Employee Survey Template for Nonprofits

The most useful thing a small organization can do is ask its staff what they actually think — before they tell someone else. Below are five ready-to-use, neutrally worded engagement questions. Ask respondents to rate each from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree), with room for comments:

1. I understand what is expected of me in my role.
   Role clarity is the single most common gap in small teams.
2. My workload is manageable.
   In nonprofits, "manageable" and "mission-driven overtime" are different things. Ask directly.
3. I receive useful feedback from my supervisor.
   Tests manager support without asking people to grade their boss.
4. Communication within the organization is clear and timely.
   Catches the "I found out about the change from a donor" problem.
5. I see opportunities to learn and grow here.
   Growth matters even where promotions are rare — training, stretch assignments, mentorship.

Running an anonymous survey in a small team

• Use a neutral collection method — a sealed box for paper, or an anonymous online form. Never collect surveys by email.
• The small-team caveat: in a team of fewer than five, demographics (department, tenure) can identify people. Either skip the "about you" block or report only organization-wide aggregates.
• Say what happens next — tell staff when results will be shared and what will change. A survey with no follow-up teaches people not to answer honestly next time.
• Act on one thing. You do not need to fix everything; pick the clearest problem and visibly fix it.

What the full pack includes

The five questions above are a starting point. The full Staff Survey Pack is one Word file with three ready-to-use tools:

• Anonymous engagement survey — 15 neutrally worded statements (1–5 scale) plus open-text questions, with instructions for collecting responses anonymously in a small team.
• Exit interview template — a structured set of questions for departing staff, designed to surface honest, usable feedback. See also our exit interview questions for nonprofits.
• 30-day onboarding feedback form — a short survey for new hires after their first month, when impressions are freshest. See also our onboarding survey questions for nonprofits.

Everything is a fillable .docx that opens in Word and Google Docs — no survey software required.

Who it's for

Small nonprofits and community organizations without an HR department, where the person running the survey is also the person managing the budget, the board, and the building. The templates are written for teams of five to fifty, with the small-team anonymity caveats built in.

Related guides

• 10 Staff Survey Questions for Small Organizations — ten ready-to-use questions across engagement themes.
• Exit Interview Questions for Nonprofits — 8–10 neutral questions for departing staff.
• Onboarding Survey Questions for Nonprofits — what to ask new hires after their first month.
• Essential Admin Templates for a Small Nonprofit — the full starter admin stack.