TheySaid for Nonprofits: AI Conversational Surveys with Voice
Transform static surveys into dynamic conversations that uncover the 'why' behind every rating. TheySaid uses AI to ask intelligent follow-up questions, supports 2-way voice responses, and turns surface-level feedback into actionable insights in minutes, not hours.
What TheySaid Does
TheySaid replaces traditional survey tools with AI-powered conversational interviews that adapt to each respondent's answers. Instead of collecting static ratings and moving on, TheySaid's AI immediately asks why someone gave a low score, what specific issue they encountered, and what would have improved their experience.
For nonprofits, this solves a critical problem. When a volunteer rates their experience as 3 out of 10 on a traditional survey, you get a data point. When they rate it 3 out of 10 on TheySaid, the AI conversation uncovers that the orientation was too long, the check-in process was confusing, and they would have preferred more hands-on training. You get actionable insights that actually improve your programs.
The platform includes four collection modes (conversations, forms, user tests, polls), full voice support where respondents can speak their answers while the AI reads questions aloud, and AI-powered analysis that generates strategic recommendations from qualitative responses. Whether you're gathering donor feedback, measuring program impact, conducting volunteer satisfaction surveys, or testing new campaign concepts, TheySaid turns feedback collection from a data-gathering chore into an insight-generating conversation.
Best For
Organization Size
- Small to midsize nonprofits (the free plan supports 50 monthly responses)
- Growing organizations needing deeper feedback without hiring researchers
- Teams collecting regular feedback from beneficiaries, volunteers, or donors
Primary Use Cases
- Program evaluation and beneficiary feedback
- Volunteer satisfaction and retention surveys
- Donor experience and campaign testing
- Event feedback and post-training assessments
Ideal Team Roles
- Program directors measuring impact
- Development teams gathering donor insights
- Volunteer coordinators improving retention
- Executive directors making data-informed decisions
Not Ideal For
- Very large-scale surveys (1000+ monthly responses require Team plan at $499+/month)
- Organizations needing advanced statistical analysis tools built-in
- Teams wanting extensive white-labeling and branding customization
Key Features for Nonprofits
AI Follow-Up Questions
Transform surface-level ratings into root-cause insights
When someone rates their volunteer experience low, traditional surveys capture the score and move on. TheySaid's AI immediately asks why, which specific step caused frustration, and what would have helped. This turns a 2 out of 10 rating into a specific action plan: shorten orientation from 90 to 45 minutes, create clearer check-in signage, and add hands-on training in the first hour.
The AI adapts its follow-up questions based on responses, sentiment, and context, conducting hundreds of personalized interviews at scale without requiring manual analysis or interpretation.
2-Way Voice Support
Speak your answers while AI reads questions aloud
Voice capabilities make surveys accessible for beneficiaries with vision impairments, typing difficulties, or those who prefer verbal communication. The AI reads each question aloud, and respondents can speak their answers naturally, just like a phone conversation.
This is particularly valuable for nonprofits serving diverse communities, elderly populations, or anyone who finds typing cumbersome. Voice responses are automatically transcribed and analyzed alongside text responses, requiring no additional manual work.
AI Survey Generation in Under 5 Minutes
Create complete surveys instantly from learning goals
Traditional survey creation takes 30-60 minutes of manual work. TheySaid's AI generates complete surveys, including questions, follow-up logic, and analysis frameworks, in under 5 minutes. Simply describe what you want to learn (e.g., "understand why volunteers aren't returning after their first event"), and the AI creates a relevant conversational interview.
This dramatically reduces the barrier to gathering feedback. When you can create a survey in 5 minutes instead of an hour, you're more likely to actually collect the feedback you need to improve programs.
AI Insights 2.0 with Strategic Recommendations
Automated analysis generates actionable recommendations
TheySaid's "Ask AI" feature analyzes hundreds of qualitative responses and generates strategic recommendations, sentiment analysis, and key themes. Instead of manually reading through 200 volunteer feedback responses, the AI identifies patterns, flags critical issues, and suggests specific improvements.
