Article by Mary Kay Markunas
While BIIS (Business Intelligence for Independent Schools) is the authoritative source for independent school business office data, NBOA also provides members with a platform for conducting your own informal surveys using SurveyMonkey. Consider using this tool to gain insights not only from your fellow independent schools, but also within your own school communities. We have found that a short survey (fewer than 20 questions) that can be completed in about five to seven minutes can garner 60 to 80 responses in about two days. Not bad for a few minutes work.
Here are some examples from two recent surveys.
On armed on-campus security
From a November 2017 survey with 100 respondents, 88 percent day schools, with a balanced range of sizes and grades
Is your security managed in-house or is it outsourced?
- In-house 39%
- Outsourced 29%
- Other 41%
“Other” included responses like “a combination,” “no security” and “plans for security in progress.”
Are security personnel permitted to carry guns on campus?
- Yes 33%
- No 67%
[If yes,] is it required that the gun be concealed?
- Yes 28%
- No 72%
On campus rentals
From a June 2018 survey with 75 respondents
Does your school allow outside groups to rent your premises?
- No…8%
- Yes...
- at a full rate for some rentals…67%
- at a discounted rate for some rentals…74%
- some groups at no charge…58%
- at no charge except for incidentals (e.g., utilities, maintenance)…21%
- Other…4%
Do you charge extra for any of the following?
- Basic event setup, maintenance…31%
- Utilities…6%
- Audio visual…30%
- Sound & lighting…30%
- Tables, chairs, etc.…17%
- Security…43%
- School representative…26%
- Additional maintenance required for more advanced setup…34%
- Sports equipment usage (e.g., balls, volleyball setups)…1%
- None…21%
- Other…28%
Which of these statements about discounting facilities rentals do you believe? (see feature image above)
- Better to discount and rent for a few bucks than nothing at all...20%
- Inconsistent discounting is not a good policy...48%
- Working on a lower rate; "a sliding rent scale" to bring in a renter long-term is fine...20%
- If rent is due on the 1st of the month, it is okay to let renter pay on the 31st if it helps them out...15%
Access NBOA’s SurveyMonkey account by going to the Resources tab on NBOA.org and selecting “Conduct a survey.” If you are surveying fellow NBOA members, we ask that you post the results on the NBOA Connect forum (where you originally posted the survey). You can also search in SurveyMonkey to see if someone else has already created a survey on your topic of interest or something similar so that you don’t have to start from scratch. And NBOA has created a survey template for the most common survey questions (about size, type and location of school) that you can copy to start your survey.
SurveyMonkey is relatively easy to use — I encourage you to dive in and try it. If you have any questions, contact me or Melissa Zinder, NBOA’s senior manager, marketing and engagement.
