{
 "schema": "aiblocks-page/1",
 "id": "community-needs-research-planner",
 "type": "skill",
 "name": "Community needs research planner",
 "summary": "Plan a community needs assessment: give your area and service idea, get a research plan, provider map and gap summary to show if the need is real.",
 "headline": "Community needs research planner",
 "subhead": "Share the people, area, and need you want to understand. It combines public evidence, community listening, and a map of existing services. You get a research plan or findings report showing specific gaps and whether to build, partner, refer, or reconsider.",
 "job": {
  "id": "research-topics",
  "name": "Research a topic properly"
 },
 "level": "intermediate",
 "thinking": "high",
 "tested": true,
 "updated": "2026-10-28",
 "first_published": "2026-10-25",
 "inputs": [
  {
   "type": "question",
   "required": true,
   "label": "Question",
   "what": "the problem, decision or piece of work you want help with, and what a good outcome looks like"
  },
  {
   "type": "document",
   "required": false,
   "label": "Document",
   "what": "a finished document, such as a Word file, a PDF or a page of notes"
  }
 ],
 "outputs": [
  {
   "type": "plan",
   "required": true,
   "label": "Plan",
   "what": "a dated plan: what to do, in what order, with a decision rule for each step"
  },
  {
   "type": "audit_report",
   "required": true,
   "label": "Audit report",
   "what": "findings with evidence, severity, missing inputs and next actions"
  }
 ],
 "you_give": [
  "Population, area, proposed need, existing evidence, research budget, and access or consent limits."
 ],
 "you_get": [
  "A needs research plan or report, interview or survey questions, provider table, and gap summary."
 ],
 "use_when": [
  "You are deciding whether to start a new community program and want proof of need.",
  "A funder or board asks for evidence of need in a proposal.",
  "You want to know who else already serves this group in your area.",
  "You are deciding whether to end a program because the need may have changed."
 ],
 "skip_when": [
  "You want to track whether a running program is working: use the Nonprofit outcomes measurement skill, or a simple yearly check of your own numbers.",
  "You want to judge whether a funder is a good fit: use the Nonprofit grant research skill.",
  "You already know the need and want to design the program: ask your AI to build a logic model, or work with a program design adviser."
 ],
 "output_sample": {
  "input": [
   "The group of people you want to understand, such as an age range",
   "The area, such as a town or postcodes",
   "The need or service idea you are testing",
   "Any data or reports you already have (optional)",
   "Your research budget and any limits on reaching people (optional)"
  ],
  "prerequisites": [
   "A chat AI. It works best if it can read your files and check current public sources.",
   "Consent and ethics review before you talk to people or send surveys."
  ],
  "output": [
   {
    "name": "Needs assessment report",
    "contains": "Summary, methods, findings by data source, limits, and recommendations for your board or funder."
   },
   {
    "name": "Data collection instruments",
    "contains": "A short survey, an interview guide, and a focus group plan, set up to be easy to join."
   },
   {
    "name": "Provider and asset inventory table",
    "contains": "Who else serves this group, their capacity, who can use them, waitlists, and local strengths."
   },
   {
    "name": "Gap analysis summary",
    "contains": "For each gap: the need, current capacity, the gap, and what it means for you."
   },
   {
    "name": "Board or funder memo",
    "contains": "A short note with 2 or 3 options: fill the gap, partner or refer, or stand down."
   }
  ]
 },
 "how_to_use": [
  "Open your AI chat. Paste the skill text or upload the skill folder.",
  "Tell it who the people are, which area, and what need or service idea you are testing.",
  "Add any reports, data or budget limits you have (optional).",
  "Review the plan first. If you will survey or interview people, get consent and ethics review before you collect anything.",
  "Collect the data yourself, then paste the results back and ask for the report, provider table and gap summary.",
  "Check the sources and numbers the AI cites before you share the report."
 ],
 "checks": [],
 "next": [
  {
   "name": "Market research report writer",
   "url": "https://useaiblocks.com/skills/market-research-report-writer",
   "why": "Market research report writer"
  }
 ],
 "source": {
  "by": "Nonprofit Skills",
  "repo": "sector-skills/nonprofit-skills",
  "url": "https://github.com/sector-skills/nonprofit-skills/tree/7d8a2ca9d471fc975d0e9ccd02fcdd66520fd1c8/nonprofit-skills-library/skills/programs-impact/nonprofit-needs-assessment",
  "licence": "MIT",
  "original_name": "nonprofit-needs-assessment",
  "commit": "7d8a2ca9d471fc975d0e9ccd02fcdd66520fd1c8"
 },
 "credits": [
  {
   "title": "nonprofit-needs-assessment skill",
   "by": "Nonprofit Skills",
   "url": "https://github.com/sector-skills/nonprofit-skills/tree/7d8a2ca9d471fc975d0e9ccd02fcdd66520fd1c8/nonprofit-skills-library/skills/programs-impact/nonprofit-needs-assessment",
   "used": "Copied under the MIT licence. We gave it a plain name. We added Before you start and After this sections that link to other AI Blocks steps."
  },
  {
   "title": "Original author",
   "by": "Brendon Connelly",
   "url": "https://brendonconnelly.com",
   "used": "Wrote the skill; Nonprofit Skills shared it in their collection."
  }
 ],
 "files": [
  "LICENSE"
 ],
 "links": {
  "page": "https://useaiblocks.com/skills/community-needs-research-planner",
  "markdown": "https://useaiblocks.com/skills/community-needs-research-planner.md",
  "json": "https://useaiblocks.com/skills/community-needs-research-planner.json",
  "instructions": "https://useaiblocks.com/skills/community-needs-research-planner/SKILL.md",
  "download": "https://useaiblocks.com/skills/community-needs-research-planner.zip",
  "api_item": "https://useaiblocks.com/api/v1/items/community-needs-research-planner",
  "api_document": "https://useaiblocks.com/api/v1/documents/skill/community-needs-research-planner",
  "mcp": "https://useaiblocks.com/mcp"
 }
}