Opportunity International developed the Holistic Community Assessment approach to capture the day-to-day realities of the people we serve through a simple and affordable, yet rich technique based on listening to and scoring stories—providing a valuable snapshot into individuals' lives across both physical and spiritual dimensions.
Opportunity has seen firsthand how insights produced from this approach can optimize interventions for deeper transformation. And now, we are excited to share this methodology with other mission-guided organizations!
Step 1: Watch the HCA Intro
This introductory video outlines the basis of the HCA approach, perspectives from the research team and a participant, and a quick summary of the contents of the full toolkit.
Step 2: Download Materials
Access the brochure and user's guide to make the most of your Holistic Community Assessment.
The Introductory Brochure
The introductory brochure guides the reader through the four steps of the HCA approach (Listen, Score, Interpret, Mobilize), offering examples from Opportunity’s own research.
The User's Guide
The user’s guide offers more in-depth guidance for organizations seeking to implement HCA, with helpful tips on everything from conducting a successful interview to the best strategies for circulating and implementing recommendations from the research. The user’s guide also includes the HCA tool itself and comes with an Excel template for data entry.
Step 3: Watch the Video Stories
The five illustrative video stories demonstrate the richness of stories that can be solicited using the HCA approach. Each video focuses on one of the five domains as the main character, or characters recount their story in their own words.
Is your organization interested in conducting your own holistic community assessment? Opportunity’s Knowledge Management team is here to help, offering tailored solutions to your organization’s research requirements.
After downloading your free copy of the Holistic Community Assessment Toolkit, consult with our team to ensure your independently-managed assessment is on track for success. Want more support? Use our hands-on training to gain an in-depth understanding of the assessment approach with a training workshop. Or entrust your assessment to Opportunity's Knowledge Management team, who can manage and run the research independently or in collaboration with your team!
Contact us at [email protected], or by using the form below: