| Page 4 Here is an example of external assessment findings for a nonprofit involved
in education reform:
One trend was increased interest in supporting school reform and change
efforts by foundations serving needs of low-income children and families. The
implication: Tap this new source of funding for the nonprofit. Another trend was
Increased poverty impedes educational achievement. The implication: promote
family support programs at schools to address needs of low-income families. A
third trend was the proliferation of web-based learning resources. The
implication: Increase Internet access for educators, students and parents.
Market Assessment
The next component of the information gathering and analysis step is the
constituent or market assessment. The purpose of the constituent assessment is
to identify and assess changes in the needs and perceptions of the nonprofit's
markets and constituencies. For most nonprofits, these include customers,
volunteers, funders, donors, volunteers, paid staff, board directors,
collaborators, and competitors.
The market assessment attempts to answer the following questions:
Who are the nonprofit's key markets and constituents?
What are the current needs, perceptions, and service expectations of each
market?
What are the emerging market trends?
What are the implications for the nonprofit -- how should the nonprofit
respond to these changes and trends among its constituents and markets?
Examples of market assessment findings from our education reform organization
included:
62% of parents of children enrolled in local schools desire before and
after school care for their children.
Two-thirds of the volunteers say they would be willing to get involved in
fund-raising for the nonprofit but would require training.
Internal Assessment
The other component of the information gathering and analysis step is the
internal assessment. The purpose of the internal assessment is to assess
internal structure, process and operations of the nonprofit and based on this
assessment, to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses. Areas examined include
nonprofit personnel, both paid and volunteer, fund-raising, physical facilities,
equipment, use of technology, location, financial condition, management
practices, board governance, programs, products and services, market position,
and other factors.
From an affordable housing development organization, the following internal
strengths were highlighted:
- Excellent staff -- competent and experienced.
- Availability of unrestricted working funds.
- Effective in delivering technical assistance to nonprofits.
- Track record -- we are known with a good reputation.
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