Читать книгу Nonprofit Kit For Dummies - Stan Hutton, Beverly A. Browning - Страница 29

Just as though you were starting a for-profit business, you should analyze your competition before starting a nonprofit organization. If you want to open a grocery store, you don’t choose a location next to a successful supermarket, because the market can bear only so much trade. This principle holds true for nonprofits, too. You may have the best idea in the world, but if someone else in your community is already doing it well, don’t try to duplicate it.

On the other hand, if your area has no similar program, ask yourself why. Maybe your community lacks a sufficient number of potential clients or audience members to support the project. Or maybe funders don’t perceive the same needs in the community as you do.

Assessing the needs of your area is a good way to evaluate the potential market for your nonprofit’s services. You may want to use some or all of the following methods to determine your community’s needs:

 Online surveys or written questionnaires to a random sample of residents in your community

 Interviews with local foundation program staff and civic officials

 Focus groups with people who are likely to benefit from the organization

 Recent community needs assessments (from researching and reading) to look for gaps in services

For more details on assessing your community’s needs, see Chapter 8.