Find out what's required of your organization to participate in the 100 Best survey.

Eligibility and participation requirements

• Survey is open to any not-for-profit government agencies, associations, hospitals and health plans, credit unions, and 501(c)-type organizations.
  
• There is no cost to participate in the survey or appear in the 100 Best Nonprofits list.
  
• Participating organizations and agencies may be headquartered anywhere.
• The project consists of two online surveys:
  
  1. An anonymous employee survey. View the employee survey questions
  2. A confidential employer survey of benefits and workplace practices. View the employer benefits survey questions
• Participating organizations must employ a minimum of 10 permanent paid, full- or part-time, Oregon-based employees.
• A minimum of 10 employees or 20% of eligible workforce, whichever is greater, must complete the employee survey.
• Volunteers, board members and contract/temporary or out-of-state employees may not take survey.
• The employee survey measures satisfaction and importance of 60 workplace qualities in six categories: benefits and compensation; work environment; decision-making and trust; performance management; career development and learning; and sustainable practices.
• The employee survey will be available in Spanish and as mail-in hard copy (more than 100 hard-copy surveys incurs a data-entry fee).
• A management representative, familiar with organization’s benefits and practices, must complete the employer survey.
• The employer survey includes 50 questions covering a comprehensive set of benefits and workplace practices.
• The surveys are designed and reviewed by independent, objective third-party research firm Davis, Hibbitts & Midghall, Oregon Business’ research partner, to score and rank the winning 100 nonprofits.
• Nonprofits are scored and ranked as follows:
  
  • The Employee Survey (excluding Sustainable Practices, see below), counts for 5/6 of a nonprofit’s overall score.
  • The Employer Survey of Benefits (also excluding Sustainable Practices, see below), counts for the remaining 1/6 of the score.
• Qualifying 100 Best Nonprofit participants will automatically be considered for our 100 Best Green Companies to Work For in Oregon list, published in June 2011, based on answers to the Sustainable Practices sections of the employee and employer surveys.

• APRIL 19 TO JUNE 11 (EXTENDED): Nonprofits register online for the survey at Oregon100Best.com.
  
  • Information needed: Organization address and contact person, Oregon senior executive, number of paid employees in Oregon/worldwide, number of volunteers in Oregon/worldwide, number of board members, type of organization, IRS tax code, description of services, annual budget.
• APRIL 19 TO JULY 2 (EXTENDED): Nonprofits invite their employees to participate in the anonymous online survey. Nonprofits are encouraged to compress the employee survey to a shorter time span.
• BY JUNE 11: Management representative on the nonprofit completes and returns the employer survey.
• JULY: Qualifying nonprofits are informed whether or not they are on the 100 Best list, and those participants may order a free overview of survey results, or a more detailed report for a fee.
• SEPTEMBER 29: The 100 Best Nonprofits are honored at a special event at the Hilton Portland & Executive Tower and featured in the October issue of Oregon Business.