Best Survey Tools for Charities and Nonprofits in 2026

Charities need survey tools that go beyond simple data collection — they need platforms that connect responses to programme participants, automate outcome tracking, and satisfy funder reporting requirements. This guide compares the best survey tools for charities and nonprofits in 2026, covering features, pricing, and suitability for impact measurement.

TL;DR: General-purpose survey tools like Google Forms and SurveyMonkey work for basic feedback, but charities running funded programmes need purpose-built platforms like Plinth that link survey responses directly to participants, track outcomes over time, and provide AI-powered analysis — all without paying per-response fees.

Who this is for: Impact officers, programme managers, and charity leaders choosing survey tools for beneficiary feedback and outcome measurement.

Why Charities Need Specialist Survey Tools

Most charities still rely on generic survey platforms designed for market research or customer feedback. According to the Charity Digital Skills Report, 68% of UK charities say digital tools are important for measuring impact, yet only 34% feel confident they have the right tools in place. The gap between intention and capability is significant.

Generic tools create manual work. When you use Google Forms or SurveyMonkey in isolation, you must manually match responses to programme participants, export data to spreadsheets, and build your own outcome tracking system. For organisations running multiple funded programmes, this quickly becomes unsustainable.

Funders expect outcome data, not just responses. Bodies like the National Lottery Community Fund, Comic Relief, and local authority commissioners increasingly require structured outcome data — not just raw survey results. The majority of UK funders now expect charities to demonstrate measurable outcomes as part of their reporting.

Purpose-built charity survey tools connect survey responses to individual participant records, automate pre-and-post comparisons, and generate the reports funders actually need.

The 5 Best Survey Tools for Charities in 2026

1. Plinth — Best for Integrated Outcome Measurement

Plinth's survey feature is purpose-built for charities and nonprofits running funded programmes. Unlike standalone survey tools, Plinth connects survey data to your participant records, case management, and reporting — giving you a single platform for programme delivery and impact measurement.

Key features:

• Build custom surveys with multiple question types (Likert scales, free text, multiple choice, matrix questions)
• Distribute surveys to programme participants with automatic linking to their records
• AI-powered analysis that identifies themes, trends, and outliers across responses
• Pre-and-post survey comparison for outcome measurement
• Integrated with case management, attendance tracking, and impact reporting

Pricing: Included as part of Plinth's platform — no per-response fees, no respondent limits.

Best for: Charities running funded programmes that need to connect survey data to participant outcomes and generate funder reports.

Limitations: Designed specifically for the charity sector, so not suitable for commercial market research.

2. SurveyMonkey — Best Known General-Purpose Tool

SurveyMonkey is the most recognised survey platform globally, used by over 20 million active users. It offers robust question types, branching logic, and analytics. SurveyMonkey provides a 50% nonprofit discount on its paid plans.

Key features:

• 250+ templates including some nonprofit-specific options
• Advanced branching logic and skip patterns
• Built-in analytics and data export
• HIPAA-compliant options on enterprise plans
• Integration with CRMs and email platforms

Pricing: Free plan limited to 10 questions and 25 responses per survey. Paid plans start from approximately £25/month (Individual Advantage) with nonprofit discount. Team plans from around £20/user/month with discount.

Best for: Organisations needing professional standalone surveys with strong analytics but no requirement for participant-level outcome tracking.

Limitations: No native connection to participant records or programme management. Per-response limits on most plans. Not designed for longitudinal outcome measurement.

3. Google Forms — Best Free Basic Option

Google Forms is completely free with no response limits, making it the most accessible option for charities with minimal budgets. Over 80% of charities have used Google Forms at some point, according to Charity Digital research.

Key features:

• Unlimited surveys and responses at no cost
• Automatic data collection into Google Sheets
• Basic branching logic and question validation
• Collaborative editing with Google Workspace
• Simple sharing via links or embedding

Pricing: Completely free. Google Workspace for Nonprofits is also free through Google for Nonprofits.

Best for: Small charities needing basic feedback forms, event registration, or simple data collection without outcome measurement requirements.

Limitations: No analytics beyond basic charts. No way to link responses to participant records. No outcome tracking. Limited question types compared to specialist tools. No AI analysis. Professional appearance is limited.

4. Typeform — Best for Engagement and Completion Rates

Typeform's conversational, one-question-at-a-time format consistently achieves higher completion rates than traditional survey tools — typically 57% compared to an industry average of 33% for online surveys. Its design-first approach makes surveys feel more engaging.

Key features:

• Conversational interface with one question per screen
• Beautiful, customisable design templates
• Advanced conditional logic (Logic Jumps)
• Native integrations with 120+ tools via Zapier
• Video and image embedding within surveys

Pricing: Free plan limited to 10 responses/month. Basic plan from approximately £21/month (100 responses). Plus plan from approximately £46/month (1,000 responses). 10% nonprofit discount available.

Best for: Charities prioritising participant experience and completion rates, particularly for beneficiary feedback and stakeholder engagement surveys.

Limitations: Expensive per-response at scale. No native charity-sector features. No participant record integration. Limited reporting for outcome measurement.

