Post-Survey Action Plans

Nonprofits, how do you understand if your donor survey is successful? More times than I can count, my conversations at the start of data collection projects hover around “Can we aim for a high response rate?” or “We mostly care about a good response rate”. I get it – response rates are quantified numbers – easy to compare and track. Comparable numbers reduce a lot of “extra work” our brains would have otherwise had to do to understand unquantifiable contexts. But I want you to see your data collection success beyond that one number. Because if you are evaluating how you did solely by how many people responded, you are missing the point of your data collection. I want us to remember that response rate alone is a misleading metric. In fact, any number that claims to reduce the entire context into digits is neither helpful nor sufficient. A high response rate means little if the data you collect doesn’t drive action or improve your donor relationships. That means, ● building a design that focuses on your “why” from questions to every element of the user interface – questions that focus on capturing holistic experience and show you are listening. ●  sending a follow-up, sharing key insights with participants, and—most importantly—taking action based on what you learn. ●  ensuring your survey design is inclusive and reaches different segments of your donor base. Use accessible language and diverse channels, making it clear you value every voice. ●  creating an action plan based on survey results and communicating those changes to your donors. In the chase of "50 vs. 500", focus on the why, what, how, and everything that creates enough context for you to co-create change with your community. #nonprofits #nonprofitleadership #community

Spent time early last month helping a network of schools get out of an adult culture funk. The result? They went from 41% favorable on their priority org health questions to 83% in under 6 weeks. Here's the exact 7-step process we planned in hopes it's helpful for others: 1. Look back at your priorities for the year. Pick no more than 2 questions that align with those priorities that you'll regularly ask staff.* 2. Set a goal around those two questions, such as 80% of staff will respond agree / strongly agree. 3. Design a 3-question survey that you can give every other week at a staff meeting. In that survey, use those questions plus one open-ended question that gives staff an opportunity to expand on their responses. 4. Get as close to 100% of staff to take the survey. 5. After each survey administration, sit down as a leadership team and action plan around the data using these 4 steps: - Did we meet our goal (in step 2)? - What are 1-2 strengths in the data? What did we do as leaders to contribute to those strengths? - What's the top gap to close in the data? What are we doing or not doing as leaders that's contributing to that gap? - What's the most critical leader action we could take to close that gap? 6. Share out the action plan to start the next week and ask staff to hold you accountable for your critical leader action. 7. Repeat steps 4,5, and 6 until goal is met. Not rocket science, but what you measure gets managed. And sometimes in running schools, there's so much to manage, it's hard to focus on what matters most. Which is when it's time to create a plan that helps everyone focus on what's most important right now. *The 2 priority questions we chose were: "I am learning and developing in my position," and "I feel positive about working at my school." Staff could respond with: Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, and Strongly Agree.

Collecting employee feedback and insights is a really important tool in building a healthy and innovative culture. I'm grateful to live at a time where more and more organizations are starting to take employee data seriously, but there are still many areas where leaders often fall short throughout the process, and one of the biggest and most underrated ones is the communication back. An employee feedback channel doesn't work without trust in the process and one of the quickest ways to lose that trust is by failing to communicate back what you're hearing. Our YMCA WorkWell team has worked with enough leadership teams to know they really do take employee data to heart, but here's the reality: employees don't know the conversations that happen behind closed doors. Without that feedback loop coming back to them, it can feel like they're just shouting into a void... and guess what will happen the next time they're asked to provide their feedback? Here are some places to start in closing that feedback loop: 1️⃣ Send an immediate response of appreciation after a survey closes. Thank them for their feedback, let them know how many employees responded, and provide clear information on next steps. When will you have the report? When will you meet as a leadership team to discuss it? 2️⃣ Identify some quick wins, execute on them as soon as possible, and be clear that the changes are happening because of the feedback that was provided. I've seen these quick wins be everything from changing a moldy carpet in a break room to overwhelming frustrations about a slight procedural change that was easy to change back. 3️⃣ Once you've digested the data and identified your primary areas of action - that includes both targeting opportunity areas and leveraging your strengths - communicate them back to employees. You don't need a crystal clear plan in place to do this and if you're waiting for that moment, you're probably waiting too long. Identify what you want to do based on their feedback, communicate why you're taking it seriously, and identify some places that you're hoping to start. 4️⃣ When it's time for your next round of data collection, highlight the work that you've done based on the last round of feedback. What progress has been made? What is still to come? What impact did your employees' voices have last round? The employee feedback process only works if employees believe that their feedback matters. And it's up to leaders to convey that clearly and intentionally. What else do you do to communicate employee data back to your teams? What have you seen work and what have you seen fall flat?

