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Survey of Outdoor Arts Festivals:
Report on the Results of
Questionnaire Pre‐Test
October 14, 2008
Results of Survey Questionnaire Pre‐Test
Conducted for the National Endowment for the Arts
Description
Seven people participated in the survey pre‐test: Heather T. Spicuzza
(Ordway), Dennis Lynch (Shenandoah Valley Music Festival), Beth Macmillan (Reno
Artown), Jennifer Pickering (Lake Eden Arts Festival), Kim Plyler (ArtsQuest,
Musikfest), Rick Bryant (Central PA Festival of the Arts), and Linda Lucero (Yerba
Buena Festival). The pre‐testers answered the survey questionnaire and then
participated in a 90‐minute telephone conference on October 6 or 7, 2008, giving
feedback about questionnaire length, item clarity, response choice availability, and
overall impressions of the questionnaire.
Response Burden
Paper Version
Pre‐testers timed themselves answering the questionnaire using a paper
version. Several people reported answering much slower than they would have
under ordinary survey conditions. They explained that they wanted to review each
question very carefully for the sake of the pre‐test, deliberating over question
wording and completeness of response options. By their account, the average
response burden, 21 minutes, is an overestimate. Furthermore, given that the
survey population seems uniquely motivated to assist with research about their
field, the questionnaire does not seem unduly long. As one person commented, the
survey should “bring visibility to the field,” which is important both to NEA and to
festivals themselves.
Electronic Version following Pre‐Test of Paper Version
Silber & Associates created an online version of the survey questionnaire that
incorporates suggestions from the pre‐test. Because electronic formatting greatly
facilitates the ease with which a person answers a survey, and because pre‐test
participants said they answered slower than they ordinarily would, we tested the
length once again. Five Silber & Associates staff members answered the survey.
Although obviously they are not festival directors, they attempted to mimic what
would be required for a director to answer each survey question. If a question, for
example, asked for financial information, they mimicked the process of retrieving
financial records. On average the online version took about 10.5 minutes. However,
to allow for the possibility that Silber & Associates’ staff underrepresented the time
required to retrieve financial records, I suggest we adjust the estimated length by
25%‐‐‐to 13 minutes.
Silber & Associates 1 Pre‐Test Report 10/14/08
Overall Impressions
All seven gave favorable reviews of the questionnaire overall. It was
described as “clear and unbiased,” with “really good, fundamental questions,” and
someone added he was “impressed with your knowledge of outdoor arts festivals.”
I asked pre‐testers whether the information we asked for was readily
available, or whether our questions required a fair amount of background research.
The general consensus was that most of the information was at their fingertips, and,
as someone put it, the festivals already “need to know the data that’s asked.”
Several people said they need a better idea of the purpose behind the survey.
Why are these questions being asked? For what purpose does NEA want the
information? Is it for strategic planning? Budget planning? Improved customer
service? As one person commented, “It’s not entirely clear from the introduction
what the purpose is, and some people could be concerned that their funding could
be affected.” I recommend, therefore, that we beef up the introduction to explain in
more specific terms why the survey is being conducted.
Organization of this Report
During the telephone conference, I took the pre‐testers page by page for a
detailed look at each question. Those questions that received useful feedback are
displayed on the following pages.
Silber & Associates 2 Pre‐Test Report 10/14/08
QuestionbyQuestion Feedback
Screening Question B: When the [specific name] festival in [city/town] was held
most recently, approximately what share of events was held outdoors? If the festival
is being held for the first time, answer based on your plans.
o 100% (all outdoors)
o 75%‐99%
o 50%‐74%
o 25%‐49%
o 1‐24%
o 0% (all indoors)
Feedback: One person (Heather from Ordway) said the answer was difficult to
determine. She said her festival “has large gatherings outdoors but also large ones
indoors” and wasn’t sure whether to base her answer on the number of days, events,
or attendees. She answered 50‐74% because all in all, she felt that the festival is
split fairly evenly.
Recommended Action: None. I think it’s ok to let organizers make this judgment.
