You understand why it is important to collect information about the problem:
___To know the facts.
___To be seen as a credible, effective organization.
___Because awareness leads to change.
How do you collect this information?
___Agree on the value and purpose of the information that you will collect.
___Determine when you want to use this data.
___Determine exactly what you want to know.
___Determine who will find the information.
___Identify possible sources of information.
___Set limits as to how much data you want to collect.
___Collect the data.
___Identify gaps in your knowledge.
___Redo the process to try to fill those gaps, or collect your own data.
___Compare data for your community with that of others, or with national data.
Collecting new information:
___Follow the steps above.
___Identify the method that is best suited to your purposes.
___Decide if you want to inform the public of what you are doing.
___Train the people who will be collecting the data.
___Report and use your findings.
Understand the limitations of the information:
___Obtain your data from enough people to make your results worthwhile.
___Be sure your information is in context.