CONDUCTING A COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT

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1 CENTER FOR BEST PRACTICES No Kid Hungry In most areas of the country, childhood hunger is handled piecemeal by federal, state, and local governments and various nonprofits. As a result, no single entity is held accountable for childhood hunger and children at risk of hunger. To address this gap, Share Our Strength is launching No Kid Hungry campaigns across the United States. Through No Kid Hungry campaigns, Share Our Strength is working with governors, mayors and state, community, faith and private-sector leaders across the country to develop and implement measureable plans to end childhood hunger. These publicprivate partnerships focus on increasing participation in federal nutrition programs that ensure that kids have access to the food they need to thrive and succeed. Center for Best Practices To support No Kid Hungry campaigns, Share Our Strength s Center for Best Practices identifies and shares best practices, provides technical assistance and communicates successes and lessons learned from across campaigns. CONDUCTING A COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT As you start the campaign to end childhood hunger in your state, you may have questions about what is going on already and how the different state, federal and nonprofit programs work together to create a nutrition safety net. Several state No Kid Hungry campaigns are using community assessments to better understand the hunger landscape in their state, identify gaps and duplication in services and leverage resources to support their No Kid Hungry campaign. This document discusses the benefits of a community assessment and provides guidance for how to conduct one for your campaign. Share Our Strength s Center for Best Practices can offer guidance on community assessments. Please contact Kim Caldwell at kcaldwell@strength.org. Definition of a Community Assessment A community assessment is the process of gathering, analyzing and reporting information about community needs and the assets that are currently available in a community to meet those needs. For No Kid Hungry Campaigns, a community assessment can be defined as the collaborative process of mapping important information about food and nutrition programs in your state or city. The process of conducting a community assessment creates a snapshot of the hunger landscape in your state in order to better inform your campaign strategies. This involves collecting existing data from community nutrition programs and information from local service providers. Campaigns can use assessments to better understand the service gaps and assets in their community or state. Assessments can be very comprehensive an effort to map all resources in an area or they can be more focused. For example, a state may want to survey all organizations providing afterschool programming to try and better plan for addressing nutrition gaps when school is out. In a successful community assessment, the process is based on an understanding of: What information is needed to guide campaign strategies What information is already available Depending on priorities, the assessment can gather different types of information, such as: How many children are being served in specific areas? Where are specific programs available or unavailable? Where are the biggest gaps between available services and need? What are the challenges and opportunities at the ground level? What organizations exist that may be able to operate, support or promote nutrition programs? What additional programs and resources exist that are unconnected to the campaign? The information you collect can be translated into reports and maps that collaborators use to make critical decisions about starting new programs and investing resources. The assessment can also provide baseline data to track growth and change over the course of the campaign. September 1, 2011

2 Benefits of an Assessment CENTER FOR BEST PRACTICES Conducting a community assessment requires both time and resources at the beginning of a campaign. However, the benefits of the information, perspective and relationships achieved make the process worth the investment. Outcomes from a community assessment include: Knowing your assets: Mapping existing nutrition program locations creates a clear understanding of the different resources currently available to children. Collaboration: Sharing of data and resources by stakeholders can begin to cross boundaries between agencies and nonprofits that may not have been attempted in the past. Seeing gaps and overlaps: Mapping of nutrition programs and services provides campaigns with a visual tool that illustrates service gaps, identifies resource allocation needs and helps target efforts. Investment for impact: Layering program location data with population and poverty data can help campaigns make informed decisions about where to start, expand or coordinate programs. On-the-ground perspective: Learn more about the experience of service delivery sponsors and sites by engaging them in the assessment process. Ask what is working and what you can do to best support programs. Expanded relationships: Engaging local service providers in campaign activities better connects them to the larger goals of the campaign and gives you a platform to engage individuals and organizations, thus increasing the number of networks and gamechanging ideas you can access. Who Needs an Assessment Conducting a community assessment is particularly important for: States/cities with agencies and nonprofits that haven t traditionally worked together and may not have a thorough understanding of opportunities for better aligning work States/cities that have not mapped resources across agency lines to see what areas lack sufficient services States/cities with strong central support for agencies to start working together; whether it is an encouraging elected official or just a shared sense of collaboration Campaigns that have connections to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) or other mapping resources to make sure that the visual representations of resources are clear and effective Challenges to Expect Every campaign and community is different, but there are some possible road blocks and complications to consider before getting started. The assessment process requires substantial collaboration and buy-in from state and nonprofit leaders. You will need to collect a range of data from different state departments and nonprofits. Plan to spend some time finding commonalities as best you can to create consistent units of measurement. It is important to set parameters and timelines to keep the project from continuing indefinitely. When it comes to data and resources, be prepared to let go of the ideal and use the best available resources to keep the process moving forward. If you are conducting the assessment during busy times for state agencies or food banks, participation may be slower or harder to secure. Build these expectations into your timeline or choose a different start date to make sure everyone can contribute. Collecting Data You will need to collect a range of different types of data from a variety of stakeholders. The following data collection methods can help you get the most helpful information from these sources: Surveys: Whether online or on paper, a survey can help you get a little information from a lot of different people. A survey should be short and simple, with most questions being multiple-choice and very few being open-ended. (See Appendix for an example) Phone surveys: Calling stakeholders to conduct a brief survey, while time-intensive, can yield detailed results and engage audiences that won t fill out a paper survey. Consider hiring a phone survey firm to help design the best questionnaire and to develop the right list of contacts. Interviews: Interviews are a critical part of determining what data to collect from each source based on what data they track and what systems or policies they have for sharing data. Feedback sessions: Presenting some or all of your data to community leaders will provide important insights for writing reports and determining next steps. September 1,

