Yes/No
When to ask: Annually or in long-term donor surveys
Why you should ask: Opens the door to major gifts or endowments
- How would you prefer to be acknowledged for your support?
Type: Multiple choice
When to ask: During onboarding or after a major gift
Why you should ask: Helps personalize recognition and build stronger relationships
- What kind of updates would you like to receive from us?
Type: Multiple choice
When to ask: Quarterly
Why you should ask: Tailors content and communication efforts
Nonprofit survey questions for volunteers
Maintaining a strong relationship with volunteers is essential if your organization wants to have enough help running events and campaigns. These survey questions can help you maintain a good relationship with your volunteers:
- How many hours per week are you available to volunteer?
Type: Multiple choice
When to ask: During onboarding
Why you should ask: Helps with scheduling and task assignments
- How do you like us to communicate with you: phone or email?
Type: Multiple choice
When to ask: At onboarding or annually
Why you should ask: Ensures better volunteer communication
- Which time slots do you prefer?
Type: Checkboxes
When to ask: Onboarding or quarterly
Why you should ask: Optimizes shift scheduling
- Why do you like volunteering with our nonprofit organization?
Type: Open-ended
When to ask: After 3–6 months of volunteering
Why you should ask: Captures volunteer motivation and satisfaction
- How smooth was the volunteer application process?
Type: Rating scale
When to ask: Post-application
Why you should ask: Identifies onboarding issues
- Would you like to spend more or fewer hours volunteering with us each month?
Type: Multiple choice
When to ask: Quarterly or annually
Why you should ask: Assists with planning and understanding commitment levels
- Do you have any special skills (e.g., crafting, event planning, digital design)?
Type: Open-ended
When to ask: Onboarding or annually
Why you should ask: Allows better role matching
- Do you know any people who may like to volunteer with us?
Type: Yes/No
When to ask: Periodically, especially after events
Why you should ask: Encourages word-of-mouth recruitment
- Have you felt appreciated for your contributions?
Type: Rating scale
When to ask: Biannually
Why you should ask: Measures recognition and morale
- What would improve your volunteer experience?
Type: Open-ended
When to ask: Biannually or at exit
Why you should ask: Offers direct improvement suggestions
- Would you be interested in leading a volunteer project or event?
Type: Yes/No
When to ask: After 6+ months of volunteering
Why you should ask: Helps identify leadership potential
- How confident do you feel in your current volunteer role?
Type: Rating scale
When to ask: Mid-project
Why you should ask: Highlights need for training or support
Nonprofit survey questions for staff and board members
The staff at a nonprofit organize events and campaigns, connect with donors, and manage volunteers, while the board oversees the strategy and mission. Keeping staff and board members engaged and satisfied is key to running the nonprofit successfully. Here are some example questions to ask:
- Here are our goals. Please rank them in order of importance.
Type: Ranking
When to ask: Annually or at planning sessions
Why you should ask: Prioritizes organizational focus areas
- How would you rate the executive team’s performance?
Type: Likert scale (1–5)
When to ask: Annually
Why you should ask: Gathers feedback on leadership
- How well do you understand our mission, vision, and values?
Type: Multiple choice
When to ask: Onboarding and annually
Why you should ask: Checks alignment with organizational purpose
- Do you have any suggestions for future events or campaigns?
Type: Open-ended
When to ask: Quarterly
Why you should ask: Leverages internal insights
- Do you have any suggestions to improve internal processes?
Type: Open-ended
When to ask: Annually
Why you should ask: Surfaces operational inefficiencies
- Do you have any suggestions regarding new donors we can approach?
Type: Open-ended
When to ask: Quarterly
Why you should ask: Sources ideas for donor prospecting
- What do you like most about working at this nonprofit?
Type: Open-ended
When to ask: Exit interviews or annual check-ins
Why you should ask: Highlights strengths to reinforce
- If you could support another cause through this nonprofit, what would it be?
Type: Open-ended
When to ask: Annually
Why you should ask: Informs future expansion or campaigns
- How supported do you feel by leadership?
Type: Rating scale
When to ask: Quarterly
Why you should ask: Measures leadership effectiveness and culture
- What would help improve your job satisfaction?
Type: Open-ended
When to ask: Annually
Why you should ask: Informs HR and engagement strategies
- How inclusive is our workplace environment?
Type: Likert scale
When to ask: Annually
Why you should ask: Measures diversity and inclusion efforts
- Do you feel like your work makes a difference?
Type: Yes/No
When to ask: Biannually
Why you should ask: Measures engagement and morale
Nonprofit survey questions for general stakeholders
General stakeholders—such as event attendees, newsletter subscribers, community members, and online followers—offer valuable insights that help nonprofits grow and stay aligned with the public interest. Here are some example questions to help you engage with your broader audience:
- How did you first hear about our organization?
Type: Multiple choice
When to ask: Onboarding or after the first interaction
Why you should ask: Helps evaluate marketing and outreach
- How likely are you to attend our next event?
Type: Likert scale (1–5)
When to ask: Post-event or pre-campaign
Why you should ask: Gauges interest and helps plan attendance
- What issue do you feel we should focus on next?
Type: Open-ended
When to ask: Annually
Why you should ask: Provides community-driven direction
- Do you follow us on social media?
Type: Yes/No
When to ask: Periodically
Why you should ask: Helps track digital engagement
- How often would you like to receive updates from us?
Type: Multiple choice
When to ask: Onboarding or annually
Why you should ask: Tailors communication frequency
- How would you rate our impact on the community?
Type: Likert scale
When to ask: Annually
Why you should ask: Measures perceived success
- What other nonprofits do you support or admire?
Type: Open-ended
When to ask: Annually
Why you should ask: Identifies benchmarks and potential collaborators
- What inspires you most about our work?
Type: Open-ended
When to ask: Post-event or in-campaign wrap-ups
Why you should ask: Helps refine messaging and storytelling
- Do you feel part of our nonprofit’s community?
Type: Yes/No
When to ask: Quarterly
Why you should ask: Measures sense of belonging
- Would you be interested in a behind-the-scenes tour or webinar?
Type: Yes/No
When to ask: In newsletters or post-campaign
Why you should ask: Increases engagement opportunities
- How can we better serve the local community?
Type: Open-ended
When to ask: Annually
Why you should ask: Directs community outreach and services
- Would you like to participate in a focus group or advisory panel?
Type: Yes/No
When to ask: During surveys or post-events
Why you should ask: Deepens stakeholder involvement
- How user-friendly is our website?
Type: Rating scale
When to ask: After visiting the site or donating
Why you should ask: Improves online experience
- Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Type: Open-ended
When to ask: End of any survey
Why you should ask: Captures feedback you may not have anticipated
Nonprofit surveys with Jotform
Running a nonprofit is no easy task and involves a lot of logistical and operational challenges. To ensure a nonprofit is making the largest impact possible, it’s important to check in with stakeholders on a regular basis.
You might not get as much feedback as you’d like, but surveys are still worth the effort.
Jotform can help make the process of creating surveys easier for your organization. You can get a head start by using one of our charity templates for nonprofits and customize it to fit your needs. Or you can create one from scratch.
Then you just need to decide which nonprofit survey questions you want to include. With your survey ready to go, your nonprofit can get valuable feedback from stakeholders that will help you operate more effectively.
Send Comment: