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Using Survey Monkey to Stay Connected to your Members

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How does your community association board stay connected with the needs of your members? Do you know the needs you hear represent the whole neighborhood, rather than just a few vocal individuals? What if you could use an online service like SurveyMonkey to poll your community members and keep in touch with their needs?


The board of directors for any community association or non-profit organization is charged with meeting the needs of its members. Unless the board members themselves are homeowners in the community, it can be hard to know exactly what those needs are. Even if they are members of the community too, they may only hear from a small section of the members.

One way to overcome all this uncertainty is through online polls. Tools like SurveyMonkey send out short, easy surveys to everyone on your organization's email list. You can choose subsets of your members to receive different surveys based on their interests and their needs.

But not all surveys are created equal. Before you send out your first online membership poll, make sure to understand these important polling tips.

Set a Goal for Your Survey

Every time you send out a questionnaire, make sure your board knows what they need to know, and why. By giving each survey one specific purpose, you can increase response rates and get clearer answers to your questions.

Keep Questions Short and Simple

Just like each survey should have one purpose, each question should focus on one objective. The more complicated your questions, the more muddled your responses will be. By using closed, yes-or-no questions and consistent rating scales, you are more likely to get reliable information.

Track Your Responses

A survey is only as useful as the responses you receive. One benefit to online services like SurveyMonkey is that they provide summaries of your data – both in raw numbers and in percentages. When response numbers are low, that small sample size can skew the results of your survey. Before you jump to action, pay attention to how many people are responding. If your numbers are low, consider sending out reminder emails or follow-up calls to get a bigger base to work with.

Use Filtered Responses to Make Recommendations to the Board

Once you have done all you can to gather responses, you can use SurveyMonkey's reporting tools to create a summary all your community association board members can understand. Survey result summaries can help your board members understand what the community wants, and make better decisions to suit the entire organization's needs.

Need help creating a SurveyMonkey campaign for your board of directors? The web developers at Provisio Technology Solutions can walk you through the process and decide if an online tool is right for you. They can customize polling software to specifically address your needs. Get a handle on your board of directors' needs today. Contact Provisio Technology Solutions to schedule a meeting.