1. Community Needs
Assessment
2.0

2. 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?

3. 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.

4. • 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…

5. Community Assessment At-A-Glance:
Step 1: Define the
community and identify
key stakeholders.

6. Step 2: Choose &
apply the appropriate
methodology to
collect information.
Community Assessment At-A-Glance:

7. Step 3: Identify
specific community
needs.
Youth
unemployment
Education
Schools
Lack of Books
Food insecurity
Malnourishment
Obesity
Diabetes
Hearing loss
Blindness
Low Vision
Littering
Deforestation
Water sanitation
Natural
Disasters
Rebuilding
Training
Community Assessment At-A-Glance:

8. Step 4: Plan
activities that meet
specific community
needs.
Youth
unemployment
Education
Schools
Lack of Books
Food insecurity
Malnourishment
Obesity
Diabetes
Hearing loss
Blindness
Low Vision Littering
Deforestation
Water sanitation
Natural
Disasters
Rebuilding
Training
Children
and Youth
Hunger
Health
Environment
Disaster
Preparedness
Community Assessment At-A-Glance:

9. Youth
unemployment
Education
Schools
Lack of Books
Food insecurity
Malnourishment
Obesity
Diabetes
Hearing loss
Blindness
Low Vision Littering
Deforestation
Water sanitation
Natural
Disasters
Rebuilding
Training
Children
and Youth
Hunger
Health
Environment
Disaster
Preparedness
Organize service projects that
adhere to the needs in your
community Step 5: Serve your
community & assess
your impact.
Community Assessment At-A-Glance:

10. As any good
investigator,
you will
need to…
Look
Learn
Listen

11. 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…

12. Identifying Stakeholders
Stakeholders 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

13. Choosing the Right
Methodology
You 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

14. 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

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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.

20. Methodology:
InterviewsListen
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)

21. Project Idea:
Sharing VisionListen
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.

22. Methodology:
Focus GroupsListen
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.

23. Project Idea:
Relieving HungerListen
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.

24. Methodology:
SurveysListen
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 information
Cons:
- 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

25. Survey Idea:
How can we serve you
better?
Listen
Clubs 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.

26. 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

27. Youth
unemployment
Education
Schools
Lack of Books
Food insecurity
Malnourishment
Obesity
Diabetes
Hearing loss
Blindness
Low Vision Littering
Deforestation
Water sanitation
Natural
Disasters
Rebuilding
Training
Children
and Youth
Hunger
Health
Environment
Disaster
Preparedness
Organize service projects that
adhere to the needs in your
community
Step 1: Identify Stakeholders
High School
Informants:
• Students
• Teachers
• Principal
• Counselors
Identify stakeholders &
prospective members
Drug Treatment Center
Informants:
• Therapists
• IDUs
• Counselors
• Family
Identify stakeholders &
prospective members

28. Youth
unemployment
Education
Schools
Lack of Books
Food insecurity
Malnourishment
Obesity
Diabetes
Hearing loss
Blindness
Low Vision Littering
Deforestation
Water sanitation
Natural
Disasters
Rebuilding
Training
Children
and Youth
Hunger
Health
Environment
Disaster
Preparedness
Organize service projects that
adhere to the needs in your
community
Step 2: Choose Your Methodology
High School
Informants:
• Students
• Teachers
• Principal
• Counselors
Identify stakeholders &
prospective members
Drug Treatment Center
Informants:
• Therapists
• IDUs
• Counselors
• Family
Identify stakeholders &
prospective members
• Interviews
• Focus Groups
Methodology:
• Interviews
• Focus Groups
• Observation
• Existing
Information
Methodology:

29. Youth
unemployment
Education
Schools
Lack of Books
Food insecurity
Malnourishment
Obesity
Diabetes
Hearing loss
Blindness
Low Vision Littering
Deforestation
Water sanitation
Natural
Disasters
Rebuilding
Training
Children
and Youth
Hunger
Health
Environment
Disaster
Preparedness
Organize service projects that
adhere to the needs in your
community
Step 3: Identify Needs
High School
Problem/Needs:
• Limited drug awareness
• Risk factors
• No Intervention

30. Youth
unemployment
Education
Schools
Lack of Books
Food insecurity
Malnourishment
Obesity
Diabetes
Hearing loss
Blindness
Low Vision Littering
Deforestation
Water sanitation
Natural
Disasters
Rebuilding
Training
Children
and Youth
Hunger
Health
Environment
Disaster
Preparedness
Organize service projects that
adhere to the needs in your
community
Step 4: Plan Activities
High School
Activities:
• LionsQuest curriculum
• Extracurricular activities
• IDU & family testimonies
Resources:
• Ministry of Education Grant
• LCIF Grant
• Students & Teachers
Drug Treatment Center
Resources:
• Experts
• IDUs
• Family
Members

31. Youth
unemployment
Education
Schools
Lack of Books
Food insecurity
Malnourishment
Obesity
Diabetes
Hearing loss
Blindness
Low Vision Littering
Deforestation
Water sanitation
Natural
Disasters
Rebuilding
Training
Children
and Youth
Hunger
Health
Environment
Disaster
Preparedness
Organize service projects that
adhere to the needs in your
community
Step 5: Serve
High School Drug Treatment Center

32. 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