Day 91 of #100DaysOfProjectManagement – Conducting a Post-Implementation Review A Post-Implementation Review (PIR) is a vital step in the project closure process. It evaluates the success of the project, identifies lessons learned, and provides insights for future initiatives. This reflective exercise ensures continuous improvement and enhanced project delivery. A PIR examines whether a project achieved its objectives, stayed within scope, and delivered value to stakeholders. It also assesses the efficiency of processes and resource utilization. Steps to Conduct a Post-Implementation Review - Define Objectives: Determine what you want to evaluate, such as project success, team performance, and stakeholder satisfaction. Focus on specific areas like budget adherence, timeline management, and deliverable quality. - Gather Feedback: Collect input from stakeholders, clients, and team members via surveys or interviews. Encourage open and honest communication about challenges and successes. - Analyze Performance: Compare actual outcomes to planned objectives. Highlight areas where the project exceeded or fell short of expectations. - Identify Lessons Learned: Document what worked well and what didn’t. Categorize lessons into themes such as risk management, communication, and resource allocation. - Create an Action Plan: Develop strategies to implement the lessons learned in future projects. Share recommendations with the broader organization. - Document the Review: Summarize findings in a formal PIR report. Include metrics, stakeholder feedback, and actionable takeaways. - Share Insights: Present the report to stakeholders and leadership. Facilitate discussions to align on improvements for upcoming projects. Example (Website Development Project): - Objective Review: The website launched on time and included all planned features, meeting stakeholder expectations. - Feedback: Clients appreciated the user-friendly design but suggested additional analytics integration. Team highlighted challenges with last-minute scope changes. - Performance Analysis: Budget: Exceeded by 5% due to unforeseen vendor costs. Timeline: Met despite minor delays in testing. - Lessons Learned: Early stakeholder alignment can prevent scope creep. Regular risk assessments help manage unforeseen costs. - Action Plan: Implement stricter change control processes. Schedule risk review checkpoints for future projects. Benefits of a Post-Implementation Review - Continuous Improvement: Helps refine processes and enhance project delivery. - Stakeholder Satisfaction: Demonstrates accountability and fosters trust. - Knowledge Sharing: Builds a repository of best practices and common pitfalls. Challenges in Conducting PIRs - Lack of Participation: Stakeholders may not prioritize feedback. - Inadequate Analysis: Rushed reviews may miss valuable insights. - Resistance to Change: Teams might hesitate to adopt recommendations. #ProjectManagement #PostImplementationReview #LessonsLearned

Don’t freak out with your culture survey results. Do something about them. Every year I see the same pattern. 1. Leaders commission an expensive culture survey. 2. The results land. 3. There is a sharp intake of breath. Engagement is down. Trust feels shaky. The comments are hard to read. And then? • A staff forum to “talk through the results” • A few well-meaning conversations • A promise that “we’re taking this seriously” • Six months later - not much has shifted Here is the truth. Your survey results are not the problem. - Your inaction is. A culture survey is a mirror. It reflects what your people are already experiencing. The real leadership begins after the data lands. If your people have taken the time to be honest, you owe them more than acknowledgement. You owe them movement. That means: • Identifying the 2–3 culture gaps that are creating the most friction • Turning broad themes into clear behavioural expectations • Expecting leaders to model the change - not just endorse it • Embedding practical actions into team routines, not random initiatives • Updating your people on progress regularly - not just at the next survey Culture does not shift because you measured it. - It shifts because you lead it. If you are sitting with survey results and quietly hoping the noise will settle, this is the moment that defines you as a leader. I work with executive teams and HR leaders to turn survey data into a sharp, practical culture action plan - one your people can see and feel. Culture change takes time and effort. If you are ready to move from insight to action, reach out. Happy to arrange a time that suits you. ♻️ Repost this to your network if it was insightful! And follow, moi, Prina Shah for no nonsense talk. ⚡ P.S, I only work with those who give a 💩 about making work meaningful. Help yourself to my book: Make Work Meaningful - How To Create A Culture That Leaves A Legacy. https://lnkd.in/ghknAfHU

Your customers already told you how to scale. You're just not listening. Most brands install a post-purchase survey… …ask “how did you hear about us?” …and call it a day. That’s leaving money on the table. Post-purchase surveys aren’t for attribution. They’re for leverage. When structured properly, they unlock: • Better ad hooks (real language buyers use) • Stronger offers (what actually tipped them) • Higher LTV (why they come back) • Clearer positioning (why you vs competitors) • New product ideas (what they want next) • Margin protection (discount sensitivity insights) The key is asking questions that ladder into strategy. Every high-value survey falls into one of 6 buckets: 1️⃣ Attribution (but smarter - time to convert, influence layering) 2️⃣ Motivation (what problem were they solving?) 3️⃣ Objection (what nearly stopped them?) 4️⃣ Retention (what would make them reorder?) 5️⃣ Competitive (what alternatives did they consider?) 6️⃣ Expansion (what else do they want from you?) The moment after purchase is the highest-truth point in your funnel. Intent is fresh. Emotion is active. The real reason is still conscious. Most brands guess at creative angles. The best brands read what buyers already told them - and reflect it back in ads. Meta will get noisier. First-party insight compounds. If you want the full framework (200+ question examples broken down by use case), comment “SURVEY”, and I’ll send it over.

