Butler County Preparing for Phone Survey

JournalNews :: 5.1.05 — Don’t hang up. That’s what officials from the Butler County United Way are asking residents as they prepare to conduct a phone survey.

The 20-minute phone survey is needed to find out what’s important to Butler County residents. About 500 residents will receive a call randomly in the coming weeks as part of a community assessment from the Butler County United Way.

“Our goal is so that we can identify a strategy to make a real difference in the community,” said Michelle Eversole, civic engagement and research representative for the Butler County United Way. “It’s not just useful for the United Way but for other agencies in the county to tackle some of these issues.”

The goal of the study is to learn about the issues that residents face within the county.

Officials reassure residents that responses from the survey, conducted by John Foxx Marketing, will be kept confidential and there will be no solicitations for donations.

United Way officials hosted a phone survey in January 2002. During that time, officials learned that 77 percent of respondents expressed concerns of family issues about their well-being, financial woes, health, crime, safety and education.

Results from the previous survey helped United Way officials establish community impact areas and assessments to fulfill those concerns.

What makes this phone survey different from the written one, distributed by the JournalNews last fall, is this survey reaches outside Butler County United Way’s service area. The agency serves Hamilton, Fairfield and West Chester, Ross, Morgan, Liberty, St. Clair and Fairfield townships.

Other nonprofit and social service agencies have contributed to the phone survey. Results will be released at the end of June.

“We’re hoping to go at this with a clean slate,” Eversole said. “We’re making sure we’re being good stewards (of the donations we receive.)”