Overview

Community surveys provide your nonprofit organization with essential information to evaluate and improve services, which is not available through other sources. This information can help your nonprofit organization implement better planning procedures and more efficiently allocate resources. When used as a benchmark, surveys can offer objective evaluations on how effective programs have been in accomplishing their goals.

Perspectives Consulting Group, Inc. tailors your community survey to meet the specific information needs of your nonprofit organization. Most community surveys are conducted by telephone, as this method provides the most statistically accurate sample. Once the information is obtained, Perspectives Consulting Group, Inc. analyzes the information and provides direction for planning purposes.

Community Surveys

In the past, nonprofit organizations have used community surveys for:

• Planning purposes
• Evaluating delivery of services
• Identifying community perceptions and awareness
• Exploring issues of concern within the community such as safety, gangs, drugs, unwed pregnancy
• Discovering information sources used by community members
• Profiling community demographics such as age, household income, marital status

Perspectives Consulting Group, Inc. has developed a simple process for conducting community surveys. The process starts by meeting with the nonprofit organization to identify the issues of concern. The survey is then developed to address those issues and meet generally accepted survey practices. On average, surveys are eight to ten minutes in length. Once the survey is approved, interviewing is conducted which normally requires several weeks. Analysis of the data and preparation of the report is completed within a few weeks of interviewing. The staff of Perspectives Consulting Group, Inc. will present the survey results to the nonprofit organization. Most community surveys require between ten and twelve weeks to complete depending on the amount of time required to develop the survey. The cost depends on the number of community members surveyed and the length of the survey.

Community Survey Outline

The following outline lists topics that could be included on a community survey:

Community Satisfaction

• Level of satisfaction of those living in the community
• Reasons community members like and dislike living in the community
• Challenges facing the community such as crime, schools, economy/jobs, environment, youth, race relations
• Neighborhood satisfaction and concerns with the condition of housing and safety

Issues

• Community growth and development
• Interest in potential new facilities, projects or programs
• Value received for funding new projects
• Local issues of community concern

Demographics

• Length of residency
• Area of respondent – ZIP code
• Employment – occupation, location
• Respondent demographics – age, ethnic background, household income, marital status
• Number of people in household