community needs assessment 2.0

Community Needs Assessment 2.0

Has your club used the community needs assessment tool?Was the

community needs assessment easy to implement?

Was the community needs assessment

tool useful in helping identify the needs in

your community?

Additional comments?

How do you assess the needs in your community?

61%63%

…completed the needs assessment“Easy to

implement”

72%

Useful in identifying the needs

Scalability

Alternative methodologies

Research Findings

• The needs assessment should be scalable to both rural and urban environments

• Clubs have used other assessment methodologies to identify the needs.

• Clubs have connected the needs to service.

• The needs assessment should be an ongoing process, not just a one-time event.

• Clubs can choose from several practical methods to gather information.

• Clubs can incorporate elements of the needs assessment into existing activities.

• Anyone can contribute.• The assessment can help build relationships with

key stakeholders and recruit new members.• Lions should approach the assessment as

researchers, but they don’t have to implement a scientific research study to get the information they need.

Keep in mind…

Community Assessment At-A-Glance:

Step 1: Define the community and identify

key stakeholders.

Step 2: Choose & apply the appropriate

methodology to collect information.


Step 3: Identify specific community

needs.

Youth unemploymentEducation Schools

Lack of Books

Food insecurityMalnourishment

Obesity

DiabetesHearing lossBlindness Low Vision

LitteringDeforestation

Water sanitation

Natural Disasters

RebuildingTraining


Step 4: Plan activities that meet specific community

needs.


Lack of Books


Obesity



Water sanitation

Natural Disasters

RebuildingTraining

Children and Youth

HungerHealth

Environment

Disaster Preparedness



Lack of Books


Obesity



Water sanitation

Natural Disasters

RebuildingTraining

Children and Youth

HungerHealth

Environment


Organize service projects that adhere to the needs in your

community Step 5: Serve your community & assess your impact.


As any good investigator,

you will need to…

Look

Learn

Listen

Asking Effective

…is the basis for a good assessment. Regardless of the methodology your club

will use for the community needs assessment, it is important that you

understand how to formulate effective questions & adjust them to any setting -- be it a meeting with a stakeholder, on-on-

one interview, focus group, survey, or personal observation.

Questions…

Identifying StakeholdersStakeholders are unique to your community. They

represent entities with important sources of information, expertise, and resources.

They may include:

School: Engaging Our Youth campaign projects

Food-bank: Relieving Hunger campaign projects

Health Provider: Sharing The Vision campaign activities

Park district: Protecting Our Environment campaign projects

Emergency respondent: Disaster Relief activities

Choosing the Right MethodologyYou can use any combination of techniques to gather information about your community or a specific problem. Some techniques are very simple and can be done by one person, while others require more people, skills, preparation, and time.

Basic/Easy

Advanced/More Difficult

Observation

Mapping

Existing information

Interviews

Focus groups

Surveys

Methodology: Observation

Look

Look and listen to what is happening in your surroundings and make notes about your observations.

• Specific activities (sources of information) may include: taking a walk through the community, visiting a program/facility, attending an event, participating in a project, or following discussions on social media.

• Pros:– First-hand experience– Easy to do

• Cons:– Selective attention, interpretation, and memory of what

happened– Observer bias– “Observer effect”:people may behave differently when

being observed

Project Idea:Environment

Look

Work with a group of students at a local school to take photos and make observations about their local environment (park, neighborhood, playground, etc.).

Ask students to identify:

- objects that do not belong to the natural environment - signs of pollution- signs of illness (plant and animal life)

Have the students present their findings in class. Then organize a project (such as community clean-up and/or tree planting) in collaboration with the school.

Methodology: Mapping

Look

Look for and map key points of interest within the community.

The map can be used to physically define your community & identify: • Stakeholders• Informants• Zones of activities • Locations where people gather

Mapping can also help Lions identify regular and unusual events with the community and how that changes on a seasonal basis.

Project Example: Vishynka District IDU Scene

Community boundaries

Key locations: market, school, needle exchange, apartments

Stakeholders: police, social programs, treatment center, schools, NGOs

Zones of activity: drug sale (1), IDU gathering/recruitment (2), drug use (3),

Informants: police, social workers, IDUs, students, residents

Methodology: Existing Info

Learn

Look for routinely collected data from government bodies, centers, foundations, universities, etc. Learn from others who have done the research.• Variety of sources (print & online): research studies, annual

reports, articles, blogs, social media, informational guides, etc.

• Places to look: local government, community centers, universities, public libraries.

• Pros:– Get information that clubs would not otherwise have the

resources to collect– Get a ‘snap-shot’ of what is currently happening in the area– Usually inexpensive and easily accessible– Representative of a larger area (e.g., entire community/region)

• Cons:– Have to trust the source for accuracy– Need to be careful about others interpretation or bias of the

results– Info may be produced with a specific audience

Project Idea: Youth

Engagement

Learn

Lions can work with Leos or students at a local high school or university to conduct a review of existing data on a specific topic. For example, the students can be asked to research diabetes within their community, looking for information on:

– Prevalence of the disease- People at risk- Existing programs- What are the most important needs

You can then brainstorm with the group on ways to get involved.

