A good survey is short, asks questions you will act on, and reaches people when they have a moment to answer. This guide uses a post-season member survey for a surf lifesaving club as the example, but the same method works for customer feedback, event evaluations and market research.
Step 1: Define the decisions
List the decisions the survey will inform. For the club: “Should we change training times? Which fundraising events should we repeat? Is the new clubhouse booking system working?” Every question should connect to one of these. If it doesn’t, cut it.
Step 2: Write clear questions
- Ask one thing per question. “Were training times and locations convenient?” is two questions.
- Use neutral wording. “How would you rate the booking system?” rather than “How much do you like our new booking system?”
- Use rating scales for opinions and multiple choice for facts.
- Limit open-text questions to one or two; they take the most effort.
- Use Australian terms and spelling so the survey feels local.
Our article on creating your own survey has more examples.
Step 3: Build it in Mailpro
Create a new survey, add your questions and choose the answer types. Add branching logic so a member who didn’t attend any fundraising events skips those questions. Customise the colours and add your logo. Mailpro’s interface is available in six languages if your team works in more than one.
Step 4: Add a privacy notice
At the start, explain who is running the survey, what it’s for and whether answers are anonymous. If the Privacy Act 1988 applies to your organisation, this helps meet APP 5. Avoid collecting sensitive information, such as health details, unless it’s essential.
Step 5: Test it
Complete the survey yourself on a phone and a computer, and ask two colleagues to do the same. Time it: aim for under five minutes. Fix confusing questions before launch.
Step 6: Send it at the right moment
- Send soon after the experience you’re asking about: end of season for the club, within a day or two for a purchase.
- Avoid the Christmas to late-January holiday period and, for business audiences, the EOFY rush in late June.
- Schedule by time zone: mid-morning in AEST, ACST and AWST.
- Send one polite reminder to non-respondents after a few days. See reminder survey emails.
If the invitation promotes anything, such as a prize draw sponsored by a local business, treat it as a commercial message under the Spam Act 2003: send only to people who consented, identify the club and include an unsubscribe.
Step 7: Analyse and report back
Review results in the survey statistics dashboard, and export them for deeper analysis. Then tell respondents what you learned and what you will change. Closing the loop is the single best way to improve response rates next time.
Where responses are kept
Mailpro stores survey responses in Switzerland on private infrastructure, outside US jurisdiction, and never sells or rents them. For more on sharing and use cases, return to the online surveys overview.