Surveying Owners  Continued From Page 15


success. Without it, the community may draw conclusions that don’t align with the desired impact, thus causing more harm than good. Start with a couple key considerations, then share for internal and external alignment.


What is the purpose of the information being collected?


Key Considerations


` What is the purpose of the information being collected? » Example: The board wants to understand if there is support to change governing documents. If so, we will begin accruing the necessary expenses.


` Is this to enable decision-making or sentiment analysis? » Example: A poll to understand interest in increasing dues for installing EV chargers—for information purposes only.


` How long will polls be open? » Example: Open from November first to November thirtieth at 5pm.


` Where/how will results be shared? » Example: An aggregate of the results will be available on the community website and shared during the December meeting.


An aggregate of the poll results will be available on the community website.


Create an Unbiased Survey


There should be three types of questions, each written in a way that does not show bias. Have sample respondents test the poll before officially sending it. You may be surprised by their interpretation of your questions and have


to edit. Keep the survey brief, yet comprehensive. Nobody likes long surveys. Target 2-5 minutes to complete with ten questions or less.


Survey Question Types:


` Binary—no room for ambiguity » Example: Do you support changing the governing documents as outlined here (hyperlink your proposal).


` Open–ended—collect opinions and rationale » Example: What areas of our community need the most investment?


` Rating scale—Scale of 1–5 (1 = disagree and 5 = agree) with a larger span to capture more nuance » Example: On a scale of 1–5, what is your interest in increasing security patrols?


You may be surprised by test respondents’ interpretation of your questions and need to make some revisions.


Maximize return


As the level of potential contention and/or expense increases, so does the importance of hearing from a broad and representative set of respondents. Use both a physical mailing and email reminders for a better response rate. Flyers, social media, and monthly board meetings are excellent for setting context and being heard. This extra work will save you pain later if data collected is not representative of the actual vote. Remember that polling is far less costly than rallying for binding votes.


Polling is far less costly than rallying for binding votes.


Send email reminders to non-responders at key milestones – halfway through the poll, a week before


16 Community Associations Journal | October 2022


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