Methodology: InterviewsListe

n Listen to and Learn from people (informants) who may have more information about needs within the community or can provide a new perspective and/or access to additional information.

• People to interview: community stakeholders, youth, program/project participants, local experts, local Lions leaders, other Lions.

• Pros:– Can be done during other Lions activities– Many options (structured/unstructured)– Allow members to build relationships & access to

new informants• Cons:

– Requires some preparation– Members need to be comfortable asking questions – Can be biased (interviewer & informant)

Project Idea: Sharing VisionListe

n You can arrange an interview with someone who is visually impaired* to gain their perspective on:

- Their experience & outlook for the future- Common misconceptions about vision loss- What they consider to be the biggest challenges and opportunities for individuals with vision loss

* If your district is organizing (or plans to organize) a Lions Essay Contest, the interview can also serve as a means to reach youth who may wish to participate.

Methodology: Focus GroupsListe

n Listen to and Learn from a group of people who may have more information about needs within the community and/or can provide a new perspective. The group is selected based on common experience, similar background, skills-set, or expertise (e.g., parents of children with disabilities).

• People to involve: community stakeholders, youth, parents, project participants, local experts, other Lions.

• Pros:– Able to obtain information on individual and shared experiences– Allows members to build relationships & identify new

informants• Cons:

– Requires some preparation/training on how to lead a group discussion

– Members need to be comfortable asking questions & keep the discussion focused (more difficult to do than one-on-on interviews)

– The group discussion can be dominated by one or two individuals who influence the views of others.

Project Idea: Relieving HungerListe

n For the next pancake breakfast, Lions can invite community

stakeholders (e.g., members of the local food bank, faith-based and/or

non-profit groups serving the homeless and other people in

need) and have a 1-2 hour focus group discussion that day to talk

about food security issues within the community and how Lions can

get involved.

Methodology: SurveysListe

n Collect information from a representative sample of the local population to gain statistical insights on a particular issue and/or areas of need.

Pros:- Ask questions that have not been asked before- Gather statistically valid informationCons:- Often requires a lot of resources & time- Requires some background in questionnaire

design, sampling, & data analysis- May require incentives & approvals/informed

consent - Limited opportunities to make in-person

connections

Survey Idea: How can we serve you

better?Liste

nClubs may consider developing a brief (5-

10 question) online survey (e.g., using a free Survey Monkey online account) with

a link on their club’s website and/or facebook page to get feedback from the

general public. After completing a service activity, members can also

handout business cards with a link to the website & encourage

participants/stakeholders (or prospective members) to learn more about the club

and complete the online survey.

Project Example: Vishynka District IDU Scene

Community boundaries

Key locations: market, school, needle exchange, apartments

Stakeholders: police, social programs, treatment center, schools, NGOs

Zones of activity: drug sale (1), IDU gathering/recruitment (2), drug use (3),

Informants: police, social workers, IDUs, students, residents


Lack of Books


Obesity



Water sanitation

Natural Disasters

RebuildingTraining

Children and Youth

HungerHealth

Environment



community

Step 1: Identify Stakeholders

High School

Informants:• Students• Teachers• Principal• Counselors

Identify stakeholders & prospective members

Drug Treatment Center

Informants:• Therapists• IDUs• Counselors• Family



Lack of Books


Obesity



Water sanitation

Natural Disasters

RebuildingTraining

Children and Youth

HungerHealth

Environment



community

Step 2: Choose Your Methodology

High School

Informants:• Students• Teachers• Principal• Counselors



Informants:• Therapists• IDUs• Counselors• Family


• Interviews• Focus Groups

Methodology:• Interviews• Focus Groups• Observation• Existing

Information

Methodology:


Lack of Books


Obesity



Water sanitation

Natural Disasters

RebuildingTraining

Children and Youth

HungerHealth

Environment



community

Step 3: Identify Needs

High School

Problem/Needs:• Limited drug awareness• Risk factors• No Intervention


Lack of Books


Obesity



Water sanitation

Natural Disasters

RebuildingTraining

Children and Youth

HungerHealth

Environment



community

Step 4: Plan Activities

High School

Activities:• LionsQuest curriculum• Extracurricular activities• IDU & family testimonies

Resources:• Ministry of Education Grant• LCIF Grant• Students & Teachers


Resources:• Experts• IDUs• Family

Members


Lack of Books


Obesity



Water sanitation

Natural Disasters

RebuildingTraining

Children and Youth

HungerHealth

Environment



community

Step 5: Serve

High School Drug Treatment Center

Pulling it all together

Check-in with club members on a regular basis Complete the community needs assessment

workbook Organize a meeting on an annual, quarterly, or

monthly basis to review your findings Use the results of the community needs

assessment to plan activities Use existing activity planning resources on the

LCI website Search the SAR for projects other Lions clubs

have organized to get ideas on what to do and/or identify new informants

community needs assessment 2.0

Government & Nonprofit