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Community needs assessments are very simply, a survey of needs within a particular community or area of social concern. This could include a survey of social needs within a particular geographic location, within a particular demographic community, or within a particular service community (for example, substance abuse treatment providers). Community needs assessments can benefit an organization and community over the long-term in following ways: |
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Identifying gaps in service: Needs assessments can identify areas within specific an area of concern where there are significant gaps in service. For example, within a particular town there may be several high-school dropouts and while such a large area of concern could be attributed to a variety of factors, it may be found that in this particular community that no after-school or tutoring program exists to assist older students who are struggling with assignments or school work. An organization operating a small elementary after-school program may want to seek funding to expand this service to address the gap among high-school youth. |
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Identifying strengths & weaknesses in service: Needs assessments can also identify strengths and weaknesses in service. For example, the same need assessment could not only identify that a tutoring program is needed for high-school youth, but that the organization seeking to expand a small after-school program to address this need also has a great need to update their computer hardware and software to be compatible with projects assigned in high-school. Or, it could be found that when elementary after-school students were interviewed it was found that they enjoyed the recreational components of the program. Such a service could be replicated, enhanced and designed for high-school youth. |
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Contributing to a larger body of literature: Of particular significance is the possibility of needs assessments contributing to a larger body of literature. Again, using the example above, it could also be found through a needs assessment that there is very little published research on the benefits of recreational components in after-school programs. This organization now has the opportunity to disseminate the information they have learned to a larger community of scholars, activists and service members. |
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Strengthening requests for funding & marketing efforts: Original research and research that is specific to a particular location, demographic group or area of social concern is attractive to funders as it gives them a tangible reason to invest in a cause or program, rather than broad statistics that may or may not be completely reflective of a program, community or service. |
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Contributing to the maximization of resources: Needs assessments can also assist in maximizing a program or organization’s resources. Once again using the example above, in the same survey of elementary students participating in the after-school program it was found that one particular computer learning tool was not effective or liked by the student. Utilizing the many benefits of a needs assessment, the organization seeking to expand services to high-school youth could choose to not use this computer program and utilize the funds designated for this software elsewhere. |
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