The analysis includes improved filtering by sentiment, demographics, or custom criteria, allowing you to quickly identify what different groups are saying and prioritize which issues to address first.
Four Collection Modes in One Platform
Conversations, forms, user tests, and polls unified
TheySaid 3.0 consolidates four different feedback collection methods into one platform. Use conversational surveys for in-depth interviews, traditional forms for quick data collection, user tests with video recordings for program or website testing, and polls for rapid sentiment checks.
This eliminates the need for multiple tools. Whether you're conducting a comprehensive program evaluation (conversation mode), gathering event registrations (form mode), testing a new website design (user test mode), or checking donor sentiment on a proposed campaign (poll mode), you use the same interface and analysis tools.
Seamless CRM and Workflow Integrations
Route insights directly to HubSpot, Salesforce, Slack, and more
Feedback only matters if it reaches the people who can act on it. TheySaid automatically sends insights to your CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce), communication tools (Slack), support systems (Zendesk), or project management platforms through direct integrations and an Open API.
For example, negative volunteer feedback can automatically create a Slack alert for your volunteer coordinator, positive donor feedback can update contact records in your CRM, and program improvement suggestions can create tasks in your project management system, all without manual data entry.
Real-World Nonprofit Scenario
Volunteer Retention Challenge
How a nonprofit used TheySaid to uncover why 60% of first-time volunteers never returned
The Problem
A community food bank had 60% of first-time volunteers never return after their initial shift. Traditional post-event surveys collected ratings (average: 6.5 out of 10) but didn't reveal why people weren't coming back. The volunteer coordinator spent hours manually calling people, with limited response rates and vague feedback like "it was fine" or "just busy."
The TheySaid Approach
They replaced their static survey with a TheySaid conversational interview sent via email within 24 hours of each volunteer shift. When volunteers gave ratings, the AI immediately asked follow-up questions:
- Rating: 5 out of 10 → "What specifically made it a 5 rather than higher?"
- Response: "The orientation was too long" → "How long was ideal? What should we cut?"
- Response: "I felt overwhelmed sorting so many items" → "Would smaller batches help? More guidance?"
The Insights
Within two weeks and 50 responses, TheySaid's AI analysis identified three critical issues:
- The 60-minute orientation covered too much. Volunteers wanted 15 minutes of essentials, then learn-by-doing.
- First-timers felt isolated when paired with experienced volunteers who worked quickly without explaining.
- The "impact story" at the end felt performative. People wanted to see real data on what their 3 hours accomplished.
The Changes
Based on TheySaid insights, they implemented three changes:
- Cut orientation to 15 minutes covering safety and logistics. Added 5-minute station-specific training before each task.
- Created a "buddy system" pairing first-timers with trained volunteers specifically chosen for their coaching skills.
- Replaced the generic "thank you" with specific metrics: "Your 3 hours sorted 450 pounds of food, which provided 360 meals to 45 families this week."
The Results
Within two months, first-time volunteer retention increased from 40% to 72%. The volunteer coordinator reported saving 6 hours per week previously spent on phone follow-ups. TheySaid's automated insights meant they could identify and address issues immediately rather than waiting for quarterly manual analysis.
Pricing
Free Plan$0
For small-scale feedback collection
- 1 active AI project
- 50 monthly responses
- 1 seat license
- AI conversational surveys
- Basic AI Insights
Essential Plan$49/mo
For regular feedback collection
- 1 active AI project
- 250 monthly responses
- 1 seat license
- All Free features
- Enhanced AI analysis
Pro Plan$149/mo
For teams running multiple surveys
- 2 active AI projects
- 1,000 monthly responses
- 5 seat licenses
- All Essential features
- Advanced AI Insights 2.0
- Priority support
Team Plan$499+/mo
For organizations at scale
- More active AI projects
- Unlimited monthly responses
- Multi-team management
- All Pro features
- Custom workflows and integrations
- Dedicated account manager
Free Trial & Money-Back Guarantee
Free Plan: Start immediately with 50 monthly responses and 1 active project. No credit card required. Use indefinitely to test the platform.