Silber & Associates 3 Pre‐Test Report 10/14/08
Q1. We realize that many festivals have numerous dimensions and purposes. Which
of the following festival types describe yours best? Choose all that apply.
Anniversary or Commemorative
Arts and Crafts
Bazaar
Carnival
Charity Event
Community Networking
County Fair
Film
Food Festival
Historical Theme (e.g., Renaissance)
International
Literary
Mardi Gras
Mummers Festival
Performing Arts
Racial/Ethnic Heritage
Religious
State Fair
Other: _______________
Feedback:
• Several people said we left the following festival event types off the list:
Music, Visual Arts, and Children/Family.
• One person each suggested we add these event types: Fine Arts, Education,
Dance, and Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender.
• Dennis (Shenandoah Valley Music Festival) said he didn’t know what we
meant by Bazaar.
• Dennis suggested we change Arts and Crafts to Art and Craft, since he found
the former juvenile. (I think he said Arts and Crafts sounded pejorative.)
• Even though the list is alphabetical, Dennis suggested we move State Fair
under County Fair, or vice versa, since conceptually they belong together.
Recommended Action:
• Adding the suggested event types makes sense to me, especially Music, Visual
Arts, and Children/Family, but this should be a team decision.
• If Art & Craft will make people think we mean something other than Arts &
Crafts, we should leave well enough alone.
• I like combining State Fair and County Fair into one item, County Fair/State
Fair.
Silber & Associates 4 Pre‐Test Report 10/14/08
If more than one response to Q1:
Q1a. Now please choose the one best description of your festival.
o Anniversary or Commemorative
o Arts and Crafts
o Bazaar
o Carnival
o Charity Event
o Community Networking
o County Fair
o Film
o Food Festival
o Historical Theme (e.g., Renaissance)
o International
o Literary
o Mardi Gras
o Mummers Festival
o Performing Arts
o Racial/Ethnic Heritage
o Religious
o State Fair
o “Other” response from above question
Feedback:
Beth from Reno Artown said her festival is multidisciplinary and defies a best
description. She said she would have marked “other.” This is a problem because it
confuses “other” (which should mean the specific event type she added to the list in
the previous question) with what she really meant, which was an “other response”
to this particular question (multidisciplinary).
Recommended Action:
I can discuss with my programmer whether we can pipe into the list the
specific “other” that was given in Q1 rather than what currently appears, but still,
what would Beth do? Skip the question?
Silber & Associates 5 Pre‐Test Report 10/14/08
Q2. For how many years has your organization been in charge of the [specific
festival] in [specific town/city name]?
o This is the first time. Selection of this answer will change wording in some
subsequent questions. For now I simply altered questions to say “If the festival is
being held for the first time. . .”
o 1 year
o 2‐4 years
o 5‐9 years
o 10‐ 20 years
o More than 20 years
o Don’t know
Feedback:
Instead of “been in charge,” consensus was to change wording to “presented”
or “produced.”
Recommended Action:
Change to “produced.”
Silber & Associates 6 Pre‐Test Report 10/14/08
Q4. During the most recent season, in what venue(s) was the festival held? If the
festival is being held for the first time, answer based on your plans. Check all that
apply.
Community center
Concert hall or theater
Municipal fairgrounds
Museum or gallery
Open‐air park
Outdoor theater
Place of worship
Private estate grounds
Public building or estate
Public plaza
Restaurant or club
School or college
Street
Waterfront or pier
Other: ___________________________________
Feedback:
• Pre‐testers suggested we add sports venue and performing arts center to
the list.
• Two people thought we should change public plaza to “public plaza or
park” and drop open‐air park.
• Someone said to drop “estate” from private estate grounds to encompass
venues such as camps.
• Beth (Reno Artown) said her festival uses hotels and casinos and would
have chosen “other.”
Recommended Action:
• Add sports venue, performing arts center, and hotel to the list.
• Take the suggestion about “public plaza or park.”
• Change private estate grounds to “private grounds, such as an estate or
camp.”
