Introduction
An environmental scan is an ongoing process that tracks changes in trends in the current internal and external environment (Fordham University, n.d.). The internal factors may include budget issues, changes in leadership, and staffing issues. The external environment includes a wide range of factors, such as changes in the economy, politics, laws, technology, and the labor market. The present paper provides an environmental scan for Hart City Domestic Violence Resource Center. In particular, it identifies the target population, outlines the key resources, and provides an overview of data sources for assessing key factors and trends that may affect the Resource Center in the future.
Identifying the Target Population and Agency
The target population is survivors of domestic and intimate partner violence in Hart City and nearby territories. The agency under analysis is the Hart City Domestic Violence Resource Center. According to Emezue et al. (2020), at least one in three women globally experienced cases of domestic and intimate partner violence. The pandemic, along with other factors, had a significant impact on the matter in all parts of the world, including Hart City. Thus, it is crucial to conduct an environmental scan to make necessary corrections in the strategic planning for the organization.
Available Resources
Hart City Domestic Violence Resource Center provides a wide specter of services for survivors of domestic and intimate partner violence in Hart City. They include 24-hour consultations with qualified personnel through phone calls, texts, or online chat, trauma counseling, legal assistance, and financial assistance. Additionally, the resource center provides confidential housing in a domestic violence shelter and childcare.
Data Sources for Environmental Scan
There are two types of sources of information for the environmental scan, including qualitative and quantitative sources. Quantitative data is associated with numeric data that can be acquired from surveys or observations. Internal quantitative sources for the environmental scan include job satisfaction surveys, changes in key performance indicators, and levels of awareness of the community about the services provided by the center. The external quantitative sources may include surveys of the Hart City citizens about the quality of the provided services, suggestions about other services that should be added, and opinions about the situation concerning domestic violence in Hart City in general. Other types of external quantitative data include changes in GDP, local poverty levels, unemployment levels, and violent crime statistics. The acquired quantitative data may be used in the future to conduct an analysis of the environment using statistical methods.
Qualitative data is associated with unstructured information received from interviews, observations, or focus groups. Internal qualitative sources include opinions of key staff on various subjects, including future funding, internal culture assessment, organizational structure, and potential for development. External qualitative sources may include the opinions of outside experts on the development of different spheres, such as the economy, politics, demography, and law. For instance, if the economy is expected to experience a significant recession in the nearest future or new anti-COVID measures are expected to be introduced, it is likely that the center will experience a significant increase in the number of service users. Thus, appropriate changes are to be made in the strategic plan.
Conclusion
Environmental scanning is a valuable instrument used by non-profit organizations for strategic planning. The information sources for the environmental scans can be internal and external. These sources can produce qualitative and quantitative data that can be used for future analysis. Hart City Domestic Violence Resource Center can benefit from all types of information sources listed in this paper.
References
Emezue, C. (2020). Digital or digitally delivered responses to domestic and intimate partner violence during COVID-19. JMIR public health and surveillance, 6(3), e19831.
Fordham University. (n.d.). Conducting an Environmental Scan. Web.