There are a number of areas where nonprofits can use focus groups to gain feedback that can later be used to improve some aspect of your nonprofit’s performance. For example, if you are interested in learning how effective a specific program is at meeting the needs of your recipients, you might use a focus group to uncover the real feelings, reactions and opinions of the participants.

Likewise, a focus group can help nonprofits to learn more about the effectiveness of the workshops and training materials that they offer their staff and volunteers. Focus groups can even be used to determine the effectiveness of various fundraising campaigns and used to improve overall strategy for recruiting and retaining donors.

The following are a few suggestions to help your nonprofit be able to receive actionable feedback from its focus groups.

Limit the Number of Participants to Keep Your Group “Focused”

Once you decide on what area of performance you are trying to improve, you will need to recruit a facilitator and gather participants for your focus group. Usually, it is best to keep the group fairly small, with about 5 to 10 members.

Some folks feel shy about sharing their opinions and experiences with others. This is one of the reasons why you want to keep your focus group fairly small, This way, the number of people participating in the discussion will feel less overwhelming to the other participants.

Before the discussion formally begins, encourage your group to chat amongst themselves and get to know one another to increase openness and make them feel relaxed and more willing to talk and provide honest feedback.

A Relaxed Environment Encourages Open Communication

Since the purpose of the group is to gather information, you will want to host the group in a small, but comfortable room. Seating should encourage relaxation, sharing, and friendly talking among the members.

If possible, provide participants with light refreshments such as beverages and a snack to encourage them to relax and enjoy the discussion.

Ask Questions and Be Prepared for Positive and Negative Feedback

The facilitator should prepare for the discussion by having a list of probing questions that are thought provoking to encourage conversation. Don’t be disappointed if you receive mixed reviews, or even negative feedback.

The purpose of the discussion is to identify what is, and is not working in your program, as well as to solicit opinions on what needs to be changed or otherwise improved. Unless the feedback that you receive from participants is their honest feelings and reactions, the information that you gather will not be beneficial to you.

Since many people feel uncomfortable when they are being watched, the facilitator should remain focused solely on encouraging and guiding the conversation. Researchers or other authorised personnel should remain in the background. Ideally, they will view the event remotely, either through a two-way window, or via remote camera. This way, they can record the comments and responses of the participants without being “visibly present” to the group’s members, which could alter their responses. Later, after the focus group has concluded their discussion, the information should be studied and analysed, producing lists of what features the group liked and disliked, with ideas about how performance in the specific area can be improved.

Focus groups are an excellent way to see the reactions of several people, at one time, to a specific service, project or area of performance. Individual interviews and surveys are additional tools that can be used, either by themselves or in conjunction with the results of focus groups. This will help you learn more about how people feel and what they believe needs to be changed to make services better and more responsive to their needs.