Introducing the NEW Boland Survey Platform!
by Tracey Braun, CCVO Manager, Programs
We know that detailed surveys can sometimes be confusing and difficult to maneuver, often due to outdated platforms with limited flexibility. Administered by CCVO, the Boland Survey – which collects comprehensive data on HR practices and salaries in the nonprofit sector – admittedly fell into that category, until recently that is.
On June 3, the 2019 Boland Survey will launch on a completely NEW online platform. In order to make the Boland Survey as accessible as possible on the new platform, CCVO collected user feedback over the past three years through surveys, emails, telephone calls, focus groups, and word of mouth. We’ve been working hard to incorporate all of this feedback and are excited to open the 2019 survey!
Here’s what we learned from survey users, and wanted to address:
Complex and human resource specific language that was confusing for non-HR professionals, including users in Executive Director/CEO roles, finance roles, and other management positions.
Unnecessary delays, such as having to contact CCVO to “unsubmit” data in order to fix errors.
Questions that were difficult to understand, leaving users unsure how to answer, adding frustration and additional time to complete the survey.
Issues related to registration, invoicing, and payment that caused delays and further frustration for users.
Requiring all information be entered every year, including organizational contact details, HR policies, benefits, and staffing structures that are often consistent year over year.
While many updates to the survey have been made in recent years, many of the remaining issues required more extensive backend programming, and were top of mind in developing the new survey platform.
Here are the top three changes you can look forward to in the 2019 survey:
Immediate access. The new survey platform allows users to register and log in to start the survey without the 2-3 business day delay of the previous platform.
Intuitive questions and format. Survey questions have been grouped into sections, tabs, and pages with visible cues where data is incomplete. We’ve also rewritten explanations for several questions to make them more easily understood for those with a limited HR background, and added the ability to review all your data before hitting submit.
Pre-populated “tombstone” data. Boland Survey annual subscribers[1] can look forward to starting next year’s survey with your 2019 data already populated – you will only need to review, edit (if required), and confirm your information.
Watch for even more new features with the interactive reporting system – more on that in the weeks to come!
[1] With the changes to the 2019 Boland Survey, users register for an annual subscription and have access to Boland Survey data year-round.