Why should you think about needs assessments?

This is Part 1 of Needs Assessment Whitepaper series.

What is a Needs Assessment?

A needs assessment is the active systematic step of gathering accurate information that represents the needs and assets of a particular community or target group.  

• A “need” is the gap between “what is” and “what should be”
• A “target group” are specific groups in a system for whom the system exists (ex. parents, students, etc.)
• An “asset” is something that can be used to improve the quality of life
• A “system” is a set of regularly interacting and interdependent elements that form a unified whole and organized for a common purpose

Needs assessment findings are used to define the extent of the need within a community and the assets that are available to address the needs within that same community.  

Organizations can only make the most effective, appropriate, and timely programs and services by knowing these elements. 

The assessment of these needs are usually conducted as part of a strategic planning process, where programs or services are being conceptualized, developed, or revamped.  Characteristics of a needs assessment include:

• Starts with a situation analysis
• Focuses on the ends (outcomes) versus the means (process)
• Gathers data through established procedures and methods selected for specific purposes
• Identifies priorities and determines criteria for solutions
• Identifies essential resources within your organization
• Identifies essential resources your organization needs to acquire
• Determines how to use, develop, or acquire those resources
• Leads to actions that will improve programs, services, operations, and organizations
• Integrates qualitative (ex. focus groups and interviews) and quantitative (ex. surveys) methods

Needs assessments can be used in many different areas including:

• Education & Curriculum Development
• Public Health
• Training
• Community

Given the focus on nonprofit work, we will focus on the community needs assessment.  Needs assessments generally focus on one of three areas:

• Evaluating the strengths and weaknesses within a community and creating or improving services based on the identified weaknesses. Organizing this type of needs assessment is primarily structured around how to best obtain information, opinions, and input from the community and then what to do with that information.
• Addressing a known problem or potential problem facing the community. It centers less on direct involvement with the community and more with the governing bodies, stakeholders, businesses, etc. that will potentially be affected.
• Improving efficiency and effectiveness within an organization (organizational-focused).

Why are Needs Assessments important?

Communities and organizations, like living organisms, are in a continual state of change. Political, economic, and social variables brings shifts in the demographics (ex. age, ethnicity, unemployment rate, etc.) of each community.  Programs and services that were created for a community or particular audience years ago may not be what is needed (or wanted) at present.  

As a nonprofit, if your purpose is to serve the community, then…

You need to stay informed about the change that’s occurring within your community.

When your nonprofit takes an active role in understanding the community, a natural by-product may be exactly what it takes to get your program and service going.  By interacting with the communities in which you serve and utilizing their input and feedback in your planning, you are increasing their understanding of their needs (their gaps), why they exist, and why the gaps must be addressed.  And, when people are involved in the process from the ground-up, they are more likely to pursue the programs and services that are being developed and less likely to resist change.  Addressing their desires and concerns head-on can build a sense of ownership in the community.  Understanding why services or programs are being offered empowers community members to utilize them.

Bottom line, needs assessments are used to guide decision-making by providing a justification for why your programs and services are needed.

Who is involved?

Needs assessments should involve multiple people in each step of the process.  They can be conducted:

• By a single organization, or
• Through a collaboration of community partners (such as other nonprofits, community organizations, foundations, universities, or government entities)

There is always a needs assessment committee or management team that manages the needs assessment process; this team and its responsibilities are discussed in the next whitepaper entitled, “How do you conduct a needs assessment?”

What does the process look like?

There are essentially three steps in conducting a needs assessment:

The next whitepaper lays out the steps in detail, but for now, consider the initial steps below.

What do you do now?

1. Consider whether your organization is serious about program efficacy, or will you continue to do what you do because that is what you are known for or that is simply what is board directed. In some cases, your hands are simply tied.
2. If you are serious about it, is your board, leadership, and management willing to undertake the time and provide the resources required to conduct a needs assessment?
3. Similarly, consider whether after having done a needs assessment if your nonprofit is flexible or adaptable enough to make the necessary changes. If not, think about the steps you will need to take to prepare your organization for change (change will never be easy, but there may be things you can do to convince or, better yet, demonstrate the need – perhaps present case studies of other similar nonprofits).
4. Consider whether your organization will move forward alone or with a partnership for the assessment.
5. From your organization, begin thinking about who would participate on the needs assessment committee to gather data, brainstorm ideas, and prioritize decision-making; this group should be utilized at every point in the needs assessment as a method of accountability. Suggestions for who should be on this committee are presented before the Sources page in this document.

Committing to a needs assessment to maintain your relevance within a community is, for many, a tough pill to swallow.  It may mean having to reformat programs, products, or locations in order to be the most effective with the resources you have. But, if community change and social impact are your goals, you most certainly need to make sure you are needed.

Considerations for the Needs Assessment Committee (NAC)

• Members should include a cross section of stakeholders, clientele, and partners
• Avoid very strong personalities or excessive talkers; set boundaries and rules that prohibit someone from dominating the discussion (ensure these rules are clearly articulated at the first meeting)
• Consider prior history if there are groups or committees that have been included before and should remain connected
• Make deliberate choices, don’t pick a random group of people because they have the time to serve
• One member should have data analysis skills if the needs assessment leader does not
• Members should include power brokers and coalition makers
• Members should include stakeholders with vested interests in the outcomes of the study; create structures of accountability to ensure an objective account of community needs
• Ensure that the NAC has access to decision-makers (leaders) and can influence decisions
• Ideally have fewer than 10 people in the NAC, but if larger, divide the NAC into sub‐committees  

     Source: Oregon State University’s Needs Assessment Primer and Strengthening Nonprofit’s Conducting a Community Assessment

Sources

From ‘Community Needs Assessments,’ Learning to Give, URL: https://www.learningtogive.org/resources/community-needs-assessments

From ‘Comprehensive Needs Assessment,’ US Office of Migrant Education, URL: https://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/compneedsassessment.pdf

From ‘Conducting a Community Assessment,’ Strengthening Nonprofits: A Capacity Builder’s Resource Library, URL: http://strengtheningnonprofits.org/resources/guidebooks/Community_Assessment.pdf