Our benchmarked surveys help charities of all sizes to improve their staff satisfaction and retention.

Charity Pulse

Our most popular survey is Charity Pulse, a staff and/or volunteer satisfaction 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 the specially-discounted Charity Pulse 2026 collective-participation period via the link at the bottom of this page. Please read the following information first.

Charity
Pulse

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.

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.

The online registration form will take you through the various selections and options step-by-step. Please click here to sign up.

The deadline to register for the discounted collective-participation period is December 19th 2025. If you would like to take the Charity Pulse survey at any other time of year, please do not use this registration form but instead email us to request a standalone link.