When developing an Extension program, the first step is to conduct a needs assessment. A needs assessment is a systematic process used to identify and prioritize community needs while also considering your Extension’s capacity to address them. In this context, a “need” is the gap between current conditions and what could or should exist.
Conducting a needs assessment helps ensure that programs are relevant, responsive, and grounded in the realities of the people they are intended to serve. To ensure your programs remain relevant, it’s recommended to complete a formal needs assessment every three to five years.
There are many ways to gather information about community needs. Common approaches include analyzing existing (secondary) data, as well as collecting new data through surveys, interviews, focus groups, and input from advisory committees. Using a mix of methods and engaging a range of stakeholders provides a more complete and accurate understanding of community priorities.
View the following video (30 min) for foundational information on the needs assessment process. You can also download a copy of the slides (NC State Unity ID required).
Review the Extension Publication, Situational Analysis / Needs Assessment for Effective Community Engagement: A Guidebook for Extension Professionals to learn more about how to conduct a needs assessment.
Another useful resource to review is Solving Problems, Ensuring Relevance, and Facilitating Change: The Evolution of Needs Assessment Within Cooperative Extension.
Identifying Issues
Secondary Data: Begin your needs assessment by reviewing data about the community. Examine recent data to determine the current state as well as longitudinal data to identify trends. The County Profile provides a variety of metrics related to county population, demographics, educational attainment, economy, employment, health, environment, and agriculture. The dashboard is interactive and designed for online viewing. Links to additional sources of county level data are available on the Evaluation & Accountability data resources webpage.
Interviews: Interviews with key community leaders provide a means to gather information on local government and community priorities. Use the sample interview script to help to plan and conduct interviews.
Focus Groups: Group meetings with with advisory leadership councils and committees, local government, community partners, program participants, potential customers, and other stakeholders will help to identify the Extension programs and services that are needed and the services that are already being provided by other organizations. Use the sample focus group questions to help to plan and conduct focus groups.
Community Survey: Electronic or paper surveys of community members, including current Extension customers and potential Extension customers, provide a way to collect data from a broad spectrum of stakeholders. Use the printable community survey and sample question statements to help to plan and conduct a survey. Refer to the Extension Qualtrics website for information about creating electronic surveys.
Prioritizing Needs
Use community data and input from stakeholders to assess and prioritize problems. Use the prioritizing needs guide and worksheets.
2017-2018 NC State Extension Statewide Needs Assessment
NC State Extension conducted a statewide needs assessment during 2017-2018. This needs assessment process incorporated a multi-method approach to collecting county trend data and stakeholder input related to satisfaction with services and the educational and service needs in agriculture, nutrition and health, youth development, and community and rural development.