Online Surveys Are a Great Research Tool for Nonprofit Public Relations Communicators

One of my nonprofit public relations clients inquired the other day about the cost of printing some surveys for her to send to her customer base. Surveys are a great idea, of course! Nonprofit organizations can probe satisfaction and identify unmet needs; generate and solicit ideas or feedback; and gain a better understanding of the people that your nonprofit organization serves.

In addition to the print quote my client asked for, I shared with her the idea of doing the survey online. There are companies that help you create great online surveys yourself using foolproof templates. Once such service that I have used successfully is SurveyMonkey.com. Funny name, but a seriously great business tool.

A good online survey service enables people of all experience levels to create their own surveys quickly and easily.

Online survey services support everything from multiple choice to rating scales to open-ended text. You can pose just about any question format you want. Remember that multiple choice questions are easier to interpret, and fast for respondents to fill out, which can boost your response rate. You can customize the layout of every question type for the ultimate in design flexibility.

Not experienced with survey design? Need a creative spark? You'll find online survey templates in a variety of categories. Use one of the professionally designed templates to jumpstart your survey design.

You can create your survey in any language, such as Spanish or Burmese. In addition, all text and buttons in the survey can be customized for the respondent's native language

You can change the color, size, and style of any element in your survey. After you've designed the perfect theme, you can save your settings to use in any survey.

You can have your own organization's logo appear at the top of your survey. To help minimize "ordering bias", you can automatically randomize the choices in your questions. If you have a long list of items, you can sort them automatically.

Need to bring a copy of your survey to a meeting? Need to collect responses "offline"? With one click, you can generate a version of your survey that is specifically designed for printing.

Collecting responses is as simple as sending out a link to your survey via email, or posting the link on your website. Respondents simply click the link to go directly to your survey You can view your results as soon as they are collected. View live graphs and charts, and apply filters to your results. You can share your results with your audience.

Also, you can easily dig down to the individual response level to see the details of particular respondents, or to read the comments of open-ended questions.

With one click, you can download a summary of your results in multiple formats. If you're a statistics nut, you can download all of the raw data you've collected either as a spreadsheet, or in database format. As a reminder, all the data you collect remains absolutely private. If you do an online survey, keep it short enough for someone to complete in a couple minutes. If you formulate your questions properly, that's usually enough to get the data you want.

Here is a link to an example

Online surveys are so inexpensive and effective that nonprofits can take advantage of this tool in dozens of ways to enhance your nonprofit's ability to meet its mission.

Do Questions Make Good Headlines for Brochures, Web Pages, Newsletters, and Direct Mail Fundraising?

Do question headlines work?

If you are reading this article, then the answer is a definite "yes."

I spent several happy years as a copy editor and headline writer at The Journal Gazette. Some people argue vigorously against the use of questions in headlines. But I disagree. I believe that asking a question is one of the most potent attention-getting openers for public relations writers who produce Web sites, fundraising appeals, direct mail, brochures and newsletters. To be effective, the question headline must ask a question that the reader can empathize with or would like to see answered. Some examples:

-- "Do you make these mistakes in English?"

-- "What do Japanese managers know that American managers sometimes lack?"

-- "Is THIS what your teen will be doing tonight?"

-- "Do you have you any of these decorating problems?"

-- "Do you close the bathroom door even when you're the only one home?" (Psychology Today)

Don't let anyone tell you that questions in headlines are a bad idea.

Shifting gears but still speaking of headlines....

Just for fun, here are some real-world headlines that may have missed the mark.

-- Juvenile court to try shooting defendant

-- Plane too close to ground, crash probe told

-- Miners refuse to work after death

-- Stolen painting found by tree

-- If strike isn't settled quickly, it may last a while

-- Cold wave linked to temperatures

-- Red tape holds up new bridge

-- Typhoon rips through cemetery; hundreds dead

-- New study of obesity looks for larger test group

-- Astronaut takes blame for gas in spacecraft

-- Kids make nutritious snacks.

Get Quoted In The Media And Make Your Phones Ring Off The Hook

If you want more publicity, you could be going about it the wrong way. I train a lot of journalists, and here are some things I know for sure.

• Their absolute #1 pet peeve is receiving PR pitches, calls, books, etc., on topics that in no way fit what they do. How would you feel if you were sitting at work, too busy to think, and every time your phone rings someone is trying to sell you something you don't need? Put yourself in the journalist's place.
• They delete almost all email messages from PR people without reading them. Mostly because of their #1 pet peeve.
• They trash almost all (I want to say all) faxes without reading them. This is pet peeve related too.
• Spam filters that make them get permission to send you an email message get ignored, deleted. They then move on to the next expert.
• They're way too busy to return phone calls (although their voicemail says they will).

So knowing all this, what can you do?

Do the work to make your Web site come up on the first two pages when they Google your expertise (mine does and I never paid one red cent to make it happen).

You could also sign up for a service that the big boys use at http://www.PRLEADS.com. This is a special service for people like us. Journalist queries come to your Inbox, you respond, and get press...major press. Look at your budget and see what you can do without so you can do this. I do not have cable TV, don't spend my weekends shopping, and I eat my own cooking.

