Identifying Countywide Needs and Priorities

1
Identifying Countywide Needs and Priorities

• Dr. Mark A. Edelman, Director
• Community Vitality Center ISU Extension Policy
  Economist

2
What Do you Want your Countywide Committee To Do?

• 1. Develop Strategic Projects
• Survey County Needs
• Develop Projects that Meet Strategic Purposes
• As Eligible Entity Fund Own Projects
• 2. Manage Matching Grant Program
• Survey County Needs
• Accept Proposals from Other Eligible Entities
• Fund Grants Across County
• Community Philanthropy Enhancement
• Leverage Gambling Funds in Philanthropy
  Initiatives
• Organize Mechanisms to Tap Transfer of Wealth
• Attract Donors for Hometown Legacies

3
Application requires Identifying Countywide Needs

• SURVEY Options
• 1. Guess about Priorities
• Potential Criticism?
• 2. Mail Survey
• Response Rate?
• 3. Focus Group Survey
• Representative of Desired Population?
• 4. Phone Survey
• Consistency of Interviews?

4
www.extension.iastate.edu/cd-dial/

• See online Brochure
• CD-DIAL works with communities,
• organizations, and state and local agencies to
• assist and build decision-making capacity in
• these groups, especially as they collect and
• use information about their local population
• members or the constituents they serve.

5
Draft Survey Template at www.cvcia.org

• Sample Question From CVC Template
• II. Identification of Priorities
• 3. As you consider the economic vitality and
  quality of life available in your county, please
  rate the following areas of community life in
  terms of priority need for additional resources.
  (Please rank each item on a scale of 1 to 5 with
  1 No Priority, 2 Low Priority, 3 Average
  Priority, 4 High Priority, and 5 Very High
  Priority.)
• ___a. Affordable Housing
• ___b. Attracting Donors for Community Projects
• ___c. Early Childhood Education Daycare
• ___d. Elder Care Support Services
• ___e. Entrepreneurship Training Mentoring
• ___f. Healthcare and Wellness Programs
• ___g. Public Library Programs
• ___h. Low Income Assistance Programs
• ___i. Quality Jobs and Economic Development
• ___j. Police, Fire and Emergency Services
• ___k. Natural Resources, Parks Conservation
• ___l. Senior Activities Programs
• ___m. Youth Recreation Activities
• ___n. Other____________________________________