Build the Backdrop for Your #GivingTuesday Story by Refining Your Community Needs Assessment Skills

Valerie F. Leonard
Published: August 15, 2018

The Nonprofit Utopia community will be hosting 2 free webinars to help nonprofit professionals strengthen their community assessment skills. Facilitated by Valerie F. Leonard, the community's founder, the webinars will provide an overview of the community assessment process and help participants demonstrate need, even in communities that seem to be over-resourced.

The 23 Questions You Need To Answer

Before Starting A Nonprofit Initiative

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

10:00 am-11:30 am

The live Q and A session will provide an opportunity for you to clarify your understanding of the material covered in the webinar. Use the downloadable worksheets to help you organize your notes and begin to flesh out your community needs assessment. Nonprofit Utopia members can share their draft needs assessment in the online community for peer and expert review and feedback. Register here. This 90-minute webinar will provide an overview of the community needs assessment process and review the 23 questions you should answer before starting any nonprofit organization, program, service or project. You will be able to download a worksheet to help you follow along during the webinar and lay the groundwork for a community needs assessment that may be used to apply for tax-exempt status, inform your case for support and to develop strategies and programs that are responsive to the changing environment.

How to Demonstrate the Need for Servicesin a Crowded Field

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

10:00 am- 11:30 am

This webinar will build upon lessons learned from "The 23 Questions You Need to Answer Before Starting a Nonprofit Initiative" webinar. You will learn: The 7 triggers for conducting a community needs assessment; the 3 things you must do in order to justify the need for your programs and services; what to do when it seems like there are too many players in the market to gain traction ;How to address funders' concerns regarding potential duplication of services

The live Q and A session will provide an opportunity for you to ask your burning questions and share lessons learned with your peers. Downloadable worksheets will help you organize your notes and begin to strategize ways to use your community needs assessment process to position your organization for success in a crowded field. Nonprofit Utopia members can share their drafts in the online community for peer and expert review and feedback. Register here.

About The Webinar Host

Valerie F. Leonard is an expert in community and organizational development, helping organizations build sustainable communities. She is the Founder of Nonprofit Utopia, the ideal community for emerging leaders, and host of the Nonprofit Utopia podcast. Valerie teaches courses in nonprofit management for the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Certificate in Nonprofit Management program. For further information, visit www.valeriefleonard.com and https://nonprofitutopia.mn.co

Keywords: #GivingTuesday, Capacity Building, Community Development, Community Needs Assessment, Nonprofit Utopia, Nonprofit Webinars, Organizational Development, Valerie F. Leonard