What are some best practices for conducting donor surveys?

One thing I have found helpful is thinking of donor surveys in relation to incremental value to current relationship with donors. Beyond what you want from donors and who you want to hear from in the near term, think medium to longer term. What is the eventual outcome you want? To improve donor retention? Explore additional topics or avenues for funding? Increase funding or funding commitment limits? Strengthen donor relationship or expand avenues for partnership?

There is something to be said about the overall structure of the survey in addition to how you want to craft the questions. Make sure you have a preamble that is clear and concise. Include in this expected time to complete survey (donors are pressed for time!), key topics covered etc. Also, if your survey can be broken down into sections that may make it easier to navigate. Add in the option to skip questions that may not be relevant where applicable. Lastly, minimise jargon or create a glossary and link into that.

This is missing a section regarding deliverability of the survey itself. There should be a section regarding how you will actually conduct the survey--via email driving to a webpage, a physical paper form, a phone call, a series of text messages or a text with a link to a landing page. But there will be bias here, as the method of the survey taken may favor or disfavor an age group or demographic. So it's wise to conduct the survey across multiple channels.

Misses a critical step. Never include an “Ask for money!” Total turnoff and betrays the real purpose of Survey. Most just quit responding. Statement to that effect must be part of survey development guide.

Dr Jackson R Schonberg makes an interesting point because if the 'real' purpose of a survey is to secure a donation then it has to include a request for a gift. So knowing your survey's objective is paramount. Do you really want to know what your donors think, do you want their gifts, or both? And how do you make that work? Having personally devised numerous prospect and donor surveys for many charities, all of whom were using them primarily as fundraising materials, I can share that the responses to questions were assessed as survey respondents: donors, and survey respondents: non-donors. NB. The 'best' surveys were developed in partnerships including both fundraisers and researchers. Hope that helps.