# Collecting Stories Almost all investigations become particularly compelling when they have concrete protagonists – people whose experiences make a topic tangible. For example, someone reporting on the lack of affordable housing ideally needs a family who has experienced it firsthand. Surveys are a powerful tool for identifying such protagonists. They not only provide numerous leads and new research angles and can uncover local issues, but also give access to authentic stories. At the same time, a dedicated community can form around the topic. Unlike surveys for editorial priorities, these surveys are qualitatively focused. The goal is not the number of participants, but the relevance and quality of the stories submitted. Therefore, these surveys are usually conducted entirely with open text fields. It is always important for this type of survey to ask whether participants may be contacted for follow-up questions. The survey generally serves to identify initial leads and patterns, which can then be explored further in in-depth reporting. {% hint style="info" %} **Tip:** This type of survey can also be used as a follow-up survey or combined directly with a survey on editorial priorities. This way, you can first identify the specific questions readers have about a topic, and then determine which stories they have to share on that topic. {% endhint %} *** #### **RUMS survey on rents and housing in Münster** Rents and housing are a very pressing issue in Münster that concerns many residents. For this reason, RUMS conducted a survey titled *“What’s going on in Münster’s housing market?”* The goal was to collect research leads and stories that the outlet could report on. The survey was deliberately kept very simple and short, as it was initially intended to provide only preliminary insights. > * What have you experienced while searching for a home? What experiences have you had as a tenant or landlord? Can you give us any insights on specific topics? (open-ended) > * We guarantee your anonymity in our reporting. May we contact you for follow-up questions? If so, please provide your email address and/or phone number. Thank you! {% hint style="success" %} Here you can find the survey as a template for beabee:\ [Go to the beabee template](https://demo.beabee.io/crowdnewsroom/wohnen-und-mieten?lang=en) Are you a beabee user and want to use the template? Simply contact . If you don’t want to use beabee, you can recreate the survey in other tools. {% endhint %} *** #### **Spotlight Gelsenkirchen survey on the Sparkasse burglary** In Buer, Gelsenkirchen, a Sparkasse branch was burglarized and numerous safety deposit boxes were looted. Many people lost savings or personal valuables. However, public reporting was dominated mainly by rumors – for example, claims that the boxes primarily contained undeclared cash or even money linked to organized clan crime. [Spotlight Gelsenkirchen](https://gelsenkirchen.correctiv.org/home/) wanted to give the affected people a voice through a survey and make their personal stories visible. Here too, the survey was deliberately kept very simple and low-threshold: > * How were you affected by the Sparkasse burglary?\ > (I had a safety deposit box at the Sparkasse / A family member had a safety deposit box at the Sparkasse / I am a Sparkasse employee / Other) > > * Tell us your story about the Sparkasse burglary: (open text field) > > * Name (optional) > > * Email address (optional) > > * Phone number (optional) > > - [ ] A reporter may contact me {% hint style="success" %} Here you can find the survey for collecting stories as a template for beabee:\ [Go to the beabee template](https://demo.beabee.io/crowdnewsroom/teile-deine-geschichte-zu-dem-vorfall-mit-uns?lang=en) Are you a beabee user and want to use the template? Simply contact [support@beabee.io](mailto:beabee@support.io). If you don’t want to use beabee, you can recreate the survey in other tools. {% endhint %} ***

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