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.
