Survey and Evaluation Software

Making the most of technology can open up new opportunities in community research.  Email and web-based surveys, for example, can be a useful tool for non-profit organisations: 

Zoomerang, a popular commercial on-line survey software, has developed a special discounted package, zNonProfit, for non-profit organisations.  It also has a reputation for being very user-friendly.  There is a free version (though it has limitations on number of respondents, number of questions and availability of results - the latter especially limiting).

Sparklit offers software for web polls and mini-surveys for website visitors.  There are also free versions, but they include advertising and have some features turned off.  It also has email survey software on three different pricing levels.

Statpac provides survey design and data management, as well as a web survey software module.  There is a nonprofit discount and a much cheaper student version (with a limit of 100 respondents per file).  A fully functional free version is available, but will only analyse the first 35 records of any data file.

SurveyZ helps you build, send, track and report on-line surveys.  There is a free version, but it is limited to one survey for one month with a maximum of 20 responses - so is really only a trial version.

David Fetterman (on his Empowerment Evaluation website) provides a brief summary of the relative positives and negatives of the these and some other survey software programmes.  He also highlights:

• SurveySuite, FormSite, AppForce.net, zTelligence and iNetSurvey - commercial email survey software
• CDC EZ-Text - a free windows-based software program developed to assist researchers create, manage, and analyze semi-structured qualitative databases
• AnSWR (Analysis Software for Word-based Records) - a free windows-based software system for coordinating and conducting large-scale, team-based analysis projects that integrate qualitative and quantitative techniques

• useful free software used in anthropology and ethnography

Let us know if you come across any other useful free or cheap research, evaluation or survey software.

The University of Wisconsin Extension Programme Development and Evaluation has one of its "Evaluation Quick Tips" (No.23) on Considerations for Using Computer-Based Surveys.

A special edition of The Evaluation Exchange from Harvard's Family Research Project focuses on "Harnessing Technology for Evaluation" (Volume X, No.3, Fall 2004) .  It includes articles on web or internet surveys, how technology can be used in empowerment evaluation, software non-profits can use for evaluation, and more.