I was brought on board to do a needs assessment for a NJ county’s 60+ arts organizations as preparation for their cultural planning process. I designed the survey to assess logistical needs parituclarly around space and another section using appreciative inquiry questions framed around outcomes of the users of the organizations’ services and programs. I think Ai is well suited to identity outcomes of end-users–which is the type of information funders are requiring more and more which is more in the line of “Don’t tell us how many people attend the concert, play, exhibit but rather how are they changed as a result of having done so.” Also, the tendency is to focus on the organizational outcome rather than the individual outcome. This is not easy work to assess how an individual gained in knowledge, or benefited or experienced a change in one’s attitude. Some of the questions were around what are the unique successes about which your organization can be proud. How does your organization document those successes? In what way does your community boast about your programs, exhbits, What was really powerful was that the last question we had on the survey was the same question a major foundation here in NJ asks its fundees on its final report which is “What is your version of a “more liveable” world?” The survey was distributed the summer of 2000 with some being returned pre-September 11 and the rest post-September 11. Needless to say there was a major shift in the answers. See attached newsletter summary of this work. Terri McNichol Ren Associates 707 Alexander Road, Bldg. 2 Suite 208 Princeton NJ 08540 Telephone +1.609.371.5354 www.renassociates.com t.mcnichol.1@alumni.nyu.edu