Silber & Associates 7 Pre‐Test Report 10/14/08
Q6. What is the festival cycle? In other words, how often does it occur in [specific
town/city name] or vicinity?
o Once a year
o Twice a year
o Every other year
o Once every few years
o This is the first time it’s being held here.
o No definite schedule
o Other schedule: _________________________________
Q7. What is the duration of the festival (the total number of days)? If the festival
is being held for the first time, answer how many days it’s scheduled to last.
o 1 day
o 2‐3 days
o 4‐7 days
o 8‐15 days
o 16‐30 days
o 31‐90 days
o 91‐180 days
o More than 180 days
Feedback:
Dennis (Shenandoah Valley Music Festival) said he needed to read Q7 about
duration to understand, by exclusion, what we were getting at in Q6.
Linda (Yerba Buena) was confused whether Q7 referred to the number of
days of programmed festival activities, or to the duration on the calendar from
festival start date to end date. Yerba Buena, for instance, runs from May through
October, but only on Thursday through Sunday. She answered the number of
programmed days.
Recommended Action:
• Reverse order of Q6 and Q7.
• Team needs to make a decision about whether we’re interested in the
number of days of programmed festival activities or the duration on the
calendar, and then we need to clarify the question.
Silber & Associates 8 Pre‐Test Report 10/14/08
Q10. Is [specific community, city, or town] best considered a rural, urban, or
suburban area?
o Rural
o Urban
o Suburban
o Don’t know
Feedback:
Rick (Central PA Festival of the Arts) said he didn’t know what to mark for
State College. Kim Plyler (Arts Quest, in Bethlehem, PA) agreed.
Recommended Action:
Drop this question and match zip code to Census categories. We currently
collect zip code where the festival is held. It’s one of the preliminary items in the
survey.
Q11. What kinds of events make up the festival? For multidisciplinary festivals,
check all that apply.
Dance
Film
Folk and traditional arts
Literary (for example: spoken word, poetry, etc.)
Music
Theater
Visual arts
Other: _________________________
Feedback:
Pre‐testers suggested many of the same additions they made for Q1, plus
some new things too. They’d like to see us add Educational, Children/Family,
Outdoor Adventure, Performance Art, Workshops, Arts and Crafts, and Parades.
Rick (Central PA) also suggested “scab shows,” events that are unrelated to the
festival but occur nearby as a result of free publicity from the festival.
Recommended Action:
The team is in the best position to decide what to add, but my feeling is that
it’s best to make our list as comprehensive as possible. Otherwise, people will write
in these things under “other,” and this will impact data analysis. (Scab show isn’t
appropriate here because it’s not part of a festival per se.)
Silber & Associates 9 Pre‐Test Report 10/14/08
Q12. What proportion of the festival is made up of each the following events?
Approximations are fine, but the percentages should total 100%.
Music
_____%
Film
_____%
Literature _____%
TOTAL 100%
Feedback:
At least one person didn’t understand that music, film, and literature were
examples only. Notwithstanding the confusion, I got some valuable feedback. Rick
(Central PA) and Jennifer (Lake Eden Arts Festival) admitted that, in their words,
they “had to wing it” to answer. Beth (Reno) agreed that the question was difficult
to answer but added that “it’s worth it.” On the other hand, Linda (Yerba Buena)
said this question wasn’t a problem for her.
The more items the respondents check in Q11, the more difficult Q12 is to
answer, and most respondents marked over half the event types.
Heather (Ordway) mentioned that some festivals vary from week to week,
and she wasn’t sure whether to answer for the festival’s most recent week or the
entire season.
Recommended Action:
• We can keep the question and see what we get, or we can drop the
mathematical requirement in the question and ask simply for the top 3 or 4
events that make up the festival. (This is something we bounced around
earlier.)
• I think it’s ok to disregard Heather’s comment, as she was only the one to
mention this. If anything, we should remind the respondent that we’re
referring to the festival’s most recent season.
Silber & Associates 10 Pre‐Test Report 10/14/08
Checklists A‐G (breakdowns of events):
What is the main type of XXX at the festival? Please choose no more than 4
answers.
