Needs Assessment Template

NEEDS ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE
One crucial aspect of the project planning process is a needs assessment. By meeting with the people you want to
empower with your Enactus project, your team will obtain a better understanding of the economic, social and
environmental factors at play in their livelihoods. This understanding leads to sustainable, successful projects that
more effectively improve livelihoods. Additionally, conducting the needs assessment in cooperation with the people
you will be working with empowers those individuals by giving them a voice and a stake in their own outcome. Your
team develops their capacity to see opportunities to transform their own lives and the lives of others.
The basic steps involved in conducting a needs assessment are as follows:
 Determine the people you want to empower with your project

 Develop a plan for assessing the needs and desired outcomes of those individuals
 Conduct the assessment in conjunction with the people your project will empower
 Analyze the results
It is important to include key individuals in the needs assessment project. These key individuals will vary from
project to project and from community to community, but some examples include: those experiencing the needs your
project addresses, community leaders and activists, people whose jobs or lives could be affected by the project,
businesses involved in the project, health and human service providers who may be knowledgeable about the
community.
PROJECT START DATE
PROJECT TITLE
TARGET AUDIENCE
POTENTIAL PROJECT
PARTNERS, IF APPLICABLE
Economic, Social and Environmental Factors
Consider the economic factors affecting the people you are working with:
 What sort of economic trends are occurring? Consider seasonality of prices, production and employment
opportunities.
 What are the industries or major sources of employment in the area?
 What is the average income of the people you are working with? How does this compare to others in the
area?
 What is the unemployment rate of the target audience? What is the major cause of this unemployment?
 What other economic factors are applicable?
Unemployment Seasonal Employment Poverty

Lack of job opportunities Poor business growth Other (Specify below)
NOTES:
Consider the social factors affecting the people you are working with:
 What are the demographics of the community? Example: gender, age, life expectancy, etc.
 What are the population trends affecting the community (birth rates, family-size, etc.)?
 Do the people you are working with have access to affordable education?
 What health-related issues and trends are present in the community?
 What role does the government play in the lives of the community?
 Is there a history of conflict or discrimination in the community?
 What cultural norms and practices are present in the community?
 What other groups or organizations are doing development work within the community?
 What other social factors are applicable to your beneficiary community?
Population Growth Health-related issues Social isolation

Discrimination Education Other (Specify below)
NOTES:
Consider the environmental factors affecting the people you are working with:
 Describe the physical location of the community – What are the climate and topography like?
 What sort of disease, pollution or natural disasters affect or might affect the community?
 Describe the infrastructure available to the community.
 What sort of industrial facilities and commercial areas are present?
 What other environmental factors are applicable to your beneficiary community?
Climate change Pollution Waste Management

Other (Specify below)
NOTES:
Livelihoods Assets & Strategies

The goal of livelihood development is to increase access to and/or protection of financial, social, natural, physical,
and human livelihood assets. The assets are relational, and often developing one means development of others. It
is also necessary to look beyond the categories into the structures, processes and strategies that transform the
assets into livelihood outcomes. The purpose of the section below is to identify what assets the people you are
working with have currently, and how they are using them (or not using them) to achieve their desired livelihood
outcomes.
1. What financial assets do the people you are working with have currently? How stable are these assets?
2. What social assets do the people you are working with have currently? How stable are these assets?
3. What natural assets do the people you are working with have currently? How stable are these assets?
4. What physical assets do the people you are working with have currently? How stable are these assets?
5. What human assets do the people you are working with have currently? How stable are these assets?
6. What are the desired livelihoods outcomes of the people you are working with? Which outcome(s) will be the focus
of your project?
7. What strategies are being used by the community currently to achieve these outcomes? What is and isn’t working?
8. Given the economic, social and environmental factors and livelihood assets of the people you are working with,
what are potential internal or external challenges for your Enactus project? Are there possible negative
consequences?

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What are the basic steps involved in conducting a needs assessment?

What economic, social and environmental factors should be considered in a needs assessment?

NEEDS ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE

The basic steps involved in conducting a needs assessment are as follows:

 Determine the people you want to empower with your project

PROJECT START DATE

Economic, Social and Environmental Factors

Unemployment Seasonal Employment Poverty

Population Growth Health-related issues Social isolation

Climate change Pollution Waste Management

Livelihoods Assets & Strategies

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