Appeal questions that show what donors need to give in a crisis
Ask donors and supporters about your emergency appeal, from where they heard of it to the updates they want after giving. Each question below comes with when to ask it and what the answer tells you.
What emergency appeal survey questions tell you
Emergency appeal survey questions ask your donors and supporters how they heard of the appeal, how quickly they decided, what they needed to know and whether they trust the money to reach people fast. In a crisis, donors decide within hours. Their answers show what made them give or hold back, and what to have ready for the next emergency.
Ask a week or two into the appeal, once the first updates have gone out, by email to donors who gave and by link to your wider list. Pick five or six questions, and use logic to skip the donation page question for people who didn't give.
Each written answer is read as it arrives and given a category, a theme, a type and a sentiment, with an urgency, so a problem with the donation page reaches your digital team while the appeal is still running. On every plan, a workflow can post new answers to Slack or Microsoft Teams.
- Questions
- 14
- Best asked
- A week or two into the appeal
- Industry
- Nonprofits
- Where to find them
- From library in the Usertick survey editor, on every plan
The 14 emergency appeals questions, with when to ask each
Grouped by what they tell you. Use them as they are or change the wording.
Hearing of the appeal and giving
Start with how people found the appeal and whether they gave, then how fast they decided and how the page worked.
- 01Multiple choice
How did you hear about the emergency appeal?
Names how the person heard of the appeal, from the news to work. Results shows the share of each, so you know which channel to open with in the next emergency.
- 02Yes / No
Did you give to the emergency appeal?
A plain yes or no on whether the person gave. Select No in Results to filter the page to people who didn't give and read what they wanted to know first.
- 10Dropdown
How quickly did you decide to give?
How quickly the person decided to give, from straight away to not giving at all. Results shows the share of each, and the first hours of an appeal matter more when most decide within a day.
- 06Customer effort
How easy was the emergency donation page?
A customer effort score for the donation page. Ask it only of people who gave, with logic to skip it for the rest. A low score during an appeal is worth fixing the same day.
- 13Number
How many appeals have you given to this year?
How many appeals the person has given to this year. Results shows the median and the middle half, which shows how stretched your donors are when the next crisis comes.
Trust and what donors need
These questions show what builds trust in a crisis, which shapes the first message of your next appeal.
- 03Big scale
How confident are you that emergency gifts reach people quickly?
How confident the person is that emergency gifts reach people quickly, from 1 to 10. Results shows the average and a column per step. Low scores call for faster, plainer updates from the field.
- 04Multiple choice
What would you want to know before giving to an appeal?
Lets people pick everything they would want to know before giving. Results shows bars per option, a checklist for the first lines of your next appeal page.
- 11Big scale
How well did we explain the situation on the ground?
How well you explained the situation on the ground, from 1 to 10. Read low scores with the answers on what people wanted to know before giving.
- 08Matrix
How much do you agree about emergency appeals?
Four statements about emergency appeals, from reaching people fast to asking for the right amount, each rated from strongly disagree to strongly agree. The heat map shows which belief is weakest.
- 12Text
What made this appeal stand out from others you saw?
An open question on what made this appeal stand out from others the person saw. Each answer arrives with its theme, so the details people remember are easy to reuse.
Updates after giving
Ask what donors want to hear and how often, so your updates build trust without filling inboxes.
- 05Text
Which update would you want first after giving?
An open question on the first update the donor wants after giving. Each answer arrives with its theme, so you can plan the first update around what most donors ask for.
- 07Multiple choice
How often should we send appeal updates?
How often donors want appeal updates. Results shows the share for less often, as now and more often, a guide for how often to email during a long crisis.
Where the money should go
Let supporters show where they think funds should go first, and compare it with the plan from your teams on the ground.
- 09Ranking
Rank where emergency funds should go first
Supporters put five needs in order, from food and water to rebuilding. Results shows the average place per item. Use it to explain your own priorities where they differ.
- 14Points allocation
Split 100 points across an emergency budget
Supporters split 100 points across an emergency budget, from immediate relief to staff safety. Results shows the average points per item, a picture of what they expect gifts to pay for.
Tips for asking about emergency appeals
Small choices that get honest, useful answers.
- 01
Ask once updates are out
Send the survey a week or two into the appeal, after the first update, so donors can say whether it was what they wanted.
- 02
Fix the page fast
Read effort scores and complaints about the donation page daily while the appeal runs, and give each one an owner in the inbox.
- 03
Ask people who didn't give
Send the survey to your wider list too, since the people who held back can tell you what was missing.
- 04
Prepare for the next emergency
Turn the answers on what people want to know into a ready appeal page and a first update you can publish within hours.
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 emergency appeals
Full surveys that ask about the same things, and neighboring topics in the library.
Templates
Browse all templatesFrequently asked questions
A week or two into the appeal, after the first update. Usertick sends to a contact list now or on a date you schedule, and there is no automatic send after each gift, so send to new donors in batches.
Five or six. Start with how the person heard of the appeal and whether they gave, add their confidence that gifts arrive quickly and end with the update they want.
Yes. Send the survey to your wider list and use logic to skip the donation page question for people who said No, so you hear what held them back.
Yes. Show a website survey on the donation thank-you page by targeting it, or use exit intent on the appeal page to ask visitors who leave without giving what they wanted to know.
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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