Feedback:
Pre‐testers objected to the limitation to 4 answers. All of them said the
restriction was a problem and affected the quality of their answer.
Recommended Action:
Remove the restriction from checklists A‐G. Change the instructions to
“Choose all that apply.”
A. What is the main type of music performed at the festival? Please choose no
more than 4 answers.
Bluegrass
Blues
Broadway Musicals or Show Tunes
Classical or Chamber Music, Symphonic/Orchestral
Concert Band or Marching Band
Contemporary or Alternative Rock
Country
Folk/Traditional
Hymns or Gospel Music
Jazz
Latin, Spanish, or Salsa
Lounge, DJ, Electronica
Opera
Rap or Hip‐Hop
Rhythm and Blues
Rock and Pop music (includes Classic Rock or Oldies and Contemporary or
Alternative Rock)
World
Other: ______________________________
Feedback:
Kim (ArtsQuest) suggested we add polka.
Silber & Associates 11 Pre‐Test Report 10/14/08
C. What is the main type of literature event at the festival? Please choose no
more than 3 answers.
Children's literature
Fiction
Non‐Fiction
Poetry (including poetry "slams" and spoken-word)
Publishing
Translation
Other: ______________________________
Feedback: Linda (Yerba Buena) suggested we add Book Festival.
D. What is the main type of folk and traditional arts event at the festival?
Please choose no more than 3 answers.
Crafts and visual arts
Dance
Ethnic
Music
Oral traditions (storytelling)
Foodways
Other: ______________________________
Feedback:
• Several people asked what we meant by Ethnic.
• Confusion over what Foodways means.
• Heather (Ordway) suggested adding Puppetry and Theater (two separate
things).
Silber & Associates 12 Pre‐Test Report 10/14/08
E. What is the main type of theater event at the festival? Please choose no more
than 3 answers.
Child audiences
Historical themes
Mime
Musical theater
New work
One‐act plays
Plays by the same author
Playwright contests
Puppetry
Shakespeare
Workshops or play readings
Other: ______________________________
Feedback: Heather (Ordway) suggested adding International.
F. What is the main type of visual arts on display at the festival? Please choose
no more than 3 answers.
Ceramics
Crafts (miscellaneous)
Drawings
Digital media
Glass
Metalwork
Paintings
Photography
Printmakings
Sculptures
Textiles
Other: ______________________________
Feedback: Jennifer (Lake Eden) said to add “Visual Arts for Sale” since her festival
doesn’t display; it only sells. Heather (Ordway) recommended changing “on
display” to “exhibited.” Rick thought we should add a question to ask whether the
visual arts are juried or not.
Silber & Associates 13 Pre‐Test Report 10/14/08
G. What is the main type of dance event at the festival? Please choose no more
than 2 answers.
Ballet
Jazz Dance
Modern Dance
World/Ethnic Dance
Other: ______________________________
Feedback: Add hip‐hop. Heather (Ordway) disliked the category Ethnic Dance and
said it should be changed to Traditional/Folk/Culturally Specific. She also
suggested adding Folkloric. Beth (Reno) suggested adding Contemporary, which
she said is different from Modern.
Silber & Associates 14 Pre‐Test Report 10/14/08
Q14. Which age group makes up the largest group of festival attendees? Please
choose only one answer. If that’s not possible, choose no more than 4 answers.
0‐6 years
7‐12 years
13‐17 years
18‐24 years
25‐34 years
35‐55 years
56‐64 years
65 years and over
Feedback: Dennis (Shenandoah) and Rick (Central PA) had to guess‐‐‐the
information isn’t on record‐‐‐so Dennis suggested we say that estimates are fine.
Linda (Yerba Buena) said she’d need more than 4 response choices.
Recommended Action:
• Add this instruction: “If precise information isn’t available, please estimate.”
• Discuss as a team, once again, whether we should restrict respondents to 4
answers. Typically, with these instructions my programmer would devise an
error message to appear if the respondent exceeded 4 answers. One
alternative is to leave the instructions but allow >4 answers (no error
message). Just a thought.
Q15. Please estimate the racial or ethnic make‐up of your festival audience.
