Donor questions that show why people give and give again
Ask donors how giving went, from what moved them to the receipt that followed. Each question below comes with when to ask it and what the answer tells you.
What donor survey questions tell you
Donor survey questions ask the people who fund your work about the gift itself: what moved them, how easy the form was, whether a receipt arrived and how sure they feel that the money is used well. A donor who struggled with the form rarely writes in about it. They simply don't give again.
Ask within a few days of the gift, while the donor still remembers the page. Pick four to six questions for a short survey by email or link, or show one or two on your donation thank-you page as a website survey, and keep the open question near the end.
Each written answer is read as it arrives and given a category, a theme, a type such as praise or complaint and a sentiment, with an urgency for the whole response. A missing receipt or a failed payment gets an owner in the inbox, and a workflow can post it to Slack.
- Questions
- 14
- Best asked
- Within a few days of the gift
- Industry
- Nonprofits
- Where to find them
- From library in the Usertick survey editor, on every plan
The 14 donors and giving questions, with when to ask each
Grouped by what they tell you. Use them as they are or change the wording.
How giving went
Start with one score, then the details behind it: the way the donor gave, how easy it was, how it felt and whether a receipt arrived without a reminder.
- 01Stars
How was the donation experience?
A star rating for the whole donation. Put it first, so even a donor who stops there leaves a score. Results shows the average and the share who rated 4 or higher.
- 02Customer effort
How easy was it to give?
A customer effort score for the gift itself. A low score points at the form: too many fields, a payment step that failed or a page that was hard to use on a phone.
- 09Dropdown
How did you donate?
The way the donor gave, from the website to payroll deduction. Use it to split the effort score, since a hard bank transfer and a smooth donation page average out into one number.
- 10Yes / No
Did you get a receipt without asking?
Asks whether the receipt arrived without a reminder. A No points at a gap in your thank-you process. Give those answers an owner in the inbox and send the receipt the same day.
- 11Emoji
How did giving make you feel?
How giving felt, on a row of faces. It picks up the warmth of the thank-you, which a rating of the form alone misses. Results shows each face with its share.
Why donors give
These questions show what moved the gift and what the donor expects from it, which shapes your next appeal and the way you report back.
- 03Multiple choice
What moved you to give?
Names the one thing that tipped the donor into giving. Results shows the share of each, so you can see whether stories, friends or events bring in more gifts than the cause on its own.
- 06This or that
You prefer to give
Two pairs: monthly or one time, a named project or where needed most. Results shows a split bar per pair, useful before you push monthly giving or restrict a fund.
- 07Big scale
How confident are you that your gift is used well?
How sure the donor is that the gift is used well, from 1 to 10. A cluster of low scores means your reporting back needs work before the next ask.
- 08Text
What would you like us to do with your donation?
An open question on what the donor wants the money to do. Each answer arrives with its theme, so a run of answers naming one program tells you what to feature next.
Giving again and staying in touch
Ask about the next gift and how to keep in touch, and act on every answer, since a donor who asked for updates and got none is hard to win back.
- 04Yes / No
Would you give again?
A plain yes or no on the next gift. Select No in Results to filter the page to those donors and read what they said about the form and the receipt.
- 13Slider
How much would you like to give each month?
The monthly amount the donor would consider, on a slider. Results shows the median and the middle half, a steadier guide for your monthly giving levels than a few generous outliers.
- 05Multiple choice
How would you like to hear about the impact?
Lets donors pick every way they want to hear about the impact. Honor each Not at all, since a donor who chose it and still gets a monthly newsletter may stop giving.
- 12Contact
May we keep you updated?
Collects a name and email from donors who want updates, and Results lists them in a table. Use logic to skip it for donors who said they wouldn't give again.
- 14Consent
May we list your name as a supporter?
Asks permission before you print the donor's name in a supporter list or annual report. Keep it last, and list only the donors who checked it.
Tips for asking about donors and giving
Small choices that get honest, useful answers.
- 01
Ask within a few days
Send the survey within a week of the gift. After a month, donors remember the cause but forget the form and the receipt.
- 02
Thank before you ask
Open with a line of thanks and keep the survey to five or six questions, so it doesn't feel like a second ask.
- 03
Split answers by appeal
Put a tag on each link, such as the appeal or the channel, so every answer carries it and you can compare event donors with online donors.
- 04
Report back on what changed
When donors ask to hear about the impact, tell them what you changed after the survey. It answers the trust question better than any score.
Add these questions to a survey
From the library to the first answers.
- 1
Open the library
In the Usertick survey editor, choose From library, filter by industry and topic, and add several questions at once.
- 2
Or paste your own list
Paste questions reads up to 10 questions from any text on Free, 100 on Starter and 200 on Pro and above, keeps your wording and picks an answer type for each.
- 3
Choose where it runs
Show the survey on your website, send it by email, share its link and QR code, or switch it to a conversation.
- 4
Read the answers
Results counts every score and choice, and Usertick reads each written answer and files it by topic, on every plan.
Templates and more questions about donors and giving
Full surveys that ask about the same things, and neighboring topics in the library.
Templates
Browse all templatesFrequently asked questions
Within a week of the gift. Usertick sends to a contact list now or on a date you schedule up to 30 days ahead, with no automatic send when a gift lands in your donor database, so send in weekly batches or put the link in your own thank-you email.
Four to six. Start with the rating and the effort score, add what moved the gift and whether the donor would give again, and end with the open question.
Yes. Show a website survey on the thank-you page by targeting that page, and keep it to one or two questions, such as the effort score and how giving felt.
Yes, when the question is a star rating, effort score, emoji, yes or no, multiple choice or dropdown question. Put one of those first, so the first answer takes one tap.
Yes. The question library comes with every plan, the free plan included, and the free plan covers 150 responses a month across your surveys.
Yes. Once a question is in your survey, reword it, change its options or its answer type, and add logic to skip it for some answers.
Yes. The library is translated into Usertick's built-in languages, and in any other language it shows in English for you to translate.
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