Define the goals and objectives for the needs assessment. Show what it is you want to find out about whom. Decide whether you are concerned about just those clients you currently serve or if you wish to broaden your client base to the total community. Select the approach you will take in collecting the information. Decide whether the information you need exists, if a new data collection effort is needed or if you will need to use a combination of approaches.
Most agencies have some type of available information.
Another potential source of information is the U.S. census. Much of that data is already summarized by county and state. If the type of information you want is not available, then it must be collected. One common method is to gather data by a mailed questionnaire. Valuable information also might be collected by interviews.