(Computer will make sure answers add up to 100%.)
_____ % American Indian or Alaska Native
_____ % Asian
_____ % Black or African American
_____ % Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
_____ % White
_____ % Latino or Hispanic
Don’t know (if this is chosen, respondent can’t mark other choices)
Feedback: Again, Rick and Dennis needed to guess, which they opted to do instead
of marking DK since both had a good feel for the data. Linda suggested we add
multi‐racial as a category.
Recommended Action: Add “Multi‐Racial (more than one race)” to the list.
Silber & Associates 15 Pre‐Test Report 10/14/08
Q18. Approximately how many artists perform at the festival? This includes
anyone who is performing or displaying at the festival. If the festival is held over
non‐consecutive days, such as every Sunday in the summer, give the combined
number of artists who perform during the season. For a group performance,
such as a symphony, count each artist in the group. A symphony, for instance,
might include 40 artists.
o 1‐24
o 25‐49
o 50‐74
o 75‐99
o 100‐249
o 250‐399
o 400‐600
o Over 600
o Don’t know
Feedback: Suggested that we change the word “perform” to “perform or exhibit” to
take into account visual artists. Dennis (Shenandoah) asked how to handle multiple
appearances by the same artist.
Recommended Action: Change the wording as recommended. The team needs to
decide how to count multiple appearances, and then I need to clarify the
instructions.
Silber & Associates 16 Pre‐Test Report 10/14/08
Q19. Over the course of the festival, how many scheduled performances take
place, in total? Include performances such as concerts, plays, and dance
performances but do not include unscheduled performances. Count a doublebill
as two performances.
o 1‐9
o 10‐19
o 20‐29
o 30‐39
o 40‐49
o 50‐100
o Over 100
o Don’t know
Feedback: Several people pointed out that this question doesn’t apply to festivals
whose only focus is visual arts.
Recommended Action: If the team agrees, I can make this question contingent on
answers to Q11 (What kinds of events make up the festival?). If a respondent marks
Visual Arts and nothing else, we can suppress Q19.
Silber & Associates 17 Pre‐Test Report 10/14/08
Q20. Please indicate the approximate total number of paid and volunteer staff who
work on the festival. This includes offseason and onseason workers (i.e., all staff,
including administrative staff, festival production staff, marketing and advertising
personnel, and ticket takers).
Number of paid staff ______
Number of volunteer staff ______
o Don’t know
Q21. How many of these staff are offseason workers (i.e., year‐round administrative
staff )?
Number of paid off‐season staff ______
Number of volunteer off‐season staff ______
o Don’t know
Feedback: These questions generated a lot of discussion and, apparently, confusion.
• How do you count contractors and other outsource staff?
• How do you count consultants?
• Jennifer (Lake Eden) said the word “staff” caused some unease because she
wouldn’t want auditors questioning why she reported more/less staff in our
survey than she reported in official records.
• Do we mean FTEs?
• What about artists who volunteer their time?
• Jennifer said she has two types of volunteers: true volunteer staff, and a pool
of volunteers, who I inferred pitch in for an event here or there. She wasn’t
sure how to count them.
Recommended Action: I need help from the team sorting this out.
Silber & Associates 18 Pre‐Test Report 10/14/08
Q22. Does the festival have a dedicated artistic staff, staff person, or volunteer
whose primary role is arts curator or arts event programmer? This can be full‐
time or part‐time staff.
o Yes
o No
o Don’t know
Feedback: This question doesn’t work as smoothly as we hoped, as demonstrated
by Linda (Yerba Buena) and Dennis (Shenandoah), who gave two different answers
to the same scenario. Both Linda and Dennis fill the role of arts event programmer
in their organizations. Linda answered “yes” to Q22; Dennis answered “no” on the
grounds that the question says “dedicated” artistic staff.
Recommended Action: Decide which answer is appropriate and clarify the
instructions.