A Press Release Template for Instant PR Success

Title -- Waterloo Non-Profit Ditches In-House Survey Software Development -- (something different that reflects a major trend is more likely to be picked up. does it include a customer+1 point include a major company who is a customer +5 points)

Tagline -- Non-profits are saving time and money by avoiding in-house survey software cycles and implementing pre-built survey and forms systems like CHECKBOX® from Prezza Technologies -- (a compelling statement that will make your readers and hopefully press get excited about your news.

Location and date -- Cambridge, MA (Cambridge) May 18, 2007 -

First paragraph -- Prezza Technologies, the software developers responsible for creating the CHECKBOX® survey software and feedback system, are proud to announce their support in the form of discounted pricing for non-profit institutions such as the Family and Children's Services of the Waterloo Region. In addition to providing a pre-packaged survey software package that requires... (this should explain everything without requiring readers to go on. Many business executives and journalists are in a rush, so make this compelling).

Further details -- Unlike lower-end competitors such as SurveyMonkey and Zoomerang, Prezza's CHECKBOX® is a powerful web-based system that allows multiple users to design, share, and analyze dynamic surveys and forms....

Customer Quote1


It has proved to be a very valuable tool in our large non-profit agency. The software has an excellent interface, is very simple to use, reliable and was easy to install. The more I use the software the more I like it and am glad we purchased it.

Feature list --


Standout features of the CHECKBOX software include:


• Email triggers


• Advanced branching


• Blah

Company spokesman quote -- We are proud to be helping non-profits as well as large institutions ...etc

Related information - Mention Other non-profits, mention specific feature usage, mention # of customers, etc. bonus points if you quote research (according to a recent survey 66% of people think XYZ is true.

Business Card Design for Personal Injury Lawyers

When you imagine a lawyer what do you see? More than likely you conjure up an idea of a powerful looking man or woman in a dark colored suit with a serious expression. So, what would you imagine a personal injury lawyer's business card to look like? More than likely you see business cards that are conservative. That's because serious professionals like lawyers typically want to enforce their seriousness with custom business cards that show how seriously they will treat you and your court case.

Business cards for lawyers should not incorporate lots of bright colors and designs. Instead, business cards for lawyers should be very conservative and include contact information, a company motto, and perhaps a graphic that relates to the law in some way. This type of business card will garner respect from potential clients and it will show that you will take clients seriously. When potential clients feel this way about you and your services then you have a better chance of them hiring you. If you as a lawyer have business cards with a rainbow of colors on them or cartoon inspired graphics then you will be wasting your time handing them out because people want a serious lawyer not a jokester.

So, when you are considering designs for your personal injury lawyer business cards make sure you focus on professional and serious designs. This is one case where the traditional black and white cards and fine linen paper is suggested. When people feel you take your profession seriously they will take you seriously and hire you to represent them. Most lawyers make a pretty good income. However, quite a few lawyers start out making a small income and they do everything they can to cut corners. One way to cut corners as a new lawyer is to print your own business cards. You can do so easily and save yourself plenty of money not to mention having business cards that are finely made. The best thing to do is go to a print or office store and buy fine linen paper. Next, buy business card printing software and install it on your computer. Follow the steps and you will see that in just a few minutes you can design professional looking business cards and print them out. They will look just as good as any partner's business cards but cost you a lot less.

Talking Behind Your Back is Good

Most of us grew up with the concept of "Don't talk behind someone else's back". A similar philosophy is "If you've got something to say, say it to their face".

But this is not how the world works.

Especially when it comes to your clients and prospects.

In most cases you will be the last point of contact. Before they speak with you, your prospect will have asked their friends, colleagues, neighbours and advisors. And they will have reviewed your web site – all before they pluck up the courage to speak with you directly.

You see, people are generally scared of making decisions. And the bigger the decision, the more scared people get.

So they search for answers. For reassurance. For understanding. And for the confidence that they will make the best decision.

That is where word-of-mouth comes into play. Word-of-mouth is simply the act of one person speaking to another. It is natural – and unavoidable.

Some people say you can control word-of-mouth. As a marketing consultant I say that at best, you can try to influence it. Controlling word-of-mouth is a tall order for anyone. But you can be successful in guiding the development of word-of-mouth.

You can do this by:

Having a system to satisfy clients. Do a fantastic job.

Letting clients know you really care about the outcomes you provide. Be interested in their results.

Stay in touch with clients via reminders, newsletters, or personal contact.

Impress them so much that they will want to tell their friends and colleagues.

Tell them who would make ideal new clients for you.

Prepare your clients on what to say when they talk about you and your services.

And they will remember you when someone asks them for their opinion.

You can also attempt to activate referrals (referrals = word-of-mouth that results in someone contacting you) by using incentives of one sort or another. This needs to be done in a careful manner. You don't want to pressure your clients, or offer what might be seen as inappropriate rewards. You don't want to seem desperate either.

Importantly, don't make the mistake of relying only on referrals for the development of your business. We all want business to roll in on it's own. But we also know we need to guide the acquisition of new clients. We need to choose carefully. We need to develop new markets. Relying on word-of-mouth doesn't always give us this power over our future.

When it comes to getting more clients – you really do want people to talk about you behind your back.