About the Needs Assessment

During the summer and fall of 2021, The Chest conducted a Needs Assessment. We conduct a Needs Assessment about every five years. Here’s some more information about the purpose, process, and impact of this analysis. Thank you to all of those who completed our online survey to help us with this process. Our survey is now closed.

purpose

The purpose of the Needs Assessment is to:

• take stock of assets and resources in our community;

• to uncover any gaps in services and resources;

• to gauge if community members are aware of all the resources their community has to offer;

• to help guide our grant funding decisions of current and potentially new nonprofit agencies.

research process

Here’s how we gather our data:

• Community asset mapping - We take inventory of Stow community resources, assets, and programs.

• Secondary data analysis - We look at existing data sources for Stow and the surrounding region.

• Community survey - We create a brief survey for residents to provide feedback on their needs, experiences, ideas, etc.

• Key informant interviews - We meet and interview members of various groups and organizations in town.

impact

The Needs Assessment ensures that The Chest can adequately identify the needs and challenges our residents are facing. In turn, our improved understanding will help guide our funding of current and potentially new nonprofit agencies.