1. Using Community Commons Date in Your CNA
Jarle Crocker
Director, Training and Technical Assistance
Community Action Partnership
Michigan Community Action Summer Conference
July 1, 2017

2. Agenda Introduction to the Community Commons Website
Advanced Community Commons Tools
Incorporating Community Commons Data Into Your CAN
What questions do you have?

3. Organizational Standards Category Three: Beyond Compliance
Standard 3.1 • The organization conducted a Community Assessment and issued a report within the past 3 years.
The assessment is comprehensive and covers the whole community
The report is shared with customers, partners, and the community
Standard 3.2 • As part of the Community Assessment, the organization collects and includes current data specific to poverty and its prevalence related to gender, age, and race/ethnicity for their service area(s).
Demographic data is included for all domains
Demographic data informs decisions about selection of programs, services, and delivery strategies

4. Organizational Standards
Standard 3.3 • The organization collects and analyzes both qualitative and quantitative data on its geographic service area(s) in the Community Assessment.
Qualitative and quantitative data is collected for all domains
Qualitative data is used to explain quantitative data
The data is analyzed to “tell the story” of poverty in the community
Standard 3.4 • The community assessment includes key findings on the causes and conditions of poverty and the needs of the communities assessed.
The causes of poverty are analyzed across domains
The causes of poverty are used to inform the strategic plan

5. Organizational Standards
Standard 3.5 • The governing board formally accepts the completed Community Assessment.
The board is involved in the CNA from the start
Agency leadership reviews key findings with the board
The board uses the needs assessment to inform the strategic plan

6. Technical Assistance Guide
Guidance on definition and intent
Guidance on interpretation and documentation
Resources to benchmark performance and improve

7. NASCSP Tools

8. The Five Stages of the CNA
Define Scope
Report
Assessment Plan
Implement Survey
Data Plan

9. 1. Define the Scope Scope Choose an agency team
Identify potential supporters/partners
Present to leadership
Introduce assessment concept and choices
Choose the community to assess
Choose the broad domains of needs and assets to assess
Back to main

10. Choosing the Target Community
Consider looking at multiple levels – zip code/census tract, neighborhood, city/county, region
Don’t exclude communities outside of your service area
Use the boundary discussion to identify key stakeholders to engage
Make sure to target stakeholders beyond your client population
Define what it means to be in poverty

11. How do You Define Poverty?
Supplemental Poverty Measure
“The SPM extends the official poverty measure by taking account of many of the government programs designed to assist low-income families and individuals that are not included in the current official poverty measure.”

12. Group Discussion Questions
What domains did you use for your last needs assessment?
Did you have any challenges making the data “fit” the domains?
How would you organize the domains differently next time?

13. Choose Your Categories
Community Commons Online Tool
Domains of CSBG Act
Population Profile
Employment
Education
Housing
Income
Nutrition
Health Care
Employment
Education
Income Management
Housing
Emergency Services
Nutrition
Self Sufficiency
Health
Services for Youth
Services for Senior Citizens

14. Reflect on Your Usual Categories
What do you include in your surveys?
What areas do you discuss in focus groups?
Can you get (1) demographic data, (2) geographic data, and (3) trends for each area?
Age, Race, Gender
Census tract/zip code
Trended data over time

15. 2. Create an Assessment Plan
Develop your “Data Collection Planning Matrix”
Brainstorm assets and needs
Create “wish lists” organized by type
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16. The Data Collection Planning Matrix
Developed by the Agency Team and/or consultant
Helps the team to brainstorm what potential types of data to collect
Helps organize the data into the three ROMA levels of individual/family, organizations/agencies, and community
Helps to identify potential challenges with domains and data collection
Helps streamline the data collection process by prioritizing what data to collect

17. Develop Your Data Collection Planning Matrix
Level
What Data?
Who Has It?
How is it Collected?
Individual/Family
Quantitative
Qualitative
Organizations/ Agencies
Community

18. Sample Data Planning Matrix

19. 3. Create a Data Collection Plan
Data Plan
Decide what data is needed
Engage your Board to define member roles
Develop the message to community partners
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20. Engaging Stakeholders Through Data Collection
General Public
Community Organizations
Key Partners
Customers

21. Remember to Include Multi-Level Data
National
Region/State
Community
Target Population

22. Decide What Data is Needed
Databases and reports of others
Surveys
Focus groups
Community forums
Interviews

23. Organize Data by Type and Source
Housing
Published Statistics
Survey Information
Focus Groups or Interview Information
Community Forum Responses
What?
Who Has it?
What Group?
Who has it?
Education
Published Statistics
Survey Information
Focus Groups or Interview Information
Community Forum Responses
What?
Who Has it?
What Group?
Who has it?

