Thanksgiving, November 23, 2017

To make sure local government is paying attention to the concerns of the people it serves, EvenBetterPlaces.org conducts online surveys – like the one we’re now running about high density residential and large store commercial development in Carroll County, Maryland.

Honestly, the issues we address are important enough to you, your family and community that you shouldn’t need any special incentive, no other reason to particulate, but then we understand that people are often too busy or may be reluctant to respond. It’s not surprising. We do, after all, live in a country with pathetically low election turnout rates.

What can we do to get response rates up? Well, we could pay you to respond. You may have, for example, received a survey in the mail including a dollar bill, thanking you in advance for filling out the questionnaire. Unfortunately, most people keep the dollar and toss the mailer, so that’s not something we can afford to do. But then the holiday, which reminds us of how much we have for which we should be thankful, has suggested another option.

Effective immediately, all our survey questionnaires will end with a question asking you to select your choice of five major charities to which we’ll contribute $1 when you respond. That’s $1 per response up to our target number of responses. Those charities are…

American Cancer Society

American Heart Association

Public Broadcasting Service

American Red Cross

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

For the survey about high density, “affordable” housing and “Big Box Store” commercial development, our target is 1000 respondents. So, if we get that many, we’ll be contributing a total of $1000 to the charities you choose to receive contributions – and that’s for just one of the many surveys we’ll be doing. (If you’ve already filled out the survey about high density residential and large store commercial development, don’t worry. We’ll divide your dollar among the five charities to which we’ll be making contributions.)

Will $1000 change the world? All things considered, it’s not all that much, but then it can’t hurt and it sends the right message.

Thank you for filling out our surveys and for letting your local government know what you think about important issues of concern to your family and community.

– EvenBetterPlaces.org

P.S.  Here’s the online notice that prospective respondents to the survey will see…,