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What is a Needs Assessment?
- A Needs Assessment is a process to understand if people need the services that your organization provides, what other services or providers may already address those needs, and where your organization may or may not be able to fill existing gaps.
- A strong assessment consists of robust and comprehensive research and outreach, but at the end, you should be able to boil it down to a few pages of narrative supported by facts and figures as available.
- Your completed Needs Assessment can be shared on your website and with donors and other stakeholders.
Why should organizations conduct needs assessments?
- Some grant applications require submission of a Community Needs Assessment to justify funding your organization and its services
- Regular re-evaluation of your population served, and their needs can help your organization meet evolving needs and service gaps.
- The process of conducting a Community Needs Assessment can help to develop your team. It supports communication around who the organization is serving, what the most important goals are, and how to strategically plan service provision.
What information should be included in a needs assessment?
- Who does your organization intend to serve? How satisfied are they with your organization and its services?
- How could your work make a greater impact on the community?
- What are your strengths, and does your organization effectively communicate with the community about ways your organization can help them?
- What are your weaknesses, and is it within your scope to pursue improvements, or is it more appropriate to cease activities diverging from your key goals?
- What are some realistic and intentional organizational goals for the short-term, medium-term, and long-term?
Needs Assessment Tips and Resources
Collaborate with other organizations such as
- Public Health Departments
- State Government Agencies
- National or State Health and Human Services Associations
- Maine-specific organizations
Use various data resources:
- America’s Health Rankings
- County Health Rankings
- US Census and American Community Survey data
- Data and reports published by government and other reputable nonprofit organizations
- Direct feedback from your population and community
Conduct a SWOT analysis
- A SWOT analysis is a technique for strategic planning. To conduct one, you brainstorm and record your organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.
Additional resources for further learning