24. 4. Collect the Data Implementation
Create a timeline and assign responsibility
Collect the data
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25. Collect the Data
Use a three year time frame if possible to allow for identification of trends
Try to collect multiple levels of data (neighborhood, city/county, region, state, nation) for comparison
Look for studies and reports that analyze the data
Sequence the data collection to start with quantitative methods, then surveys, focus groups, and interviews, ending with community forums
Pair data collection methods with types of stakeholders and data collection needs (e.g. surveys for customers; key informant interviews for partners)
Use expert interviews to analyze complex data and issue
Ask for peer-to-peer assistance on data analysis
Consider connections to the strategic planning process

26. 5. Analyze and Report the Data
Create the community profile
Organize non-quantitative responses
Analyze and compare
Create and present reports
Back to main

27. Data Analysis Helps Tell Your Community Action Story
You must be able to translate and transform data to articulate what the numbers mean, what action we must take, and how we and others can plan for the future
ANALYZE
RECOMMEND and REPLICATE
PLAN

28. Data Analysis Guides Strategy
How do the needs fit into the context of your community?
The answers to the analysis will guide the strategy that you take – including the partnerships that are created

29. Connecting the Dots: Beyond Data Collection
What does this all mean?
What do we focus on?
What happens next?
Raw Data
Analyzed Data
Clear, Evidence-Based Message

30. Process for Analysis 1. Organize the data by domain
2. Analyze the data
3. Identify the underlying causes
4. Prioritize the needs
5. Pair Needs and resources/partners
6. Recommendations and key findings

31. 1. Findings Organized by Domain
Utilize domains from Community Commons
Domains of CSBG Act
Population Profile
Employment
Education
Housing
Income
Nutrition
Health Care
Employment
Education
Income Management
Housing
Emergency Services
Nutrition
Self Sufficiency
Health
Services for Youth
Services for Senior Citizens

32. 2. Analyze the Data Identify gaps in services
What is the total eligible but unserved population?
What are the “systems” level issues?
Identify geographic areas of need
How are needs geographically distributed?
Are there issues with access and availability?
Identify needs by demographic categories
What are the needs by population?
Who are our primary customers?

33. 2. Analyze the Data Assess trended data over time
What needs are increasing and decreasing?
By how much?
What are the impacts of unmet needs?
What are the costs of bad outcomes?
What is the potential return on investment?
Identify new partners and resources
Where do we need to build relationships?
Where can we access and leverage resources?

34. 3. Identify the Underlying Causes
Organizational Standard 3.4 requires an analysis of the causes and conditions of poverty
What are the underlying causes of the needs?
What are the relationships among the underlying causes? How do they connect? Are some more fundamental than others?
Are there any obvious “tipping points” where actions will have significant impacts?
Goal is self-sufficiency – must go deeper
Look at level of need – the why – discuss possible causes
Social, economic, and political factors
Some causes will be beyond capacity of agency to address
Not meant to address all the unmet needs
Inclusion of the conditions of poverty but no documented discussion, or analysis of the causes. There is no one right answer for the cause of why a need exists, poverty is complex. However, agencies need to document that their assessment committee, agency staff, Board of Directors, or other entity analyzed what the causes associated with the documented need might be, and include those causes in the report.
Key Findings
Summary of Need
Community Level
Agency Level
Family Level
Context of Need
Causes specific to your community and specific to your potential customers
Conditions specific to your community and specific to your potential customer
Assessment of causes and conditions addressed currently by the agency, but not inclusive of larger community causes and conditions in the agency’s geographic service area. While it is important to evaluate the causes and conditions of poverty currently being addressed by the agency, the assessment is an opportunity to gain insight into the needs of the service area that may not currently be met. The assessment, and the key findings, should involve needs assessed both inside and outside of the agency.

35. Example: Lack of Living Wage Jobs
Need Domain: Employment
Level:
Clients lack skills to obtain living wage jobs (Family)
Community lacks living wage job opportunities (Community)
Agency lacking mentors and business partners to work with job training program participants (Agency)

36. Example: Lack of Living Wage Jobs
Why now?
Changing standards for education
Higher cost of living
Discussions/legislative bills around the country
Why here?
Cost of Living
State legislature has voted against raising the minimum wage
What’s different?
Local: ABC closed all of their franchises in X town, manufacturing stalled, etc.
Social: single parent households increased
Economic: slow recovery, slow job growth
Political: change in representation

37. Group Discussion Questions
What are the top five needs in your service area?
Rank them 1-5
What criteria did you use to rank them?

