Many researchers and policymakers have sought to better understand community resources in relation to community needs. Nonprofit organizations are one key type of resource. In the human service field, for example, one might compare spending by human service nonprofit organizations and government agencies in a county with indicators of need such as the number of children, adults, and elderly living in poverty; the number of unemployed; and the number people with disabilities. There are a number of resources available for learning more about the needs of your community.

Community Needs and Capabilities: Click on this link to learn more about how researchers are thinking about assessing community needs and capabilities.

NCCS Geographic Search (2007 beta version) (NEW!) lets users select a state, county, metropolitan area, or zipcode and view basic demographics and nonprofit information on the area.

U.S. Census Bureau - American Fact Finder provides access to numerous statistics from the U.S. Decennial Census and updated Census Bureau survey data.

The Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health, a project of CAHMI (Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources.

Data Place

United Way of Greater Richmond and Petersburg (VA) has a useful framework for its Indicators of Community Strength: http://www.yourunitedway.org/NR/rdonlyres/2425DA1D-D164-4C46-A8EE-94FF4879E210/936/IndicatorsofCommunityStrength2006.pdf

Community Tool Box - "Our goal is to support your work in promoting community health and development...The Tool Box provides over 7,000 pages of practical skill-building information on over 250 different topics."

Http://zipskinny.com/  - A simple tool oriented around display of zipcode-level demographics in comparison to the zipcode's state and the U.S.