Needs assessments conducted broadly in the community and specifically by an organization are valuable tools for all individuals who write grants. They help the writer use facts to describe the challenges experienced by the target population of the grant proposal. In addition, the outcomes of the services provided should naturally address these challenges.

Strategic plans are the plans of how organizations will respond to the challenges experienced by their community. They use the strengths of the organization to address specific challenges. Ideally, organizations also partner with other organizations in areas where they do not have strengths to provide the target population with additional or more comprehensive services to address more of the challenges identified in the broader community. Grants written should have services which align to its organization's strategic plan.

What You'll Learn: 

  • where to find community needs assessments
  • how to create and distribute simple and thorough needs assessments
  • the challenges of what needs assessments don't say
  • how to be involved in needs assessment and strategic plan development
  • the drawbacks to being involved in needs assessment and strategic plan development
  • how to reference needs assessments in a grant proposal
  • where and how to reference strategic plan alignment in a grant proposal


Presented By:  Julie Assel, GPC, CGMS, President/CEO Assel Grant Services

Course curriculum

    1. Welcome: Let's Get Started

    2. Video: Needs Assessments and Strategic Planning

    3. Session Evaluation

    4. Quiz: Needs Assessment & Strategic Planning

About this course

  • $50.00
  • 4 lessons
  • 1 hour of video content

The trainers for these sessions are all credentialed grant professionals (GPCs) through the Grant Professional Certification Institute, Approved Trainers with the Grant Professionals Association, and/or credentialed Certified Grant Management Specialists (CGMS) through the National Grant Management Association. All of the trainings in this series align with the CGMS exam classification system and the Grant Professionals Certification Institute’s competencies and skills and are approved for Continuing Education Units (CEU) by GPCI and CFRE International.