Paid Plans: All paid plans typically include trial periods. Check the website for current trial offers and terms.
TheySaid's pricing is based on monthly responses rather than contact database size, making it cost-effective for nonprofits that conduct regular but not massive surveys. The Free plan works well for monthly volunteer surveys or quarterly program feedback, while the Essential plan ($49/month) handles weekly feedback collection across multiple programs.
Note: Prices may be outdated or inaccurate.
Nonprofit Discount Available
Special pricing for mission-driven organizations
TheySaid offers special pricing for nonprofit, educational, and government organizations. While the free plan is available to everyone and works well for small-scale feedback collection, nonprofits looking for paid plans should contact TheySaid directly to inquire about nonprofit discounts.
How to Access Nonprofit Pricing:
- Visit TheySaid.io and click "Contact Sales" or "Request a Demo"
- Identify your organization as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, educational institution, or government entity
- Be prepared to provide proof of nonprofit status (IRS determination letter or equivalent)
- Discuss your use case and monthly response volume to determine the best plan
TheySaid's website confirms special pricing is available but requires direct contact for specific discount percentages and terms. This ensures each nonprofit gets pricing tailored to their actual needs and response volume.
Learning Curve
Beginner-Friendly
Most users productive within 30 minutes
Initial Setup: 15-30 minutes
Creating your first survey with TheySaid is significantly faster than traditional tools because the AI does most of the work. You describe what you want to learn (e.g., "understand why volunteers aren't returning"), review the AI-generated questions, make any adjustments, and publish. The interface is minimal and intuitive, similar to composing an email.
Most users spend more time thinking about what feedback they actually need than learning how to use the platform.
Advanced Features: 1-2 hours
Learning conditional logic (different question paths based on responses), setting up CRM integrations, and customizing the AI analysis takes 1-2 hours of exploration. TheySaid provides documentation and examples, but the platform is designed to be self-explanatory.
Voice features require no additional learning: respondents simply click the microphone icon and speak. The AI handles transcription automatically.
Mastery: Ongoing (mostly prompt refinement)
Getting better at TheySaid is less about learning software features and more about improving your "prompts" to the AI when creating surveys. As you use the platform, you learn to give more specific instructions (e.g., "focus on operational issues, not emotional responses" or "prioritize suggestions for immediate improvements").
Users report that their surveys get better over time as they learn what types of questions generate the most actionable insights, but this is strategic thinking rather than technical learning.
Support Resources
- Documentation and knowledge base at TheySaid.io
- Email support (response times vary by plan)
- Priority support on Pro and Team plans
- In-platform guidance and tooltips
Integration & Compatibility
CRM & Database Platforms
- HubSpot
- Salesforce
- Zendesk
- Workday
Communication & Collaboration
- Slack (automated alerts and reports)
- Email (survey distribution and notifications)
Custom Integrations
TheySaid offers an Open API for custom workflows, allowing you to connect feedback data to virtually any system your nonprofit uses. This is particularly valuable for nonprofits with unique tech stacks or custom-built donor/volunteer management systems.
Common custom integrations include routing feedback to project management tools (Asana, Monday.com, Trello), updating custom dashboards, triggering automated follow-up workflows, and syncing with specialized nonprofit platforms not covered by pre-built integrations.
Platform Access & Compatibility
- Web-based: Works in any modern browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) with no installation required
- Mobile-responsive: Respondents can complete surveys on smartphones and tablets
- Voice support: Works on devices with microphones (desktop, laptop, mobile) for voice responses
- Accessibility: Voice features support users with vision impairments or typing difficulties
Data Portability
TheySaid allows you to export your feedback data in standard formats (CSV, Excel) for analysis in other tools or backup purposes. The AI-generated insights and summaries are also exportable, ensuring you're not locked into the platform if your needs change.
This is important for nonprofits that may need to share data with board members, grant funders, or external evaluators who don't have TheySaid access.
Honest Pros & Cons
Strengths
- Conversational AI uncovers root causes: Unlike static surveys that collect ratings without context, TheySaid's follow-up questions turn a "3 out of 10" into specific, actionable feedback about what went wrong and how to fix it.
