- Master barber, Robert Cradle, is as good with a survey as he is with his clippers.
My name is Robert Cradle, and I am a Master Barber and founder of Rob’s Barbershop Community Foundation (RBCF). The RBCF operates projects in Maryland that provide no-charge grooming services and products for the homeless. Our projects include everything from training foster parents to groom new foster children placed in their homes, to installing full-service barber and beauty salons onsite at local homeless shelters.
Since our inception in 2000 our projects have served over six thousands clients, providing them with haircuts, hairstyles, grooming products and training sessions. The benefits to our clients are tracked via a paper ”Outcome Indicator” form that is completed after each grooming service. Up until 2008, before subscribing to SurveyMonkey we used a complex and tedious database system that left us with a continuous back log of Outcome Indicator forms. We were further limited with only one volunteer familiar enough with the system to complete the data entry.
It was DREADFUL to see the piles of unentered forms and the resulting inability to report to our donors and to the media. Generating detailed client demographics and impact data was nearly impossible with our old system.
Then EUREKA! We discovered SurveyMonkey and decided not just to use it as way to create surveys but to use it as a system to track our clients. It has became our one and only client database since 2008, and in no-time those piles of unentered forms were ENTERED! We could now provide real-time reports to anyone who requested up to date results.
Operating SurveyMonkey is extremely easy, and I can do my data entry anywhere at anytime (our old system could only be accessed on one computer). It only took minutes to create a survey that allowed us to compile the most precious part of our work…the results! Now, by having such ease when sorting out our data we believe we have a better relationship with our donors because they know in real-time how their funds are impacting our target population. In essence SurveyMonkey helped to increase our revenue by improving donor relations at little cost to us! The affordable subscription provided by SurveyMonkey more than pays for itself…and then some!
Do you use SurveyMonkey as a tool for your non-profit? Sound off in the comment section below!
Terri Harrison, Apr 21, 2012
This was a great blog. I really did enjoy the information on how Robert went from grass root surveying his clientele to utilizing a professional survey system (survey monkey). After reading this blog I have some ideas on how to launch my business and reach potential clients through the use of survey monkey.
Hanna J, Apr 23, 2012
Hi Terri – We’re so glad you enjoyed Robert’s story. We’re inspired by him too! Let us know when you launch your business. We’d love to feature your survey story on our blog as well! Thanks, and have a great day.
robertbrost, May 30, 2012
Hello,
I was just going through few sites and blogs yesterday and came across
your site http://blog.surveymonkey.com too. I really liked the way you
have presented your site. I was reading some of your content and
really found them interesting and informative. So I was just wondering
if I can also do something for your site.
Actually I am a freelance content writer and I love writing articles
as a hobby on topics related to Scottish gifts.
What if I provide you with an unique article as a Guest Post. An
article that will be informative for your readers. The article will be
related to your website and will be appreciated by your readers.
It would be great if you can add a small BIO of mine at the end of the
article with my related site’s links. I guarantee you that the article
will be 100% copy scape protected and will be of around 700 words.
Please let me know if this sound good to you, so that we can start
working on your article.
Regards,
Robert Brost
(robertbrost12@gmail.com)
Hanna J, May 30, 2012
Hi Robert, we’d love to have you guest post, assuming it’s something that would be helpful and relevant to our readers. I’ll send you a follow up email, and we can discuss it. Thanks for reaching out!
Dan Reinhardt, Jul 26, 2012
I am a new user to SurveyMonkey, and intrigued at how Robert actually uses Monkey to be his client base. I can’t visualize how he actually uses Monkey to do this, beyond him manually entering data on his client’s behalf.
Bennett P, Aug 3, 2012
Dan – We’ve gotten alot of questions regarding how Robert set up his survey. Let’s see if he’d be willing to share his survey as an example. Check back to the blog soon!
Robert Cradle, Aug 6, 2012
Dan
You are indeed correct. My clients fill out a paper version of my survey, then they are entered manually by someone else.
Joan Freeman, Jul 30, 2012
I need your help! I am interested in your product. Could someone please give me a phone # so I can call and speak to someone directly. I have alot of questions . I want to learn more about what survey monkey can do for my new business plan.
Thanks Joan
Bennett P, Aug 3, 2012
Joan -
If you’re interested in our Platinum plan, phone support is available to you upon sign-up. However, we don’t have a sales line or phone # that you can call to sign up. You can sign up for free and check out the product till you feel comfortable purchasing a plan. Here’s more info about the plans we have available:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/pricing/?ut_source=header