3 Getting Started As you consider conducting a community assessment, there are a few initial steps to take: CENTER FOR BEST PRACTICES Secure buy-in from the collaborating table and any elected officials that believe having an assessment is important to the success of the campaign. Here are a few things to keep in mind: For each person at the table, what questions would they want answered through an assessment? You will likely need to engage multiple state departments, such as the Departments of Education, Human Services, Health and Agriculture, as well as nonprofit leaders in state/city who address hunger. Consider whether you need to engage them initially as a group or individually to gain support for the project. Identify collaborators that can contribute to the process, such as: Graduate students or consulting firms that can lead the process Departments with geospatial mapping experience to create maps Information technology specialists who can help organize large amounts of data Survey research centers that can conduct phone surveys Interns that can help enter or update data Elected officials or respected community members who can help build political will for participation Take time to determine the resources you have and those you need to secure, including: How much funding do you have/can you get for the project? Based on funding, what participation can you have pro-bono and what will you need to pay for? Develop a project timeline that will give you enough time without slowing down the campaign. Try to build a project plan using the following phases as a basis: Getting buy-in and securing resources Meeting with stakeholders to determine information available and research questions to answer Creating data collection materials and systems, collecting data and storing data Analyzing data and preparing reports Presenting information and determining next steps Mapping Tools Two of the most common tools for mapping are using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology and Google mapping. Both can be very effective and the decision of which to use will likely be based on your needs and the available resources. GIS Mapping Creates high quality maps Allows you to layer data about the community such as population, poverty, etc. Requires access to the software and a GIS technician Google Mapping Free and easily available Able to be edited and updated without assistance Doesn t allow you to layer with demographic data September 1,

4 Community Assessments in Action CENTER FOR BEST PRACTICES Several No Kid Hungry Campaigns are using community assessments to inform their work to end childhood hunger. Here are a few examples of campaigns that have started or completed community assessments. Arkansas No Kid Hungry Campaign In 2010, Governor Beebe launched the No Kid Hungry campaign in collaboration with Share Our Strength and the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance. From the beginning, campaign leadership wanted to know more about where state and nonprofit resources already existed and what was being done at these locations. To accomplish this goal, the campaign developed a partnership with the Clinton School of Public Service, recruiting a graduate student to create a methodology and conduct the assessment. The process engaged state agencies and nonprofits to collect information by mapping locations of existing services, identifying services that were not connected to those sources and asking about challenges and opportunities from local programs. The student worked out of the Governor s office to maximize access to state agency leaders, information technology resources and mapping professionals. The office provided a neutral space for different agencies and nonprofits that had not previously shared data. The placement also legitimized the process and communicated that the assessment was a priority to Governor Beebe. The assessment relied on data collected from existing data sources and from an online survey. (See Appendix) Data was collected from a variety of public agencies and private organizations: Department of Education Average number of students participating in school breakfast per day over the school year/by school district Average number of students participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) per day over the school year/by school district Average number of students participating in seamless summer program per day over the summer/by school district Average number of students receiving an afterschool snack per day over the school year/by school district Department of Human Services Early Childhood Education and Child Care Department Average number of children served daily over the year/by child care site Average number of students participating in Summer Food Service Program per day over the summer/by site Average number of students receiving an afterschool snack per day over the school year/by school district Cooperative Extension Average number of children served in nutrition education programs at site per year In-School Feeding by nonprofit program (Arkansas Rice Depot) Unduplicated number of kids served during the school year/by location Unduplicated number of kids served an afterschool snack during the school year/by location Unduplicated number of kids served during the summer (non-usda summer meals program) /by location Five Foodbank Networks Shelters Unduplicated number of kids served in backpack program during the school year/by location Estimate of the number of kids served at food pantries during a year/by location Locations of soup kitchens that serve kids Locations of shelters that serve kids The Campaign also identified food and nutrition programs outside of the emergency food system using listings. A survey research firm contacted and interviewed the organizations to learn more about how they could work with the campaign. The campaign also distributed an online survey to nutrition program contacts around the state to learn more about the barriers they were facing, the successes they were seeing and what additional types of nutrition programs they would be interested in managing. September 1,

