Birdsong’s unique Charity Pulse benchmark comprises survey responses from over 25,000 people working in charities around the UK.
Charity Pulse
Our most popular survey is Charity Pulse, a satisfaction and engagement survey developed by Birdsong that has been taken by tens of thousands of staff and volunteers across the charitable sector. Charity Pulse is carefully crafted to probe the issues that matter most to charity people and, by guaranteeing anonymity, the survey generates real and honest survey answers. Charity Pulse is a proven cost-effective service, no matter the size and structure of your charity. It includes benchmarking against hundreds of other organisations within the sector and also enables charities to measure and track shifts in staff satisfaction year-on-year.
You can register for Charity Pulse 2026 via the link at the bottom of this page. Please read the following information first.
When does Charity Pulse take place?
In February of each year we run a collective-participation period for Charity Pulse, from which we update our benchmark. However, if February does not suit your charity, you are able to run a Charity Pulse survey on a standalone basis at any time of year (subject to availability).
What does a Charity Pulse report look like?
Take a look at some examples of Birdsong's Charity Pulse reporting by clicking here.
How is the Charity Pulse survey undertaken?
The survey questionnaire is completed via a web-based survey link unique to your charity, which you pass to your staff and/or volunteers when the survey goes live. Individual anonymity for all survey respondents is fully protected. You can see an online test version of the Charity Pulse survey by clicking here.
Can we add bespoke elements?
Birdsong can also add bespoke elements to our Charity Pulse survey. This means that your charity or not-for-profit organisation can benefit from using our unique benchmarking and carefully crafted 45-question main survey questionnaire, while adding some tailored questions to meet specific requirements that you might have. Find out more by clicking here.
More information about Charity Pulse
Our Guidance Notes provide comprehensive details about the Charity Pulse survey and how it works. In this document, you can find everything you need to know about timings, reporting options and costs. We also include full lists of the survey questions we ask as well as useful tips for getting the most from your survey. Download our Guidance Notes here.
Register here to run Charity Pulse 2026
The online registration form will take you through the various selections and options step-by-step. Please click here to sign up.
We usually need at least three weeks’ notice ahead of your chosen launch date to give us ample time to set the survey up for you and for you to test it and prepare your staff and/or volunteers. Please note that we may be booked up for certain months and you may not be able to get your first choice of dates. If this happens we will offer you a selection of other dates that are as close to your first choice as possible.