38. 4. Prioritize the Need What is the quantity/level of need?
Is it increasing, decreasing, or stable?
What is its impact on individuals/families and the community?
What is the cost to address the need?
Is it aligned with the agency’s mission?
Pay attention to the Red dials – in Community Commons you can select “Customize Report” and select “Only show indicators not meeting benchmarks” and it will create a report that only shows those indicators where your area is doing worse when compared to the state and/or the US – these are things your agency should pay attention to
Pay attention to the statistics showing change over time – going back to the questions we asked initially regarding whether things are different in your community now than the last time you assessed the need. Look at statistics that show rate changes like the poverty rate change or statistics over time – like unemployment in the past five years. This will give insight into those things that may be different.

40. 5. Pair Needs, Resources, and Partners
What is your agency already doing?
What resources are available?
What parts of the need can you address? What can you coordinate with partners?
What are community partners already doing?
How can partnerships/collaborations/coalitions be built?
What can be addressed by service delivery? By advocacy?
You will find a number of needs, with deep and interconnected causes
Your agency has one role in addressing the causes and conditions of poverty
Need to take AGENCY EXPERIENCE and KNOWLEDGE,
- what you have identified as the NEED,
- the RESOURCES you have and those you WANT,
- with the PARTNERS you have and those you need
TO MAKE A PLAN
What programs do you already offer to address the need?
What resources are out there?
Which piece of the need will you address –
- you will offer an employment training program,
- and a partner will offer the transportation passes for job interviews
You have to know what your Partners are doing to be able to divvy that up
What are those COMMUNITY LEVEL issues that require all hands on deck – maybe even some advocacy efforts
Know the level of need, know the cause
Have agency data and historical outcomes
Have qualitative & quantitative data and community input
Part of analysis is mapping:
What you know
What you have
Who can help

41. Notes on Partnerships Be Strategic in Leveraging Partnerships
You will find a number of needs, with deep and interconnected causes
Your agency has one role in addressing the causes and conditions of poverty
What parts of the Need can you address? What parts will you coordinate with partners?
Look for partners that have resources/assets you lack
Ex. Resources for Transportation that can supplement your employment program
Look for partners who need the resources/assets you have
Standard 2.1 – “documented or demonstrated partnerships across the community, for specifically identified purposes…”

42. 6. Recommendations and Key Findings
You have organized the data
You understand the causes and conditions of poverty
You know what resources are available and partnerships to be created
1) Make recommendation on how to address the causes and conditions of poverty with resources/partnerships available
2) Summarize your efforts in concise, powerful summary

43. Writing the Report Describe the assessment goals and methods
Include raw data
Summarize the key findings – assessment means analysis, not compilation
Organize findings according to categories
Make recommendations driven by the data

44. Example - CNA Table of Contents
I. Executive Summary Key Findings Recommendations II. Introduction and Methodology III. CAA History and Programs IV. Overview of XX Counties and Municipalities V. Demographic Profile (age, gender, race/ethnicity etc.) VI. Poverty Profile VII. Income Profile VIII. Employment Profile IX. Transportation Profile X. Public Benefits XI. Food Security XII. Education Profile XIII. Child Care Profile XIV. Housing Profile XV. Health Profile
Tip… each profile should contain the big picture on the topic for examples:
State Data sources with charts
CAA client data with charts
Survey findings
Focus Group/Community Forums Summary
Analysis of the information

45. Best Practices in Board Acceptance
Deeper discussion/presentation with Program Committee of the Board
Receive report to review before the meeting
Pay attention to the key findings section
Ask questions about analysis that will help members obtain information they need
to “fully participate in the development, planning, implementation, and evaluation of the program to serve low-income communities” (IM 82)
Required: Vote to accept and record in minutes
According to Standards – report must be received and voted upon, recorded in the minutes
Talking about BEST PRACTICES
Have Program Committee discuss
Receive and review report prior to Board Meeting – have your questions ready
Don’t need to pay a ton of attention to raw data – you just need to be well versed in KEY FINDINGS
This is all to help you do your job as a Board Member
– guide your development, planning, implementation, and evaluation efforts

46. Taking Action on the Report
Have the report accepted by Board vote
Share with the community
Incorporate into the CAP
Incorporate into Strategic Plans
Update annually?
Full assessment needs to be done every three years

47. WHY to share CNA Raise Awareness of Poverty Raise Awareness of Agency
Numbers to back up experience - experience to back up recommendations
Raise Awareness of Agency
Analysis of need and strategy to address the causes of poverty are great PR
Build Partnerships
Bring knowledge and experience grounded in data to the table
Fundraise
Plan to reduce poverty that stems from an understanding of needs and resources
Advocate
Raise awareness about reality of poverty; the need to make change

48. It depends on WHO you are sharing it with and for WHAT purpose
WHAT should be shared
It depends on WHO you are sharing it with and for WHAT purpose

49. How Much Information Does That Person Need?
Graphics
One-pager
Key Findings
Recommendations
Full report

50. Don’t forget about the Dials, Charts, and Maps from Community Commons!
What to Share
Board of Directors
Full Report
Focus discussion on Key Findings
Community Members
Key Findings
Emphasize analysis of resources
Recommendations
Community Action
Local Funders
Key Findings and Recommendations
Elected Officials
Key Findings or shorter
One to two page fact sheet
Don’t forget about the Dials, Charts, and Maps from Community Commons!

