The reason for doing the needs assessment is to get
information on the needs of the community and what
actions to take in addressing them. So it is time to
take action. Based on the plan of action developed
from the needs assessment we recommend you
develop a concept note.
A concept note is a summary of your proposed
projects that will convince your stakeholders and
potential funders that there is a real need for it to be
implemented. Usually a concept note helps to check
a funder’s interest in supporting your work before
writing a full proposal. This is a trend with many
funders these days. Having a concept note written
enables the organisation to collect project ideas and
have then filed for potential fund raising or partnerships.
A concept note is a brief outline of the project you
have in your mind. Ideally, it should not be more
than 2-3 pages unless the donor agency has specific
requirements—some ask for maximum of 5 pages.
If you wish to supply extra information, you can
always annex documents such as your organization
profile. Your concept note will have an introduction,
a background, proposed objectives and results and
a budget overview. It should address the following
questions: