Community needs assessment review checklist
Read it once the way a reviewer will.
On the final pass, ask whether another person can follow each requirement to the report passage, the original evidence, and the priority or board action without guessing.
Report and process
- The report is dated and names the service area.
- The methods say who participated, how information was collected and how it was analyzed.
- People with low incomes are not hidden inside a general “community” category.
- The expected community sectors can be identified.
Evidence and findings
- Quantitative claims name a source, release, geography and population.
- Qualitative findings say what participants reported, not merely that a meeting occurred.
- Causes and conditions of poverty are analyzed.
- Needs, strengths, existing resources and gaps are separated clearly.
Use and acceptance
- The path from evidence to prioritized need is visible.
- The report explains how the work informs planning.
- The governing-board record shows formal acceptance of the completed assessment.
Look for four common problems
- Wrong place: Could the data describe the county when the agency serves only part of it?
- Wrong people: Could a percentage use a different denominator than the sentence suggests?
- Old evidence: Could a copied chart predate the current assessment cycle?
- Missing record: Does the report refer to minutes, appendices or survey results that are not actually in the review file?
Use “not found” carefully.It means the readable draft did not show the record. It does not mean the work never happened.
Official sources
Start with a first pass through the draft.
Then spend your time on the passages and records that need judgment.
Check your draft