Donor questionnaire (free template)

Donor outreach is always a bit of a guessing game, but it seems like too many organizations are still working only off assumptions. According to the Generosity Report, a whopping 96.9% of donors give less than $5,000 a year. Not a bad thing, but it does hint at untapped potential.

With a genuine interest in your donors’ motivations and feedback, you are much more likely to turn one-time contributors into long-term champions. In this post, we’ll show you a well-crafted donor questionnaire you can start using today to learn more about your supporters.

Let’s take a closer look!

21 questions for a perfect donor questionnaire

Below is a free template you can use as-is or adapt for your organization’s donor outreach efforts. We created this form in a way that covers the most important aspects of fundraising and relationship-building. 

Note: To make things even clearer, we included sample screenshots from our built-in donor questionnaire. It’s part of Content Snare, our ISO 27001-certified platform designed to speed up data collection and improve document workflows. This questionnaire, along with other helpful templates, is available right within the built-in template library. Content Snare is trusted by over 1,600 organizations globally, including nonprofits, legal firms, and financial professionals, to collect sensitive documents securely and efficiently. In a recent customer survey, users reported spending 71% less time gathering information and saw a 9x return on investment with this form builder.

Donor background

First of all, you must understand who your donors are in order to tailor your communication and engagement strategies. This section collects basic information about their demographics and relationship to your organization, but do your best to keep it brief and respectful of their time.

1. What is your full name?

2. Email address

3. What is your mailing address?

4. What is your age group? 

Options: Under 25, 25–34, 35–44, 45–54, 55–64, 65+.

5. How did you first hear about our organization?

Giving history

Learning more about how and why donors give helps shape more effective fundraising campaigns. That’s why these questions explore giving frequency and motivations, while giving donors a chance to share how they'd prefer to support your cause.

6. How long have you been donating to our organization?

7. How often do you donate? 

Options: One-time, monthly, annually, occasionally.

8. What inspires you to support our cause?

9. How do you prefer to donate?

Options: Online, by mail, in person.

10. Would you be interested in becoming a monthly or recurring donor?

Communication preferences

Respecting donor communication preferences improves satisfaction and reduces opt-outs. The following set of questions opens the door to more personalized updates.

11. How would you prefer we contact you? 

Options: Email, phone, mail, text.

12. How frequently would you like to hear from us? 

Options: Monthly, quarterly, only during campaigns, other.

13. What types of updates are you most interested in? 

For example, these can be news regarding impact stories, financial updates, event invitations, volunteer opportunities, and similar. 

Donor feedback

Your donors can provide feedback that reveals opportunities for improvement. This section invites honest input on their giving experience and your organization's performance. We encourage you to be open to criticism, as it can lead to stronger connections.

14. What do you appreciate most about our organization?

15. What could we improve in how we operate or communicate?

16. Have you ever had a negative experience with us? 

If so, please explain this experience.

17. Is there anything you’d like to see us do differently in our fundraising efforts?

Future engagement

Donors often want to contribute beyond financial support, so make use of this section to explore their interest in volunteering, advocacy, or legacy giving. 

18. Would you be interested in volunteering with us?

19. Would you consider leaving a gift to our organization in your will?

20. Would you be open to sharing your donor story publicly?

For instance, this can be done in newsletters or online.

21. Is there another way you'd like to get involved that we haven't mentioned?

Send your donor questionnaire in minutes with Content Snare

Once your questionnaire is ready, the next step is getting it in front of your donors without the back-and-forth or chasing people for responses. 

That’s where Content Snare comes in with all of its data collection features.

Inside the platform, you’ll find a built-in donor questionnaire template that’s ready to go and easy to customize for your organization’s tone and branding. Just make a few quick edits, hit send, and let Content Snare do the rest. In the meantime, automated reminders make sure your donors follow through without you having to send awkward follow-up emails manually.

Related: How this non-profit organization made content collection easy and accessible

In a matter of clicks, you can collect the insights you need to build stronger relationships and raise more support, with zero spreadsheet chaos.

Sign up for a 14-day free trial right now to improve donor engagement.

FAQ

What should be included in a donor questionnaire?

A good donor questionnaire includes questions about donor background, giving history, communication preferences, and engagement interest. The goal is to better understand donor motivations and improve fundraising outcomes.

How do I create a donor survey?

You can create a donor survey using online tools like Content Snare, which offers pre-built templates and secure submission workflows. For best results, keep it short, respectful, and purposeful.

What is the purpose of a donor questionnaire?

Donor questionnaires help nonprofits build stronger relationships by learning what matters most to their supporters. They’re also useful for improving donor retention, shaping messaging, and identifying future engagement opportunities.