51. How to Share: With a Clear and Concise Message on the Need
At community meetings and events
In conversations with potential partners
As support and proof in advocacy efforts
As foundation for fundraising
What do you do after receiving and voting on the report? SHARE IT
Bring it up at community events
As show and tell in building partners
As proof to back up advocacy efforts
As core of fundraising
HERE IS WHAT THE NEED IS
HERE IS WHAT OUR AGENCY DOES AND WHAT HAS WORKED FOR US
HERE IS HOW WE RECOMMEND MEETING THE NEED
WE HAVE THESE RESOURCES, WE NEED THOSE RESOURCES TO MAKE IT HAPPEN
ONE OF THE BEST TOOLS IN YOUR TOOLBOX

52. Be Creative & Make Findings Accessible
Use charts, graphs, and dials from Community Commons for visual appeal
Create infographics to display the numbers on piktochart.com or word cloud to show the most voiced needs as wordle.net
Post on agency website and social media

53. Sample CNA Tweets
[agency] is assessing community needs, all local input is valuable #talkpoverty [link to survey]
[county] has [_] kids living in #poverty, we are working to change that #CommunityAction
View our key findings on causes and conditions of poverty here [link to website] #CommunityAction

54. Facebook Can say more than on Twitter – tell a story
Show pictures from your CNA process
Talk about the challenges you faced and the depth/importance of final product
Link to your full report and website
Say thank you to the clients and community members who participated

55. Create Your Own Infographic

57. Make a Word Cloud From Qualitative Data
Go to

58. Share Visuals from Community Commons
Households Living Below the Poverty Level
Percent by by County ACS

59. Questions

60. Requirements and Roles Resources
Technical Assistance Guide Organizational Standards Category 3
This toolkit, created by the Partnership’s Organizational Standards Center of Excellence walks through the documentation required for each of the Standards related to Needs Assessments.
 A Community Action Guide to Comprehensive Community Needs Assessments
The toolkit, written by the National Association for State Community Services Programs (NASCSP) in July 2011 walks through the assessment process at large with specific information for this standard starting on page 32.
Community Needs Assessment Guide and TDHCA Submission Requirements
This toolkit from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs provides survey, focus group, and interview templates in addition to larger guidance on the assessment process.
Community Needs Assessment Tool Kit
This toolkit, written by the Missouri Association for Community Action and Missouri State CSBG Office in April 2009 walks through the assessment process with specific information for this standard “Statistical Data,” “Agency Gathered Data” and “Conditions of Poverty and Issue Areas” on pages 7-30.

61. Data Collection & Analysis Resources
Community Commons Comprehensive Needs Assessment Tool
Applicable Statistics: Senior Poverty Rate, Child Poverty Rate, Age and Gender Demographics, Race Demographics, Population in Poverty by Gender, Population in Poverty by Race…
 A Community Action Guide to Comprehensive Community Needs Assessments
The toolkit, written by the National Association for State Community Services Programs (NASCSP) in July 2011 walks through the assessment process at large with specific information for this standard starting on page 32.
Community Needs Assessment Guide and TDHCA Submission Requirements
This toolkit from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs provides survey, focus group, and interview templates in addition to larger guidance on the assessment process.
September 2015: Using the New Poverty Data
This webinar by the Coalition on Human Needs walks users through how to access exactly the type of cross reference data this Standard is asking for from the Census Bureau website (updated annually)
United States Census – American Fact Finder
This part of the Census Bureau website allows users to search and select different demographics to generate state tables.
Smart Survey Design
This guide from Survey Monkey walks through some basic survey tips.
Living Wage Calculator
From the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, this tool “is designed to provide a minimum estimate of the cost of living for low wage families”

62. Sharing and Utilizing Resources
CAP/NASCSP/NCAF/CAPLAW Social Media Webinar
This recording gives tips on telling your story by sharing your outcomes on social media. Additionally, how to use this data for advocacy in a legally responsible way.
Story Guide and Brochure from NASCSP
Look for infographic webinars from NYSCAA
Check out updates on Virtual CAP
Infographics on piktochart
Word Clouds on Wordle
Check out talkpoverty.org