10 Staff Survey Questions for Small Organizations

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

Role clarity and workload

1. I understand what is expected of me in my role.
   Role clarity is the single most common gap in small teams, where everyone wears four hats.
2. My workload is manageable.
   In nonprofits, "manageable" and "mission-driven overtime" are different things. Ask directly.

Leadership and feedback

3. I receive useful feedback from my supervisor.
   Tests manager support without asking people to grade their boss.
4. Leadership communicates decisions clearly.
   Catches the "the board decided this weeks ago and nobody told us" problem.

Communication and belonging

5. Communication within the organization is clear and timely.
   Catches the "I found out about the change from a donor" problem.
6. I feel respected by my colleagues.
   A plain, direct measure of team health that works in any size of organization.
7. People with different backgrounds and perspectives are valued here.
   An inclusion signal that does not require naming anyone or anything.

Want the finished survey? Get the Staff Survey Pack →

Growth and mission

8. I see opportunities to learn and grow here.
   Growth matters even where promotions are rare — training, stretch assignments, mentorship.
9. I have the tools and resources I need to do my job well.
   In under-resourced nonprofits, this question reliably surfaces the printer-that-never-works class of problems.
10. I am proud of the work our organization does.
    Mission connection is the nonprofit sector's retention advantage. Measure it.

How to run it in a tiny 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.

Related guides

• Employee Survey Template for Nonprofits — five sample questions and a short guide to running an anonymous survey.
• Exit Interview Questions for Nonprofits — what to ask 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.