The Best Event Survey Questions for Nonprofits (+ 60 Examples)

Events are a fun way to engage your supporters, but they’re also a ton of work. You want to make sure the work that goes into planning and executing them is worth it—that’s why gathering feedback is so crucial. The event survey questions you ask can make a big difference and give you the insight you need to produce amazing events for your donors and community.

So, what should you ask? In this article, we’ll share practical tips for creating effective pre-event and post-event surveys and some essential event survey questions to include in yours. Let’s get started!

What Is the Goal of an Event Survey?

The worst nonprofit events strategy is to operate without a strategy at all. If your organization is throwing events without assessing whether your supporters enjoy them or whether they advance your mission, you may be wasting a lot of time and financial resources.

The goal of an event survey is to gather valuable feedback from attendees (or other relevant groups like volunteers, vendors, and staff). With this information in hand, your team can evaluate whether your event is accomplishing its intended purpose and assess its overall impact. 

Asking the right event survey questions can help you understand which aspects of your events are successful, identify areas for improvement, capture attendees’ experiences and opinions, inform your strategic planning, and get suggestions for how to make future events better.

If you want to have outstanding events that meet your donors’ needs and expectations, event survey data can tell you exactly what to do.

3 Tips for Great Event Survey Questions

The best nonprofit events strategy takes donor feedback into account and makes data-informed planning decisions. Event surveys are a fantastic way to get that data! Here are three practical tips to keep in mind when planning an event survey.

1. Ask for Multiple Perspectives

When we typically think of an event survey, we think of one sent to event attendees. Surveying your event attendees is absolutely important, but other perspectives can also be helpful.

In addition to the event survey questions you pose to attendees, consider asking your event volunteers, event planning staff, and even vendors for their feedback as well. Volunteers, staff, and vendors who work the event will have inside knowledge of how smoothly logistics went. 

When reviewing events with your staff, sending a survey prior to a postmortem meeting can help organize feedback and provide a blueprint for the discussion. 

Technology tools like your donor database can help you use segmentation to send tailored event survey questions to specific audiences. Neon CRM, for example, includes survey-sending capabilities and built-in donor segments that allow for well-targeted questions.

2. Be Specific

The more specific your event survey questions are, the better the quality of feedback you’ll receive will be. Questions that reference specific aspects of the event (or events in general for pre-event surveys) will help you identify the exact type of events and event particulars your attendees prefer and the areas needing improvement. 

For example, instead of asking, “Did you enjoy the event?” try asking, “How satisfied were you with the speakers’ presentation?” Questions like these give you specific feedback about the most important parts of the event and actionable insights you can use to enhance the attendee experience at future events.

3. Use Multiple Answer Formats

Multiple-choice questions are great for quick answers. Rating scale questions are perfect for gauging people’s impressions of something. Open-ended questions are your key to unlocking honest thoughts by allowing respondents to elaborate on their experiences. Remember to use a variety of formats for your event survey questions so you can collect a nice variety of responses!

Pre-Event Survey Questions

Pre-event surveys can take various forms and serve multiple purposes. One such purpose can be to get a pulse on what type of events your audience is interested in attending as you plan your event strategy. Or, you can send a survey right after someone registers for an event to learn more about their demographics, food preferences, expectations, and more.

Keeping those various forms and purposes in mind, here are 25 pre-event survey question examples to help you build your next survey. 

Remember: Keep surveys as brief and convenient to complete as possible. Only choose the questions that provide the most relevant and helpful information for your organization. You can always send a post-event survey or ask other questions in your next donor survey.

1. Which range best describes your age? (18-24; 25-34; 35-44; 45-54; 55-64; Over 65)
2. How long have you been involved with our organization? (Less than a year; 1-3 years; 4-6 years; 7-10 years; More than 10 years)
3. What is your preferred mode of communication with our organization? (Email; Phone call; Text message; Social media; Mail; Other (please specify)
4. What factors influence your decision to attend an event?
5. What is your preferred time of day for attending events?
6. Please describe your affiliation with [Nonprofit Name].
7. Do you have any dietary restrictions or support needs we should be aware of?
8. What is your primary reason for attending this event?
9. What do you hope to gain from this event?
10. Which of the following topics are you most interested in?
11. Are there any specific speakers or sessions you’re most excited about?
12. What is your preferred method of communication for event updates?
13. What is your preferred event format (e.g., workshops, panels, keynote speeches)?
14. What type of content delivery do you prefer (e.g., presentations, panel discussions, hands-on activities)?
15. Are there any particular topics or issues you feel should be addressed during the event?
16. What kind of accommodations would enhance your overall event experience (e.g., lodging recommendations, local transportation options)?
17. What are your expectations regarding the event’s duration?
18. What type of post-event resources would you find helpful?
19. Are you interested in participating in any interactive activities or workshops?
20. How important is the opportunity to meet and network with other attendees to you?
21. Are you interested in volunteering at this event or future events?
22. What additional resources or information would you like us to provide before the event?
23. What type of session topics or activities would you like to see from our future events?
24. Do you have any suggestions for keynote speakers or presenters?
25. How satisfied are you with the information provided about the event so far?

