Data Collection of Women's Business Center Clients

Supporting Statement for Collecting Data on Women’s Business Center Program Participants

(OMB Control Number: XXX)

Appendix VII. Pre-notification E-mail from Selected Centers

Dear [insert client name]:

Thank you for your visit to [insert WBC name]. We hope you received the business assistance you sought.

[insert WBC name] is a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and together we are striving to improve our programs and deliver meaningful assistance. We want to know if our programs and services are helping entrepreneurs and the broader economy by providing useful information about starting and managing businesses and by eventually helping businesses grow. Consequently, we periodically conduct surveys of clients to determine customer satisfaction and the impact of our services.

To create minimal interruption to [insert WBC name] clients, the researchers conducting the survey will randomly select a group of clients to complete a brief online survey regarding business assistance received during 2012. If you are selected to participate, your response to the survey will help obtain the best feedback possible and to ensure the validity of the study.

Those clients who are selected at random to participate will receive an e-mail invitation from SBA’s contractor, Optimal Solutions Group, LLC. Respondents will have from [DATE] through [DATE] to complete the survey. All responses to the online questionnaire are voluntary. The data will be held in strict confidence and reported only in the aggregate to our center in a public report, without identifying any individual respondent.

Thank you again for using [insert WBC name] and for completing the survey if you are selected. Your help in making our study and program a success is greatly appreciated.

Thank You,

[insert WBC name]

1