Frequently Asked Questions

The Colorado Nonprofit Research Panel (CONOREP) is an opt-in survey research panel of 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in Colorado. CONOREP’s goal is to collect insights from nonprofit leaders and create and disseminate knowledge that enriches our shared understanding of Colorado's nonprofit sector, guiding both decision-making and policy-making regarding the sector. 

The CONOREP Research Team is composed of researchers from the University of Colorado Denver School of Public Affairs. You can learn more about the Research Team here, and you can contact the Research Team at conorep@ucdenver.edu. 

An opt-in research panel is a group of people who have agreed (opted in) to participate in research activities on a regular, ongoing basis. The strength of this approach from a research perspective is that by being in touch with the same people over time, researchers can gain a more nuanced understanding of the context in which participants operate and identify longer-term trends than would be visible via one-time contact with a research participant.

As the leader of a nonprofit organization, you know that the nonprofit sector plays a critical role in our communities, providing crucial services, bringing people together, and helping to build a better future. Regardless of that important  role, however, the nonprofit sector is understudied and less well-understood than other sectors of the economy. As a participant in CONOREP, your insights will help create knowledge that enriches our shared understanding of the nonprofit sector, facilitating better-informed decision-making and policy-making. As a panelist, you will enjoy advanced access to survey findings about trends and developments in the sector, information you can use to inform your organizational decision-making. In addition, the CONOREP Research Team will ensure that you have free access to all reports and journal articles that feature survey findings.

Participation in the panel is open to executive leaders (e.g., Executive Director, CEO, or President) of  501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in the state of Colorado. Beginning in April 2024, nonprofit organizations whose leaders’ contact information is publicly available will receive an email invitation to participate. Invited leaders can opt into the panel by accepting the invitation and completing the subsequent surveys. An invitation is Not required to participate. If you are interested in participating, you can check out our inclusion criteria and join here.

Yes! Although we encourage executive directors or others in an equivalent position to complete the survey to maintain consistency in the data collection process, a senior staff member or middle manager may participate in surveys on behalf of your organization if the executive director (or equivalent) is unavailable.

You will receive invitations to complete a survey on behalf of your organization 1-2 times per year. We know that your time is valuable, and therefore, the CONOREP Research Team makes it a priority to create high value surveys and deliver them to you as efficiently as possible. You always have the right to choose not to participate in a survey. If you have questions about the frequency with which you receive surveys, please email the Research Team at conorep@ucdenver.edu.

The CONOREP project is focused on understanding issues that are relevant and important to nonprofit organizations working in Colorado today. The survey themes will vary but our first survey will look at organizational resilience. The surveys are always for research purposes. We will never send you marketing communications or emails.

No, but they are confidential. One of the strengths of panel data is that it helps researchers understand how an individual organization may change over time or how the environment in which they operate might change over time. Because of that, the surveys are not anonymous; however, in accordance with the University of Colorado Denver’s research guidelines, CONOREP follows a strict protocol that safeguards the privacy of personal/organizational data shared by our panelists. No organization or participant’s name or identifying information will be included in publications or other presentations of the data. All survey results will be aggregated into summaries that do not contain any individual or organization information. If you have any questions about CONOREP’s confidentiality practices, please contact the Research Team at conorep@ucdenver.edu. If you have questions about your rights as a research participant or concerns about research practices, contact the Colorado Multiple Institutional Review Board (COMIRB) at 303-724-1055 or by e-mail at COMIRB@cuanschutz.edu.

Survey answers and participant data are confidential and available only to the CONOREP Research Team. When studies are published using data from the panel surveys, results will be published in aggregate. No individual organization or individual’s information will be shared outside of the Research Team. 

If you received an invitation to participate and do not wish to join the panel, simply reply to the survey invitation and include “opt-out” in the subject line. Alternately, you can opt out at any time by sending an email to conorep@ucdenver.edu. 

Individual nonprofit leaders participate in CONOREP on behalf of their organization. Therefore, your organization may continue to participate in the Panel after you leave. Simply email conorep@ucdenver.edu to alert us of the upcoming change and provide a new contact for the organization. If you are moving to an organization that is not participating in CONOREP but would like to, please contact us via email to add your new organization to the panel.