Instructions to use the file

1. Instructions to use the file • Please click on the “slide show” option on the bottom left hand corner of the screen or by going to “View” from the top menu bar and selecting the “slide show” option • Please note that the links in this file will NOT work unless you are in the slide show view option • For questions call 1-800-200-6355 (PIN 0672)

2. Management Learning Laboratories Needs Assessments: Taking the Pulse of Communities NRPA 1999

3. The Feedback Solution for Needs Assessments The solution is meant for recreation decision makers who need information about the recreation and leisure needs of the community they serve

4. Today’s Speakers Joe Bannon, Sr. Mick Pope Ananda Mitra Phil Rea Nancy MacCartney

5. A NEEDS ASSESSMENT is a two-fold attempt to gather and analyze information from a constituency as well as to establish on-going participating relations with the respondents for the overall leisure plan- Bannon

6. Values of Assessment • Really know verses guessing on recreational interests • Understand community’s priorities and values • Ability to re-prioritize limited funds • Focus on important issues

7. Values of Assessment • To sell and persuade voters and elected officials • Staff focus on expressed needs and willingness to let go of programs in decline or “dead” • True local benchmarks established

8. Values of Assessment • Replication and measurement of effort • Personal biases can be eliminated or discounted • Credibility to grant agencies and foundations

9. Challenges • Selling the costs : benefits to decision makers • Selecting a consultant that knows parks and recreation verse a general statistical/marketing research firm • Developing an instrument unique to your community - staff commitment in time and careful review

10. Challenges • Developing valid questions in readily understandable wording • Understanding by staff and community leaders the statistical process and results (i.e. sample size, random sampling etc) • Decisions on methodology - mail vs., phone, adult and/or youth/teens

11. Challenges • Timing of the instrument distribution - time of year, holidays • Extraneous factors - “A snapshot in time” • Getting a statistical valid sample from various demographic groups • Using incentives to increase sample size

12. Challenges • Staff accessing the data - time, ease of access and ability to interpret • Unwanted results • Requests to tag on questions from other agencies that aren’t related to the assessment verses the opportunity to partner and share costs

13. Process • Don’t reinvent the wheel; ask other professionals for sample RFP/RFQ’s and lists of consultants • Evaluate and selection - involve your board members and other stakeholders • Get stakeholders and community leaders buy into the process

14. Process • Stick to the time line, hold you staff and consultants feet to the fire • Find the time to do the support work the consultants need • Keep an open line of communication with the consultants • Share the results; staff, leaders, and policy makers

15. You need the Feedback Solution if: • Plan to do a master plan in the next couple of years • Plan to apply for State/Federal funds • Get pressure from the community for more “appropriate” leisure offerings • Elected officials want to know what the community wants • Planning staff need more community information

16. You need the Feedback Solution if: You already know what your community wants, but need HARD DATA to defend your “gut feeling”!

17. Questions about citizen input What type of decisions made? What information necessary to make the decisions? What information do you get? What studies do you do? What information you need but do not get? What type of analysis needed? What are the future needs?

18. Why a Needs Assessment? Understand the current level of usage and activity in a community Project to the future needs of the community Assess the attitudes and opinions of the community with respect to leisure Measure the demographics of the community

19. Specific ObjectivesWhat to ask about? Current activities Future needs Personal Opinions Leisure behavior Demographics

20. What to Ask About?Current Activities General Activities Fitness and exercise Family events Activities for different ages Activities for different populations Trips Special Events

21. What to Ask About?Future Needs General Needs Multipurpose Centers Specific Events New Centralized Facilities Neighborhood Centers Methods of Payment Extent of the Need

22. What to Ask About?Leisure Behavior Availability of time Convenience Reasons for non-attendance Information distribution Competitive leisure behavior

23. What to Ask About?Personal Opinions These questions address the opinion of the community with respect to a variety of issues such as: level of maintenance general recreation needs future goals of a leisure provider specific concerns in a community

24. What to Ask About?Demographics Age Gender Marital Status Income/Ethnicity Household Information Location

25. Let’s take a short break! Please be back in 10 minutes

26. How to Ask the QuestionsQuestionnaire Development Focus Group Discussions These meetings help to produce area specific information about the needs and concerns of the community Pilot Testing This process helps to produce a test of the questionnaire that has been developed

27. How to Ask the QuestionsQuestionnaire Development Questionnaire Formatting Considerable effort is spent in producing an instrument that is not only pleasing to the eye but easy to fill out as well Cover Letter The letter accompanying the questionnaire is carefully written to have the maximum impact

28. How to Ask the QuestionsSampling Population Definition The community to be surveyed is carefully defined in terms of residency requirements location, and other specific criteria Sample Selection A random sample is selected from the defined population. Random means that every member in the population has a chance of being selected

29. How to Ask the QuestionsData Collection Mail Data Collection The questionnaires are sent out by mail and the respondents send them back by mail as well. Self-addressed envelopes are provided Response Rate (RR) A minimum response rate of 20% to 25% is expected on the first mailing. When necessary a second mailing can be conducted to boost the RR

30. Things to DO! • Collect information from a large cross-section of the community. • Collect information about all the different aspects of leisure - attitudes, use, behavior • Always ask the demographic questions • Remember “user” data is different from “community” data

31. Things NOT to DO! • Depend only on public hearings and focus group data • Collect information at community centers and other public places • Confuse “user” data with “community” data • Use a standardized “off the shelf” questionnaire

32. Preparing a RFP • Represent the needs of the entire population being served including all minorities • Provide in-depth information about the needs of the community • Provide statistically valid information that can reliably be used for making key decisions

33. Preparing a RFP • Provide a data set that can be dynamically used until it is updated by another needs assessment • Provide a series of recommendations and action plans that reflect the existing research and scholarship about recreation

34. Evaluating a Proposal/Firm • How many years of experience does the research laboratory have? • Can the researchers claim expertise in recreation as well as evaluation and survey research (one is not a substitute for the other)? • Do the researchers use standard methods such as FEE method of Focus Group moderation?

35. Evaluating a Proposal/Firm • Has the research laboratory operated at a national level? • Does the research laboratory have the technological facilities to conduct a state-of-the-art study? • Does the research laboratory provide any technological tools that would facilitate ongoing analysis of recreation needs?

36. Data AnalysisCompuRec As the master planning proceeds the data can be constantly mined and analyzed The system provides easy access to the data and helps to answer key questions about the data

37. Shows you the entire data

38. Provides easy to use menus

41. Produces instantaneous access to data

42. Report data in desired format

43. Show it any way you like

44. Show data by category Attendance by Gender 160 140 120 100 80 gender 60 Male Count 40 Female Yes No ATTEND PLAYS (ATTEND) Cases weighted by GENWT

45. Resulting Recommendation • Neither men nor women attend plays in this community. Perhaps more opportunities are required or there might not be enough interest in this activity. • You can test that too! • Let’s create a graph of interest broken by gender

48. Now we see that women are more interested than men Conclusion: Women will attend more if they are given the opportunity

49. The Feedback Solution becomes much more powerful with the use of the CompuRec analytical tool

50. Management Learning Laboratories 1-800-200-6355 (PIN 0672) http://www.m-l-l.com mllnew@m-l-l.com Click here for information about MLL Contact MLL for further information about the Feedback Solution