Improvement of nonprofits through an active survey to donors: The case of four major Spanish non-governmental organisations (NGOs)

We comment on a survey done to the donors of four major Spanish non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The main objective of the survey is to try to improve their revenue and functionality. We sent it to 38,794 donors and received 4,334 valid responses. The survey may have been capable in itself of increasing the number of donors that recommend the NGO and to measure it in the same survey. We may have developed the first survey that is also an awareness tool from which effect can be measured in the same survey. We call this type of data collection "active surveys". Also several pieces of advice to NGOs on fundraising policies are derived from the survey, like that NGOs should: concentrate their efforts on the population of over 40 years old; address men and women with the same intensity; concentrate on middle, high and very high socioeconomics neighborhoods etc. Key words: Nonprofit, NGOs, survey, donors, Spain.