Community assessments

What are your community’s needs and assets? This is an important question in planning any service project. By taking time to learn about local issues, your club will discover new opportunities for service projects and avoid duplicating existing resources. Community assessments such as surveys, asset inventories, and focus groups will reveal information you didn’t know before.

Assessment tips

When assessing your community, take a positive approach – don’t just look at the community’s problems. A close assessment might include these factors:

Human assets
One of the community’s most important assets is its people. What are some of the residents’ unique skills and talents, and what are their needs and challenges? How can the community be involved in your club’s project?

Organizational assets
What groups and organizations in your community provide resources for local projects? Consider government offices, nongovernmental and nonprofit organizations, religious institutions, schools, and businesses. Don’t forget to look at informal groups, such as neighborhood organizations or sports teams, as well.

Physical assets
A community’s physical assets include any existing infrastructure – buildings, parks, public transit systems, hospitals and clinics, water and sanitation facilities, recycling centers and landfills, libraries, theaters, meeting halls – that might be used to support a project.

Club assets
Rotary clubs sometimes forget that they’re full of hidden assets. Club members’ expertise and professional skills are important tools for service. A close examination of your club’s financial and human resources will help determine the types of projects club members can effectively manage.

Read more in Community Assessment Tools (PDF).

After the assessment is completed and a focus is selected, read ideas for implementing a club service project.

Rotary programs for your community

Sometimes exploring a program or an Avenue of Service can help your club gather ideas for projects to pursue. Learn more about Vocational Service, Community Service, Rotary Community Corps, and Rotary Volunteers.