5. Lamplight / Upshot — Best Legacy Impact Platforms

Platforms like Lamplight and Upshot (now part of the Catalyst network) offer outcome measurement alongside broader charity management features. These tools have been serving the UK charity sector for over a decade.

Key features:

• Outcome measurement frameworks built in (Outcomes Star, distance travelled)
• Case management and activity recording alongside surveys
• Funder report templates for common UK funders
• Theory of Change mapping tools
• Data export for evaluation purposes

Pricing: Varies by organisation size. Lamplight typically starts from around £50/month. Upshot pricing is bespoke.

Best for: Established charities already using these platforms for case management who want to add survey capability within the same system.

Limitations: Often dated user interfaces. Limited or no AI analysis. Can be rigid in survey design. May require significant setup and training.

Feature Comparison Table

How to Choose the Right Survey Tool

Consider Your Primary Use Case

Simple feedback collection: Google Forms is sufficient for event feedback, volunteer satisfaction, or one-off questionnaires where you do not need to track data over time.

Professional standalone surveys: SurveyMonkey or Typeform are suitable when you need polished surveys with advanced logic but do not need to connect data to programme management.

Outcome measurement for funded programmes: Plinth or legacy impact platforms are necessary when funders require you to demonstrate outcomes linked to specific participants over time. Research from New Philanthropy Capital shows that 85% of funders rank outcome evidence as "important" or "very important" in their decision-making.

Consider Total Cost of Ownership

The cheapest survey tool is not always the most cost-effective. If your team spends 5 hours per month manually matching Google Forms responses to participant spreadsheets and building outcome reports, that time has a real cost. At an average charity salary of £28,000 per year, those 5 hours represent approximately £80/month in staff time — often more than the cost of a purpose-built platform.

Consider Data Security

UK charities must comply with UK GDPR when collecting personal data through surveys. Tools hosted outside the UK require additional data processing agreements. Plinth hosts all data in the UK, simplifying compliance for British charities.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Google Forms for outcome measurement?

Google Forms can collect outcome data, but it cannot track outcomes over time, link responses to participant records, or generate the longitudinal analysis that funders typically require. You would need to build a manual system using spreadsheets to match responses, which becomes error-prone and time-consuming at scale. For basic one-off surveys, Google Forms works well. For structured outcome measurement, consider Plinth or another purpose-built tool.

Does SurveyMonkey offer charity discounts?

Yes. SurveyMonkey offers a 50% discount on all paid plans for registered nonprofits and charities through their SurveyMonkey for Good programme. You need to verify your charity status through TechSoup or directly with SurveyMonkey to access the discount. Even with the discount, per-response limits still apply.

What survey response rate should charities aim for?

Response rates vary significantly by survey type. Internal surveys (staff, volunteers) typically achieve 60-80%. Beneficiary feedback surveys average 30-50% when distributed in person or via text, but drop to 10-20% for email-only distribution. The key factors affecting response rates are survey length (keep it under 10 minutes), timing (send within 24 hours of an interaction), and personalisation. Tools like Plinth that link surveys to participant records can help personalise distribution and improve response rates.

How does Plinth's AI survey analysis work?

Plinth's AI analysis reads all survey responses and identifies key themes, sentiment patterns, and statistical trends automatically. Rather than manually reading hundreds of free-text responses, the AI summarises what participants are saying, highlights areas of concern, and identifies differences between groups or time periods. This is particularly valuable for qualitative data from open-ended questions, which is notoriously time-consuming to analyse manually.

Is Typeform GDPR compliant for UK charities?

Typeform stores data in the EU (Frankfurt, Germany) and is GDPR compliant. However, UK charities operating under UK GDPR should ensure their data processing agreements specifically cover UK data protection requirements, which diverge slightly from EU GDPR. For simplicity, using a UK-hosted platform like Plinth removes this consideration entirely.

Conclusion

The best survey tool for your charity depends on your specific needs. For basic one-off feedback, Google Forms remains unbeatable on cost. For professional standalone surveys, SurveyMonkey and Typeform offer strong capabilities. But for charities running funded programmes that need to connect survey data to participant outcomes, generate funder reports, and analyse responses with AI, a purpose-built platform like Plinth delivers significantly more value.

Ready to see how Plinth handles surveys and outcome measurement? Book a demo to see how our integrated platform connects survey data to everything else you do.

Recommended Next Pages

• The Complete Guide to Outcome Measurement – Understand the frameworks and approaches charities use to measure and evidence outcomes.

• How AI Survey Analysis Helps Charities Measure Impact – Explore how artificial intelligence transforms raw survey data into actionable insights.

• Survey Software vs Google Forms – A detailed comparison of purpose-built survey software against Google Forms for charity data collection.

• How to Design Effective Outcome Surveys – Practical guidance on creating surveys that capture meaningful outcome data for funded programmes.

• How to Avoid Survey Fatigue – Strategies for collecting better data with fewer questions and higher response rates.

• The Complete Guide to Case Management – Learn how case management integrates with survey data for holistic programme delivery.

Last updated: February 2026

For more information about Plinth's survey and outcome measurement features, contact our team or schedule a demo.