80% of facilities only start preparing for surveys when the notice arrives. Here’s a smarter way: a 90-day sprint that makes compliance a habit. Any healthcare leader knows the stress of last-minute survey prep. I’ve seen it more times than I can count. But I’ve also seen how shifting from “panic mode” to “sprint mode” changes everything. When you break survey readiness into a focused 90-day plan… You remove chaos, boost staff confidence, and create a culture of accountability. Here are 9 proven steps to make it work: DAYS 1–30: FOUNDATION Audit your current policies. ↳ Outdated = high risk. Fix top policy gaps fast. ↳ Don’t let “later” pile up. Refresh staff training on the top 5 risks. ↳ Short, targeted sessions stick. Assign compliance champions. ↳ Ownership drives accountability. DAYS 31–60: ACTION Start weekly leadership rounding. ↳ Visibility prevents surprises. Implement a real-time gap tracker. ↳ Transparency reduces excuses. Run surprise spot-checks. ↳ Focus on infection control and safety. DAYS 61–90: MOMENTUM Conduct a mock CMS/Joint Commission survey. ↳ Practice under pressure. Close every gap within 24 hours. ↳ Speed matters more than perfection. This sprint isn’t about working harder. It’s about working smarter, with focus and urgency. And once you finish? You’re not just survey-ready. You’re survey-proof. What’s the first thing you’d tackle if you had 90 days to transform compliance? Let me know in the comments ⬇️ Repost to help more healthcare leaders reduce survey stress. DM me to get the full 90-Day Compliance Sprint checklist.

📋Did You Actually Use Your Employee Survey Data? Did you do a survey in 2024? Great—but here’s the real question: What did you do with that data? Employees need to see that their voices lead to real change. Tie their feedback to measurable outcomes, and then show them the results. For example, if employees say they feel undervalued, create initiatives that address recognition—and don’t just stop there. Share how those changes have improved engagement or morale. When you show you’re listening, you build trust—and trust drives culture. ☀️Why it Matters Feedback without action erodes trust and engagement. But when employees see their input driving real changes, they feel valued, and your culture thrives. It’s about turning conversations into impact. 💡Leadership Tip After your next survey, pick one key theme to tackle. Share a clear action plan with your team, and follow up with progress updates. This transparency shows you care and keeps employees invested in the process.

From Ask ➡ Analyse ➡ Act – Step by Step to a better workplace - The steps in the image below were placed strategically at North Middlesex Hospital as a visible reminder of our results but to ensure step by step we take action to do better based on the feedback. Every year, our NHS colleagues take the time to complete the Staff Survey. It’s more than a questionnaire — it’s a chance for every voice to shape our workplace. But here’s the truth: Many times, we don’t act on what we’ve asked, and so the survey becomes meaningless!! That’s why we MUST follow a simple cycle: Ask. Analyse. Act. We ask because every voice matters. We analyse because insight drives understanding. We act because change only happens when we put learning into motion. In Engage for Success terms, employee engagement means “a workplace culture where people feel able to give their best each day.” The survey gives us the map — but walking it is a team effort. At North Mid, we’ve made progress in areas like morale, shared objectives, and staff feeling trusted. Some actions take longer — or need resources we don’t yet have — and we owe it to our people to be honest about why. My top tips for staff survey time.... ☑️ Remind teams what they told us. ☑️ Celebrate what’s been achieved. ☑️ Be open about what’s still in progress. Step by step, action by action, we create an environment where people feel valued, respected, and inspired to give their best — and when our people thrive, our patients feel it too. #AskAnalyseAct #StaffSurvey Nnenna Osuji Shola Adegoroye 💙Victoria Jones Dr. Matthew Hodson MBE RN John Sparrowhawk Thomas Pounds, FCIPD Pete Landstrom Rachel Evans James Devine FCIPD Jane Christmas Rabia K. Tatenda H. Samantha Ming Elizabeth Nyawade FCIPD Cheryl Levy Jaspal Roopra CFCIPD Rob Neil OBE Funmi O. Dr Ronke Akerele Helen Aaron, Chart. FCIPD David Bray (MCIPD) Ms (Dr) Rantimi Ayodele David R. Blackburn Chartered CCIPD CCMI Peter Cheese Thomas Simons Basirat Sadiq Chinyama Okunuga HR magazine Damian McGuinness Leatham Green Temi A.