United Way of Galveston and United Way of Greater Houston Host Coffee & Quality Session on Creating Surveys That Measure What Matters

Coffee & Quality Galveston is underway, with multiple opportunities for local organizations to learn, connect, and strengthen how they use data, feedback, and evaluation in their work.

On Thursday, June 11, United Way of Galveston hosted Creating & Using Surveys to Measure What Matters, a Coffee & Quality Galveston Lunch & Learn presented by the United Way of Greater Houston Coffee & Quality Team. The session brought together nonprofit, education, health, faith-based, philanthropic, and community-serving partners for a practical conversation about how organizations can ask stronger questions, collect more useful feedback, and use what they learn to strengthen programs and services.

The session began with a simple question: “Do you like taking surveys?” Most participants answered, “It depends.” That response captured the heart of the conversation. Surveys are most useful when they are clear, purposeful, respectful of people’s time, and connected to decisions organizations are actually prepared to make.

United Way of Galveston is especially grateful to Jessica Davison, Allison Mattingly, and Kristen Wallace of United Way of Greater Houston for sharing their time, expertise, and practical guidance with Galveston-area partners. Their work through Coffee & Quality helps organizations think more clearly about what they measure, why it matters, and how learning can support stronger decisions.

Coffee & Quality Galveston Is Underway

The June 11 Lunch & Learn was one part of a broader Coffee & Quality Galveston effort.

The first Coffee & Quality Galveston Fellows Program cohort is nearing its third session, bringing participating organizations together for a deeper learning experience focused on evaluation, measurement, and continuous improvement. The Lunch & Learn series is a separate Coffee & Quality Galveston opportunity, designed to make practical learning available to a broader group of Galveston-area nonprofit and community partners.

Coffee & Quality Galveston also includes quarterly online learning opportunities and access to an asynchronous resource library, creating multiple entry points for organizations with different schedules, needs, and levels of readiness.

Together, these opportunities support a shared goal: helping local organizations use information more effectively, not just for reporting, but for learning, decision-making, and stronger community impact.

Participating Organizations

United Way of Galveston is grateful to the organizations that made time to be part of the June 11 conversation:

Continue Connecting

United Way of Galveston will continue creating opportunities for local nonprofit, faith-based, and community-serving organizations to learn together, build relationships, and coordinate around shared community needs.

Register for the July Lunch & Learn with the American Red Cross Texas Gulf Coast Region
Join us for a conversation about Red Cross programs and services available in Galveston, with time to connect with other local nonprofit leaders.

Register for the June 18 Galveston Nonprofit and Faith Community Disaster Preparedness Roundtable
Nonprofit, faith-based, and community-serving organizations are invited to join a focused conversation about how Galveston partners can communicate, coordinate, and better understand local resources before the next disaster or extreme weather event.

Join the Galveston Disaster Response Network
Nonprofit, faith-based, and community-serving organizations are invited to register for the Galveston Disaster Response Network so partners can stay connected, share timely information, and coordinate support before, during, and after disasters or extreme weather events.

Suggest a future Lunch & Learn topic
United Way of Galveston wants future professional development opportunities to reflect what local organizations need. Share a topic you would like to see covered in a future Lunch & Learn by emailing us.