Community survey question bank

Volunteers: suitability before enthusiasm

A volunteer application should find out whether someone can safely and reliably do the role, not only whether they want to help. That means availability in real terms, such as days and hours, the roles they are interested in, any checks the role requires, such as a working with children check, and an emergency contact. It also means asking about skills in a way that lets the coordinator place people, rather than a free text box nobody reads. The volunteer bank groups these so a coordinator can cut the sections a low risk role does not need.

Grant acquittals: evidence the money did what it promised

A grant acquittal is the report a funder asks for once the project is finished, and it is judged against what the original application promised. The questions have to connect spending to outcomes: what was delivered, how many people took part, what the money was spent on against the approved budget, and what changed as a result. Funders also want to know about unspent funds and anything that went differently from the plan. The acquittal bank sets each outcome and each dollar against what was agreed, and ends with a declaration from the person signing off the report.

Writing for people who give their time

Both forms are filled in by people who are not paid to do it, so every question has to justify itself. Explain why sensitive information is needed and who will see it, keep required questions to those without which the form cannot be used, and group questions so the form can be completed in more than one sitting. Plain language matters more here than in most forms, because a community organisation's respondents range widely in age, language and confidence with online forms. Each bank opens with how many questions to ask and the three never to skip.

Every page in this collection

• Community needs assessment questions by service area

  Community needs assessment questions ask residents which services they use, where the gaps are, what should come first and what stops people getting help. These twenty two questions are grouped by service area, so a neighbourhood house, council or charity can see which needs are greatest and for whom.

• Grant acquittal questions for a final project report

  A grant acquittal has to show the funder that the money went on what was agreed, and that the project delivered what the application promised. These questions set every outcome and every dollar against the original application, so an assessor can compare the two documents line by line instead of reading a story.

• Member satisfaction survey questions for an association

  Member satisfaction survey questions ask how long people have been members, which benefits they use and value, whether membership is worth the fee and whether they will renew. These twenty two questions are built for a business or professional association, and split benefits used from benefits valued so the association knows what to keep.

• Resident satisfaction survey questions for an Australian council

  Resident satisfaction survey questions ask people to rate the council services they use, say what should come first, and describe their last contact with the council. These twenty questions are built for an Australian local council, with a ten row service grid at the centre and a ward question so results reach the right councillors and wards can be compared fairly.

• Sports club survey questions on fees, facilities and coaching

  Sports club survey questions ask players, parents and volunteers whether fees are fair, how the facilities and coaching rate, how well the club communicates and whether people will stay. These twenty one questions start by asking each person's role, because a junior parent and a senior player experience a club very differently.

• Volunteer application questions from interest to checks

  A volunteer application has to match a willing person to a role and a roster, and find out early whether that role will need a background check. These questions put interests and availability first, where enthusiasm is highest, and leave checks and referees for the end, where a short explanation keeps people from walking away.

• Volunteer exit survey questions, short and kind

  Volunteer exit survey questions should thank people first, then ask why they are stepping down, how supported they felt and what would bring them back. These twenty questions are short and gentle, because a volunteer leaving owes the organisation nothing, and the ones who answer often say what current volunteers will not.