Needs Assessment

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Welcome! Completing the following questions will allow us to identify how the Playbook can meet your needs and point you in the right direction. Once you submit your responses, you’ll receive a recommendation for which participatory program to pursue based on your situation.

Please note that the information you provide in this form is for your planning purposes only and will not be shared with any third parties. We will also ask you for your email address, but rest assured that this is not for commercial purposes: It is so that you can access your personal playbook now and when you return to the website later.

Do you already know what type of participatory program you are interested in planning?

Participatory budgeting: A democratic process in which residents directly decide how to spend part of a public budget.

Citizens’ assembly or jury: A randomly selected and representative sample of the community learns about a policy issue, deliberates, and recommends policy solutions.

Legislative theater: Community members act out new ideas or interventions to inequitable or unjust policies, then work with officials to transform these ideas into new laws.

Participatory policymaking: Residents propose, debate, and vote on new policies and policy changes, through online platforms and meetings.

Which issue(s) are you trying to address through a participatory process?
Will you conduct your participatory program in person, online, or a combination of the two?

If you’re not sure what the best format is for your participatory program, we will point you to guidance on digital participation — including whether conducting a fully online or hybrid process is right for your context — after you submit this form.

Would you like to continue with the needs assessment, or would you like to start building your playbook right away?
What kind of institution will lead or manage the program?

In many cases, more than one institution or organization is involved in organizing a participatory program. For example, a local government might convene a citizens’ assembly and then work with a local civil society organization to plan and facilitate the program. The Playbook is organized based on the institution that is ultimately responsible for the program. If another organization is involved, then staff from the government and/or the organization can be responsible for completing the Playbook. For this question, you should select the institution that is ultimately responsible for the program.

Which of the following corresponds most closely with what you hope to get out of the program?
Which partners have you identified to support public engagement?
What are your internal human resources to engage the public?
When do you want to finish implementing the program?

It may be hard to implement a meaningful participatory program in this timeline.

What are your goals for the program? What other information would you like to share?