Build the needs statement

Build the needs statement — guided practice

Use limited evidence without overstating what it represents.

Reset facts for the fictional proposal: River Learning Fund accepts registered community nonprofits, a request up to $1,500, six weeks and 20 local learners; it prioritizes accessible evening participation. It requires a narrative of at most 400 words, budget, measurable outcome and evaluation plan by June 30 at 17:00. Bridge Club is a fictional registered nonprofit. Its survey invited 40 members and received 24 responses: 16 preferred evenings and 8 reported transport costs as a barrier; those groups may overlap and are not a town-wide sample. Proposed project: six evening sessions across six weeks for 20 learners. Target: at least 16 of 20 enrolled learners pass all three assessment tasks by the final session. Budget: materials $200, transport $400, facilitator $600, access supports $200, evaluation $100, total $1,500. Fictional program assessment checklist: T1 Schedule a 30-minute meeting when Mina is free 09:00–10:00 and Omar is free 09:30–10:30; pass only for 09:30–10:00, within both availability windows. T2 Compare 10 folders: Alpha $2 each plus $5 delivery; Beta $2.20 each plus $1 delivery; no other charges or differences. Pass only when both totals ($25 and $23) and lower-cost choice Beta are correct. T3 Draft a confirmation from record B7: Elm room, June 18, 10:00–11:00, 8 attendees. Pass only when the ID, room, date, full time span and headcount all match. Overall demonstration success requires all three task passes. The same task criteria are used at entry and at the final session; record each task as Pass, Retry or Missing using a fictional learner ID. These are supplied assessment cards and answer criteria, not activities with real participants. Use a text editor, a free document editor, or paper. Start from the following fictional records; they reset this lesson even if your earlier answer differed. Fictional Bridge Club evidence cards: survey invited 40 members, 24 responded; 16 respondents preferred evening sessions; 8 respondents named transport cost as a barrier. Respondents could select multiple barriers. One anonymized simulated comment: “I finish work at five, so afternoon sessions are hard.” No town-wide sampling was done. Proposed project serves 20 learners.

1. 1. Record the denominator

   State invitations and responses separately.

   You should see: 24 of 40 invited members responded.

   The respondent group is not the whole town.

2. 2. Write a supported claim

   Use the evening preference count with its denominator.

   You should see: 16 of 24 respondents preferred evening sessions.

   A precise group prevents overgeneralization.

3. 3. Handle overlap

   Avoid adding 16 and 8 as if they are different people.

   You should see: Preference and barrier counts may overlap.

   Multiple selections do not create mutually exclusive groups.

4. 4. Link response to need

   Explain the proposed evening schedule and transport support.

   You should see: The design responds to the reported timing and cost barriers.

   Evidence should connect to a practical design decision.