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Donor survey questions for nonprofits and charities

A 12-question donor survey on what prompted the gift, trust and how you ask. About three minutes, no name.

  • 12questions
  • About 3 minto complete
  • No nameor email asked
Use this template Take the survey first
Donor Survey · answer to move through it
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Question 1 of 12 Where the gift came from
How long have you been giving to us?
This is my first gift
Less than a year
1 to 3 years
4 years or more
I am not sure
Question 2 of 12 Where the gift came from
What prompted your most recent gift?
An email or letter from us
Something we posted or advertised
Someone I know asked me
An event or appeal I attended
Something I read or saw in the news
I gave without being asked
I do not remember
Question 3 of 12 What the gift did
I can see what my gift paid for.
1
2
3
4
5
Strongly disagreeStrongly agree
Question 4 of 12 What the gift did
How much do you trust us to spend your donation well?
1
2
3
4
5
Not at allCompletely
Question 5 of 12 What the gift did
What would you most like us to tell you about?
What my gift paid for
The people or places it reached
How much of it reaches the front line
What you need next
Nothing more, I am happy as I am
Question 6 of 12 How you ask
How would you prefer to hear from us?
Email
Mail
Text message
Social media
I would rather not hear from you between gifts
Question 7 of 12 How you ask
How often would you like to hear from us?
Every week
Every month
A few times a year
Once a year
Only when I choose to give
Question 8 of 12 How you ask
The amount we ask for feels about right for me.
1
2
3
4
5
Strongly disagreeStrongly agree
Question 9 of 12 How you ask
How easy was it to make your last gift?
1
2
3
4
5
Very difficultVery easy
Question 10 of 12 In their words
What is the main reason you give to us rather than somewhere else?
Question 11 of 12 In their words
What would make you stop giving to us?
Question 12 of 12 Giving again
How likely do you think it is that you will give to us again in the next 12 months?
1
2
3
4
5
I do not expect toI am sure I will

The 12 donor survey questions

A donor survey asks the people who give to your nonprofit what prompted their gift, whether they can see what it did, and how they want to hear from you. These 12 questions end on whether each donor expects to give again. They open ready to edit in our free online survey maker.

Plain text, one question per line, with the answer scale.

Where the gift came from

Asked first, so every later answer can be read by tenure and by channel.

  1. How long have you been giving to us?Choose one of 5Splits first gifts from long-standing donors in every later answer.
  2. What prompted your most recent gift?Choose one of 7

What the gift did

Whether a donor can see the result of giving, and trusts you with it.

  1. I can see what my gift paid for.5-point agree
  2. How much do you trust us to spend your donation well?1 to 5, not at all to completelyKeep this wording every year, so the trust score compares.
  3. What would you most like us to tell you about?Choose one of 5

How you ask

Channel, frequency, the amount and how easy the gift was to make.

  1. How would you prefer to hear from us?Choose one of 5Swap in the channels you actually use.
  2. How often would you like to hear from us?Choose one of 5
  3. The amount we ask for feels about right for me.5-point agree
  4. How easy was it to make your last gift?1 to 5, very difficult to very easy

In their words

Two optional open answers before the close.

  1. What is the main reason you give to us rather than somewhere else?Short text, optional
  2. What would make you stop giving to us?Open text, optional

Giving again

One closing rating, asked last.

  1. How likely do you think it is that you will give to us again in the next 12 months?1 to 5, a predictionA prediction, the wording with the larger effect on what people do.[1]

Send it before your next appeal

Send it to everyone who gave in the last 12 months, a few weeks before the appeal the answers will shape. Nothing asks for a name or touches a giving record, so say in the invitation who reads the answers and why you are asking.

Read questions 3 and 4 together: donors who trust you but do not see what their gift paid for need one concrete example in your next letter. Split every answer by question 1, because a first gift and a fifth are different relationships. Treat question 12 as a ranking of groups, and start with the lowest.

Supporters who pay dues and renew are better served by the membership survey. A congregation answers the church survey questions, where giving is one item among fifteen. To judge the work the money paid for, the program evaluation questions ask the people a program served.

A survey card sends a curved orange line into a row of small blue tokens on a track, lifting the last four above a faint dotted line
Question 12 asks each donor to predict their next gift.

Donor survey FAQ

What questions should you ask in a donor survey?

Ask what prompted the gift, whether the donor can see what it paid for, whether they trust you to spend it well, how often they want to hear from you and whether they expect to give again. Twelve questions cover all five.

When should you send a donor survey?

Once a year, at the same point each year so the answers compare, and a few weeks ahead of your main appeal. After a gala or a fun run, send an event feedback survey about the day itself.

Should a donor survey be anonymous?

Yes. With no name and no email asked, donors answer the trust question honestly. To compare groups, send separate links: one to monthly givers and one to people who gave once.

Does asking donors if they will give again change their giving?

Yes, in your favor. Across 116 published tests, asking people to predict their own behavior or state an intention had a small positive effect on what they did next, and the prediction wording carried the larger effect. Question 12 uses it.[1]

Related business survey templates

Three more of the business survey templates a nonprofit board reaches for.

BusinessStrategic Planning SurveyWhen the board is deciding what the organization does next.16 questions, about 5 min BusinessPre Event SurveyBefore a gala or a fun run, to learn what guests expect.9 questions, about 3 min BusinessSeminar Feedback FormAfter one talk for supporters, to judge that session.14 questions, about 5 min

Michael Hodge, survey methodology · Updated 2 October 2026 · How templates are reviewed

Sources (1)
  1. Wood, C., Conner, M., Miles, E., Sandberg, T., Taylor, N., Godin, G. and Sheeran, P. "The Impact of Asking Intention or Self-Prediction Questions on Subsequent Behavior: A Meta-Analysis." Personality and Social Psychology Review 20, no. 3 (2016): 245-268. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov (CC BY 3.0)

Ask your donors before the next appeal

Twelve questions, about three minutes, and a last answer that shows which donors expect to give again.

Use this template