Silber & Associates 19 Pre‐Test Report 10/14/08
23. Let’s say a 40‐year‐old adult wishes to buy a ticket to the festival. Does the
ticket price depend on certain factors, such as the specific events or the
number of days he or she plans to attend, the particular day(s), or whether
the ticket is purchased in advance? If the festival is being held for the first
time, answer based on your plans.
o Yes. The admission fee depends on certain factors such as specific event or
schedule.
o No. The admission fee does not vary.
o Other: _________________________
Feedback:
• Several people said their festival is free and therefore they didn’t know how
to answer.
• Dennis (Shenandoah) said “40‐year‐old adult” was off‐putting. [I explained
that the age context was to eliminate certain questions, such as whether the
person qualified for a senior discount, a student discount, etc.]
Recommended Action:
• Change response options to:
o Admission is free.
o Admission is not free but it’s fixed and does not vary by event, day, etc.
o Admission is not free and it depends on certain factors such as specific
event or schedule.
o Other: _________________________
• Change intro to “Let’s say an adult (not a senior citizen) wishes to buy. . .”
Silber & Associates 20 Pre‐Test Report 10/14/08
#3. Does your organization have a formal program in place to distribute free
tickets or sell tickets at a reduced price?
o Yes
o No
o Don’t know
Feedback: Dennis (Shenandoah) pointed out that his organization sells group
tickets at a reduced rate.
Recommended Action: Change to “Does your organization have a formal program in
place to help those in need by distributing free tickets or selling tickets at a reduced
price?”
Q24. When the festival was held most recently, approximately how much revenue
did it generate? Do not include in‐kind donations.
o Less than $10,000
o $10,000 ‐ $24,999
o $25,000 ‐ $49,999
o $50,000 ‐ $99,999
o $100,000 ‐ $249,999
o $250,000 ‐ $499,999
o $500,000 ‐ $999,999
o $1,000,000 ‐ $1,999,999
o $2,000,000 ‐ $5,999,999
o $6,000,000 ‐ $10,000,000
o Over $10,000,000
o Don’t know
Feedback: Some confusion over whether this included all sources of revenue or just
tickets sales (I guess because it follows a question about ticket prices).
Recommended Action:
Change instructions to: Include all sources of revenue but do not include in‐kind
donations.
Silber & Associates 21 Pre‐Test Report 10/14/08
Q25. Please identify the sources of festival revenue. Check all that apply.
Admission fee or event ticket sales
Sale of food, drinks, merchandise, and parking
Parking fees
Vendors paying a participant fee
Cash donations collected at event
Corporate sponsors
Income from advertisers
Foundations
Private donors and patrons
University sponsor
Unearned income, such as interest on investments and endowments
Governmental support (municipal, state, or federal)
Other: ________________________________
Feedback:
• Parking is listed twice by mistake.
• Rick (Central PA) suggested we put sale of beer and alcohol into a separate
category.
Recommended Action: Make these changes.
Silber & Associates 22 Pre‐Test Report 10/14/08
Q27. When the festival was held most recently, approximately what were the total
expenses?
o Less than $10,000
o $10,000 ‐ $49,999
o $50,000 ‐ $99,999
o $100,000 ‐ $249,999
o $250,000 ‐ $499,999
o $500,000 ‐ $999,999
o $1,000,000 ‐ $1,999,999
o $2,000,000 ‐ $5,000,000
o Over $5,000,000
o Don’t know
Feedback: Jennifer (Lake Eden) said her festival is held twice a year and she wasn’t
sure whether to count one or both. This would also apply to Q24 although she
didn’t mention it.
Recommended Action: All the questions are set up to ask about the festival’s most
recent season, so in my view the respondent should count only the most recent
festival, regardless of how many times the festival is held. If you agree, then I’ll add
a reminder to base answers on the most recent festival.
Silber & Associates 23 Pre‐Test Report 10/14/08
Q28. When the festival was held most recently, approximately what were the artist
fees for all artists combined? Exclude in‐kind payments in your estimate.
o Artists were not paid.
o Under $10,000
o $10,000‐$29,999
o $30,000 ‐ $49,999
o $50,000 ‐ $74,999
o $75,000 ‐ $99,999
o $100,000‐$249,999
o $250,000‐$500,000
o Over $500,000
o Don’t know
Feedback: Rick (Central PA) says that with a visual arts festival, artist fees are
income, not expenses. Dennis (Shenandoah) said this question leans toward the
performing arts, although he could still answer it.