5 CENTER FOR BEST PRACTICES In 2010, Governor Beebe launched the No Kid Hungry campaign in collaboration with Share Our Strength and the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance. From the beginning, campaign leadership wanted to know more about where state and nonprofit resources already existed and what was being done at these locations. After completing the assessment, the information was used by campaign leadership to guide decisions about implementing campaign strategies and outreach to organizations and regional contacts. Overall, the process took about five months and produced the following results: Seven maps that show nonprofit and state sources of food in Arkansas compared to demographic information A survey report about successes and failures for nutrition programs in the state, including a prioritized list of barriers to success Contact with 137 sites that operate outside of food banks in the state who can be engaged in campaign activities More than 120 locations interested in implementing summer meals, afterschool snack/meals and/or SNAP outreach Identified 33 new summer meals sites that operated in 2011 Strengthened relationships between nonprofit and state leaders At the presentation of the assessment results, leaders from state agencies and nonprofits looked at the data in cross-functional small groups to discuss what the information meant to their program and what they could do together to expand services to more children. For example, the summer meals team discussed how to prioritize expansion into areas without sites based on the results of the maps. Further, the survey had identified potential new sites that were interested in participating in summer nutrition programs. The information that we received from the assessment helped the Arkansas No Kid Hungry campaign and its partners see what areas we needed to target, Arkansas Campaign Manager Joyce Hardy said. We know that using that data helped us reduce the number of counties with no summer meals programs from 27 to 13. We will continue to target these counties and those that do not have enough sites for the number of children who need those meals. Learn more about Arkansas assessment and see results at: New Mexico No Kid Hungry Campaign New Mexico launched their No Kid Hungry Campaign in February, 2011 and soon began planning a community assessment to help inform their efforts to end childhood hunger in the state. The New Mexico campaign modeled their assessment after the one in Arkansas, using the survey tool as a starting point. With a grant from Share Our Strength, the campaign was able to hire a coordinator to manage the process with the University of New Mexico and the New Mexico Department of Health providing guidance and mapping resources. The process began in May, 2011 and is expected to finish in September. Among other outcomes, the assessment will provide: A detailed database of agencies, organizations, non-profits, and programs throughout New Mexico that address childhood food insecurity Data collected from a capacity survey of local service providers from around the state Maps and reports describing the current state of food resources for children in New Mexico along with recommendations for the campaign Opportunities for key stakeholders to review the information and discuss strategies for future investments and improvements throughout the state Already, the campaign has received more than 130 surveys from local service providers and capacity and location data from state agencies. Soon, they will start to map the results. Follow New Mexico s campaign at: Endnmhunger.org/work/programs/nokidhungrynm.html Georgia No Kid Hungry Campaign Just kicking off the Feeding for a Promising Future - No Kid Hungry campaign, the Georgia Food Bank Association has contracted with a consulting firm to conduct a statewide community assessment with a focus on identifying and mapping locations of state funded summer meals and at-risk afterschool snack and meals programs. After gathering program data from state sources and the network of food banks, the consultants will conduct an online survey of service providers, map the existing data to determine gaps and provide recommendations for strategies to close the gaps in participation in the summer and afterschool meals programs. September 1,

6 Other Approaches to Assessments CENTER FOR BEST PRACTICES While the No Kid Hungry approach to community assessment is unique in its focus on state and nonprofit food resources available to children, there are great lessons to learn and ideas to apply from other types of work done to understand the needs and assets of an area. The following resources can provide additional perspective and spark new ideas as you start your own process. Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC) has developed a Community Food Assessment program that provides tools, tips and helpful case studies about conducting an assessment. Their approach goes in-depth to include the entire local food system, but their principals guiding an assessment and descriptions of reports done in the last ten years may give additional insight into creating your own process. Access here: The Des Moines Area Religious Council undertook a project called Mapping an End to Hunger in Greater Des Moines to inform their plan to expand beyond the historic concept of providing hunger relief and build a systemic community model that is targeted to end hunger. The results include an interactive map to show how citizens engage with sources of food. Learn more about the project here: movethefood.org/resources/resources-for-the-community/mapping-page/ USDA Economic Research Service has put together the USDA Community Food Security Assessment Toolkit. The series of resources take you through a similarly process, but doesn t include creating visual maps of service availability. It does give sample data collection tools and data tables to collect and house data, as well as an overview of how to get started with an assessment process: September 1,

7 CENTER FOR BEST PRACTICES Appendix A: Sample Survey September 1,

8 CENTER FOR BEST PRACTICES September 1,