Organizational Self-Assessment Checklist

by Morrie Warshawski, Editor NEA

Feel free to download the Organizational Self-Assessment Checklist form that was created for the NEA 's Advancement Program and used by organizations at the beginning of their year-long planning process.

The form attempts to list the major aspects of any arts organization's operations in the following categories:

Organizational Purpose
Programs
Governance
Staff
Marketing
Public/Community Relations
Fundraising
Financial Management
Facilities
Planning
Communications/Decision Making
External Environment

Under each category is a laundry list of specific items that you may rank as either: "strong," "adequate," "weak" or "n.a." (not applicable). The checklist should be viewed as a flexible template. Once you become familiar with it, add other headings or items as you see fit.

In Advancement, the checklist was used to engender a conversation among a representative cross-section from an organization. Often it is not the ranking of an item that counts, but the information gained from seeing that different parts of the organization (board and staff, for instance) rank items quite differently, or are totally unaware of how to rank an item. In a large group, votes can be made individually and then tallied later, or a show of hands can be taken for a consensus on each item's ranking as you go along.

The self-assessment can be done in a number of ways and in various settings. The form can be handed to individuals and filled out in private, but this would eliminate the chance for information sharing and conversation. A powerful way to use this tool is to set aside a 3-hour period of time and invite representative members of all factions of your organization to attend - staff, board, artists, volunteers, etc. For shorter time-frames, you might edit the form down to just a couple of categories, or reduce the number of items under each heading.

Once the form is complete, you will have a very good map of the strong and weak spots lurk in your organization, as well as where there is a need for more communication or education. The self-assessment form can provide you with fuel for your first retreat and for prioritizing the major areas where goal setting, research and action items need to begin.