Post-Event Survey Questions

You can never truly know how well an event went without knowing how the attendees felt about it. That’s why the event survey questions you ask after an event are such a crucial step.

When you gather post-event feedback, you can gain helpful insight into attendees’ experiences, satisfaction levels, and the overall impact of the event—including whether it successfully accomplished its intended goal. It all comes down to asking the right questions. 

The best post-event survey questions will give you an understanding of what worked well and what didn’t, which can ultimately help you refine your strategy for future events.

Here are 35 post-event survey question examples. Again, you don’t have to include all of these questions in your post-event survey—in fact, we encourage you not to. Carefully choose a few questions that will best help you attain the actionable feedback you need to fill information gaps and make your events better than ever.

1. Did the event meet your expectations? Why or why not?
2. What was your favorite part of the event? What did you find the most valuable?
3. Were there any aspects of the event that you found disappointing?
4. How did you hear about the event?
5. Were the event’s promotional materials effective and accurate in conveying what to expect?
6. How satisfied were you with the event registration process? Did you find it easy and convenient?
7. How would you rate the quality of the breakout sessions or workshops?
8. How engaging did you find the keynote speaker(s)?
9. Did the event support your professional or personal development? If so, how?
10. How would you rate the quality of the presentations/speakers?
11. What did you think of the event schedule and structure?
12. Were there enough opportunities for networking and interaction?
13. How would you rate the length of the event sessions?
14. Did you find the event to be well-organized?
15. Were the topics covered in the event relevant and beneficial to you?
16. How satisfied were you with the event venue/location?
17. How would you rate the quality of the food and beverages provided?
18. How would you rate the quality of the audio/video during the [virtual] event?
19. Did you encounter any technical difficulties during the [virtual] event?
20. How satisfied were you with the timing and pacing of the sessions?
21. How satisfied were you with the quality and availability of seating arrangements during sessions?
22. How effective was the communication from [Nonprofit Name] before and during the event?
23. How would you rate the accessibility and inclusiveness of the event for individuals with disabilities?
24. How informative and useful were the event’s resource materials (e.g., handouts, slides)?
25. How would you rate the responsiveness of event staff to your inquiries or needs?
26. How would you rate the effectiveness of the event’s time management (starting and ending sessions on time)?
27. How would you rate the quality and clarity of the event’s visual aids and presentations?
28. How satisfied were you with the post-event communications and materials (e.g., session recordings, summaries)?
29. How has attending the event affected your perception of [Nonprofit Name]?
30. Would you be interested in volunteering or becoming further involved with [Nonprofit Name]?
31. Did the event help to expand your understanding of [Nonprofit Name]’s mission and goals?
32. Did the event impact your motivation to engage further with [Nonprofit Name]?
33. Are there any topics or themes you would like to see covered in future events?
34. Do you have any suggestions for improving future events?
35. Any additional comments or feedback you would like to share?

Chances are, the folks who support your organization will be happy to answer any pre-event and post-event survey questions you have. After all, improving your events benefits them, too! 

Make asking specific event survey questions (and sending donor feedback surveys in general!) a regular practice. When you continuously ask for feedback, you can continuously refine your event strategy, create a more engaged and committed community of supporters, encourage a culture of honest feedback, and make each event better than the last.

Go Beyond Surveys to Create Strong Donor Relationships

Sending donor surveys, including event surveys, is just one of many ways nonprofits like yours can build stronger donor relationships. Don’t stop there—tap into the power of effective donor management! 

Check out the article below for 15 strategies (including but not limited to sending out surveys and polls) you can use to foster strong donor relationships.