We’ve all taken the “Would you recommend?” survey during a flight or a stay at a hotel. But how often do nonprofit clients (a.k.a. those the nonprofit serves) get the opportunity to share THEIR feedback? And why does it matter?
Getting truly actionable client feedback in the social sector is WAY harder than in the corporate sector, but no less critical. It’s more difficult because of things like "response bias," whereby a nonprofit service recipient might be afraid to be critical of a nonprofit service provider for fear of having their services taken away. But using client feedback is critical in the social sector because it’s a proven way to increase impact and enhance client outcomes.
Here are some recent trends that a special group called Listen4Good---a program for nonprofits to improve client feedback systems---has noticed recently:
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Many nonprofits are pursuing feedback as part of multi-pronged efforts to live out their commitment to more effectively center community voice, especially voices of people of color and other historically marginalized communities.
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Organizations are assessing how power is distributed in their organization. Because surveys allow community members to shape the narrative and direction of the organization, developing a strong feedback practice is an effective power-shifting strategy.
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Many organizations turn to Listen4Good when their "do-it-yourself" efforts to get input from nonprofit clients are not hitting the mark. For example, Bronx Defenders, a comprehensive public defender program, had tried surveying clients multiple times using tablets and interviews, but was unable to reach all their clients with those methods. With L4G’s help, they’ve been able to reach a larger share of their client base, including those currently incarcerated and awaiting trials.
Listen4Good helps nonprofits gather and analyze client feedback data for fundraising, strategic decision-making, and advancing equity goals in three ways: 1:1 coaching support; group learning; and a core web application for participatory measurement that drives impact.
Here are three ways to learn more about Listen4Good:
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