Recommended Action: Do we want to make this a contingency question, asked only
of respondents whose festival is primarily performing arts?
Silber & Associates 24 Pre‐Test Report 10/14/08
Q29. When the festival was held most recently, approximately what was the total
value of inkind payments to all artists (such as lodging, food, and travel)?
o Artists did not receive any in‐kind payments.
o Under $10,000
o $10,000‐$29,999
o $30,000 ‐ $49,999
o $50,000 ‐ $74,999
o $75,000 ‐ $99,999
o $100,000‐$249,999
o $250,000‐$500,000
o Over $500,000
o Don’t know
Feedback: Several people said this question isn’t clear and it’s also hard to answer.
For one, they didn’t like the term “in‐kind payments.” No one was able to answer
this question with ease, since either they didn’t understand it or the information
wasn’t readily available.
Recommended Action: If this question is important to keep, we need to somehow
revise the language. A possible revision is to break it into two parts and eliminate
the confusing terminology: When the festival was held most recently, did the
festival provide lodging, food, or travel to any artists free of charge? If yes, what was
the approximate value?
Silber & Associates 25 Pre‐Test Report 10/14/08
Q30. From which of the following sources, if any, does your festival receive funds?
Check all that apply.
None. The festival has not received any sponsorship money or donations.
Corporate Sponsorship
Foundations
Local or Municipal Government
State Government
Regional Funders
Federal Government
Feedback: A few questioned the time frame we had in mind.
Recommended Action:
Change question to: During your most recent fiscal year, from which of the
following sources, if any, did your festival receive funds?
Silber & Associates 26 Pre‐Test Report 10/14/08
Q31. If your festival receives inkind donations, what kind(s) do you receive?
Check all that apply.
None. The festival has not received any in‐kind donations. (If this box is
checked, respondent can’t check other answers in the list)
Venue
Food
Hotel
Airfare
Transportation
Printing
Marketing/Advertisements
Production support
Security
Other: _____________________________
Feedback: People suggested these additions:
• Information technology services, such as website development
• Photography/documentation
• Office equipment
• Flowers/hospitality items
• Landscaping
Recommended Action:
• To make this question consistent with the preceding one, I think we should
change it to: If your festival received inkind donations during the most
recent fiscal year, what kind(s) did you receive?
• Add suggestions to list of response choices.
Silber & Associates 27 Pre‐Test Report 10/14/08
Q33. What is the total size of the organization? Include all parts of the
organization, not just the office or division in charge of the festival.
o 5 employees or less
o 6‐9 employees
o 10‐ 29 employees
o 30 ‐ 49 employees
o 50 ‐ 100 employees
o Over 100 employees
o Don’t know
Feedback: This question raised questions:
• Include volunteer staff?
• Include only year‐round employees?
• Contract staff?
Recommended Action:
Revise question to: How many FTEs (full‐time equivalents) does your organization
employ? [Most companies will base this on their most recent payroll.]
Q34. In a few words, please tell us about the reason the festival was founded or
your organization’s purpose for holding the festival. For instance, the purpose
might be to share a particular style of music with audiences, to raise funds for a
specific cause, or to improve cultural understanding or community relations. Please
do not provide your name or the name of your festival in your comment unless you
want to be identified.
Feedback: I asked what kind of comments people made and nearly everyone said
they put their festival’s mission statement here.
Recommended Action: If we want more than a list of official mission statements, we
need to revise the prompt. Do you want 2 open‐ended questions, one about the
mission statement and one about something else? Or do you want to ask people to
put into their own words the purpose of the festival, and specifically advise against
copying/pasting the mission statement?
Silber & Associates 28 Pre‐Test Report 10/14/08
| File Type | application/pdf |
| Author | Bohne Silber |
| File Modified | 2009-04-09 |
| File Created | 2009-04-09 |