In 1989, Prego Spaghetti Sauce ran a commercial with a classic line: “It’s in there”. They were referring to the essential ingredients to make a winning recipe. If your Club is looking to undertake a winning project, look no further than a thorough Community Needs Assessment.
The benefits of a comprehensive Community Needs Assessment (CNA) are many. Do you want to increase Rotary’s image and presence in your town? It’s in there. Do want to integrate into all facets of your community and develop relationships? It’s in there. Do want to have service projects to engage your members? Projects that the community has told us they need as opposed to what we think they need. It’s in there. You get the idea.
Membership will grow organically from the exposure, service opportunities and newly formed relationships. Strategic planning can be crafted to encompass the action items resulting from the CNA and member engagement opportunities will increase.
Community Needs Assessments are not new. A Community’s demographics change every three years, hence the national census, which is why every Rotary Club should consider a CAN to try and address the growing needs of the communities they serve.
But, to be effective, a CNA cannot be a day or two tabletop-exercise. It has to be a thoroughly thought out and planned endeavor. The initial step is to build a coalition of influencers that represent the community. Local government, police, fire, EMS, Health Department, Social services, school system, houses of worship, housing authority, other service organizations, youth groups, environmental groups, women’s groups, Chamber of Commerce, etc. Be sure that all underserved groups are represented.
Once the coalition has been established and the “influencers” have accepted your written invitation to participate, it is time to bring them together to brainstorm the needs of the community. The key here is to have a well-trained facilitator preside over this process.
When the needs, big and small, have been captured they will be sorted and sent back to the members of the coalition. From that point, the needs are prioritized based on resources required and feasibility. Collaborative efforts are strongly encouraged.
A great template for this approach has been developed by PDG Dave Haradon from District 7450. Dave’s club, the Longwood Rotary, conducted a CNA in 2017. Since then, membership has grown by 10%. Dave is a strong advocate of the CNA and only too happy to share his experience and expertise. Dave can be contacted at: daveharadon@gmail.com.
Earlier this year, the Madison Rotary Club, from District 7475, sat down to revitalize their strategic plan. It was at that point a Community Needs Assessment was suggested. Goals and objectives could be established that would meet local needs, increase service opportunities, increase member engagement, and help grow the club.
Dave Haradon was contacted and agreed to share his model with the Madison CNA committee. Following Dave’s process close to the letter (every club and community have their unique qualities), the coalition of 35 community representatives was established and the initial needs discovery exercise conducted. There was an enthusiastic energy in the room along with open sharing and conversation. 25 flip chart pages were filled on how to improve the town. A sincere appreciation was expressed to Rotary for taking the lead on the assessment.
The next steps are to sort the ideas and then reconvene to set priorities. All of the steps taken in the Madison CNA are being tracked so a PowerPoint can be created for sharing once the service project phase starts. To inquire on their progress or request information, please contact
Doug Willis at dkwillis516@gmail.com.
If you are looking to grow your club, increase the club’s impact, retain you current members, and make a difference to improve lives, please consider a CNA. Whatever you goal is, It’s In There.