- Dramatically faster survey creation: AI-generated surveys in under 5 minutes versus 20-60 minutes with traditional tools means you're more likely to actually collect the feedback you need.
- Voice support improves accessibility: 2-way voice makes surveys accessible to diverse populations, elderly respondents, and anyone who finds typing cumbersome.
- AI analysis saves hours of manual work: Automatically identifies patterns, sentiment, and recommendations from hundreds of qualitative responses instead of requiring manual coding and analysis.
- Strong free tier: 50 monthly responses works for many small nonprofit use cases (monthly volunteer surveys, quarterly program feedback).
- Seamless integrations route insights to action: Automatically send feedback to Slack, CRM, or project management tools so the right people see issues immediately.
Limitations
- Response limits may require paid plans: The free plan's 50 monthly responses works for small-scale feedback but not weekly surveys across multiple programs. Essential plan ($49/month) supports 250 responses, Pro ($149/month) supports 1,000.
- Limited advanced statistical tools: TheySaid focuses on qualitative insights and AI-generated recommendations rather than complex statistical analysis. If you need regression analysis, factor analysis, or advanced quantitative methods, you'll need to export data to statistical software.
- HIPAA compliance pending: Expected February 2026. If you need to collect health-related information before then, TheySaid may not be appropriate without confirming compliance status.
- Nonprofit discount requires direct contact: Unlike some platforms with self-service nonprofit pricing, you need to contact sales to access nonprofit discounts, adding a step to the signup process.
- Relatively new platform: While established enough to be viable, TheySaid doesn't have the decades-long track record of SurveyMonkey or Typeform. Documentation and community resources are still growing.
- White-labeling limited: Customization and branding options are more limited than enterprise survey tools. If you need extensive visual customization, check what's available on your plan tier.
Alternatives to Consider
Typeform
Beautiful, conversational forms with excellent design
Best for: Nonprofits prioritizing visual design and brand consistency over AI-powered follow-up questions. Typeform excels at creating beautiful, one-question-at-a-time surveys that feel conversational, but questions are pre-programmed rather than dynamically generated by AI.
Key differences: Typeform focuses on form aesthetics and user experience design (conditional logic, custom themes, animations), while TheySaid focuses on AI-driven insights and follow-up questioning. Typeform surveys take 20-45 minutes to create with templates; TheySaid takes under 5 minutes with AI generation.
Pricing: Free plan (10 responses/month), Basic ($29/month), Plus ($59/month), Business ($99/month). 50% nonprofit discount available. Typeform's free plan is more limited than TheySaid's (10 vs. 50 monthly responses).
SurveyMonkey
Established survey platform with advanced statistical analysis
Best for: Organizations needing robust statistical analysis tools, extensive question libraries, and a platform with a long track record. SurveyMonkey offers cross-tabulation, filters, and analytical widgets that TheySaid doesn't provide.
Key differences: SurveyMonkey is comprehensive but traditional (static questions, manual analysis), while TheySaid is AI-native (dynamic follow-ups, automated insights). SurveyMonkey requires 30-60 minutes of manual survey creation; TheySaid generates surveys in under 5 minutes.
Pricing: Free plan (10 questions, 40 responses), Individual Advantage ($34/month), Team Advantage ($30/month per user, 3-user minimum). Nonprofit discounts available through TechSoup. SurveyMonkey costs more for comparable response volumes.
Jotform
Versatile form builder with 10,000+ templates and 50% nonprofit discount
Best for: Nonprofits needing flexible forms for registration, applications, and payments in addition to surveys. Jotform is a general-purpose form builder rather than a specialized feedback platform, offering extensive integration options and 24/7 AI Agents for customer support.
Key differences: Jotform is broader (forms, payments, workflows) but not specialized in conversational feedback collection. TheySaid focuses exclusively on AI-powered surveys and interviews with voice support and intelligent follow-up questions that Jotform doesn't offer.
