Gathering feedback from your community
Asking your members for feedback is an excellent way to increase engagement and make informed, aligned decisions! Two effective methods for gathering feedback on your community's website are the surveys feature and custom forms. These features allow you to gain insights into members’ ideas and opinions regarding community-related matters.
In this article, we'll explore the benefits of each option and when to use them to maximize participation and gather valuable insights!
Surveys
The surveys feature allows members to anonymously provide feedback to the community, encouraging honest and candid responses. A survey can be designed to limit participation to one response per member or one per account (household). You can also decide to collect feedback through preset choices or free-text responses, allowing you to choose a feedback style that best fits your question.
Although you won't be able to see which members provided specific answers, you can view the percentage of responses for each question. Active surveys will be accessible to all approved members after they log in to the website, allowing them to easily participate and share their feedback.
Ensuring that participants can't be identified helps remove any hesitation they may have about sharing their true thoughts. This anonymity can significantly boost engagement, particularly if past feedback initiatives saw lower participation rates. Highlighting this aspect can encourage more members to share their insights, leading to a richer collection of data and ultimately a higher response rate.
When to use
Anonymous surveys can be an effective tool when discussing potentially controversial issues, such as proposed rule changes or community improvements. They allow members to express their genuine thoughts without fear of backlash. This feature is also useful for gauging overall satisfaction or sentiment within the community, where identifying individual responses is not necessary.
Below are some examples of questions that don't require identifying individual respondents and would work well in a survey:
- What are your thoughts on the new website?
- On a scale of 1-10, how satisfied are you with the current community events?
- What is your opinion on the proposed changes to community rules?
- What topics or issues would you like to see addressed in future HOA meetings?
Custom forms
If you prefer to identify which members provided specific responses, you can use the "Custom form" page type to collect feedback. This page allows you to gather members' information and view their individual responses. This option is useful for obtaining more detailed insights that may require follow-up.
Custom forms offer greater control over how you collect responses. They enable you to use checkboxes, radio buttons, text boxes, and even file uploads, creating a personalized feedback experience! You can also specify the email address, group, or individual to whom the responses should be sent. Additionally, you can restrict access to the form, ensuring that only specific account types, groups, or individuals can provide input if necessary.
When to use
If your goal is to engage members by encouraging suggestions or volunteer participation, custom forms allow for follow-ups with individuals based on their responses. This approach fosters active community engagement. Custom forms are also a better choice if the feedback you wish to collect requires further discussion, as they allow you to identify respondents and seek clarification or explore specific suggestions or concerns in greater depth.
Here are a few example questions for collecting this type of feedback:
- What suggestions do you have for improving member engagement?
- Would you be interested in joining a committee to help with community initiatives?
- What specific projects or events would you like to volunteer for?
Wrapping up
Both anonymous surveys and custom forms can play an important role in gathering feedback from your community. By thoughtfully selecting the best method based on your goals, you can enhance communication and foster trust within your community, while also facilitating ongoing improvements. Additionally, considering a combination of both approaches over time will provide you with a well-rounded perspective on community views and needs.
If you’re looking for more tips on effectively utilizing these features, don’t hesitate to reach out to our customer success team—we’re happy to assist!