Pricing: Free plan (5 forms, 100 monthly submissions), Bronze ($39/month), Silver ($49/month), Gold ($129/month). 50% nonprofit discount brings Silver to $24.50/month (1,000 submissions), competitive with TheySaid's Essential plan but without AI conversational capabilities.
Which Tool is Right for Your Nonprofit?
- Choose TheySaid if: You want to understand the "why" behind responses, need faster survey creation with AI, or want voice accessibility features. Best for qualitative insights and root-cause analysis.
- Choose Typeform if: Visual design and brand consistency are priorities, you want a polished user experience for donors/supporters, or you need time to craft perfect question flows manually.
- Choose SurveyMonkey if: You need advanced statistical analysis, want extensive question libraries and templates, or require a well-established platform with comprehensive reporting.
- Choose Jotform if: You need forms for multiple purposes (registration, payments, applications) beyond just surveys, want 10,000+ templates, or need a versatile general-purpose form builder with strong nonprofit discounts.
Getting Started with TheySaid
1Sign Up and Explore the Free Plan
Start with TheySaid's free plan (no credit card required) to test the platform with 50 monthly responses. Visit TheySaid.io, click "Sign Up," and create an account with your work email.
Take 10 minutes to explore the four collection modes (conversations, forms, user tests, polls) and familiarize yourself with the interface before creating your first survey.
2Create Your First AI-Generated Survey
Click "Create New Project" and choose "Conversation" mode. Instead of manually writing questions, describe your learning goal to the AI. Examples:
- "Understand why volunteers aren't returning after their first event"
- "Measure donor satisfaction with our annual report"
- "Identify barriers preventing beneficiaries from accessing our services"
The AI generates relevant questions, follow-up logic, and an analysis framework in under 5 minutes. Review the suggested questions, adjust if needed, and publish.
3Distribute Your Survey and Enable Voice
Copy your survey link and share it via email, text message, social media, or embed it on your website. TheySaid provides a unique URL for each survey that works on desktop and mobile devices.
Enable 2-way voice support in your survey settings if you want respondents to be able to speak their answers. This improves accessibility and is particularly valuable for populations who may have difficulty typing (elderly, vision-impaired, mobile users on-the-go).
Pro tip: Send surveys within 24-48 hours of the experience you're asking about (event, program session, volunteer shift) while details are fresh in people's minds. Response rates drop significantly after 72 hours.
4Review AI Insights and Take Action
As responses come in, TheySaid's AI analyzes them in real-time. Click "AI Insights" to see:
- Key themes: What topics appear most frequently in responses
- Sentiment analysis: Overall positive/negative/neutral breakdown
- Strategic recommendations: Specific suggestions for improvement
- Root causes: Why people gave low ratings and what would have helped
Use the filtering tools to segment insights by demographics, sentiment, or response patterns. Export key findings to share with your team, board, or funders. If you've set up integrations, relevant insights automatically route to Slack, your CRM, or project management tools.
Most importantly: Act on what you learn. Share insights with the relevant staff members, create action plans to address recurring issues, and follow up with respondents when you make changes based on their feedback. This builds trust and increases future response rates.
Ready to Upgrade?
If you exceed 50 monthly responses or need multiple active projects, consider upgrading to the Essential ($49/month for 250 responses) or Pro plan ($149/month for 1,000 responses). Contact TheySaid about nonprofit discounts before upgrading.
For organizations collecting feedback at scale (1,000+ monthly responses across multiple programs), the Team plan ($499+/month) provides unlimited responses, multi-team management, and a dedicated account manager to help optimize your feedback strategy.
Need Help Implementing AI-Powered Feedback Systems?
We help nonprofits design feedback strategies that actually improve programs
TheySaid is powerful, but the right questions matter more than the right tool. If you're struggling to design surveys that uncover actionable insights, want help interpreting qualitative feedback, or need a comprehensive evaluation strategy that goes beyond surveys, we can help.
One Hundred Nights specializes in helping nonprofits use AI tools strategically, not just technically. We work with you to identify what you actually need to learn, design feedback systems that generate actionable insights, and build data-informed improvement processes into your operations.