• Attract more volunteers to your organization,

• Determine what new programs to pursue

• Find out why funding has leveled off

A focus group is a research tool involving eight to 12 people selected at random from a given population (e.g., constituents of a government body or stakeholders of a nonprofit organization). The people come together for a few hours to freely and openly discuss what they think and feel about various aspects of a particular subject.

• Conducting a focus group that will give you the answers you’re looking for

• Making sure that uninhibited exchange reveals perceptions and conclusions

• Stimulating new perspectives and ideas

Read about how ESC facilitated a series of focus groups that got results.

The ESC facilitator, working with a team of ESC volunteers, identifies research objectives, addresses whether a focus group is the best way to gather the information, assesses your readiness to act upon the results, and determines the feasibility. This is a critical step since 80 percent of the problems with focus groups result from inadequate up-front work.

The facilitators help to develop a comprehensive action plan: timing of activities, scheduling, number of groups, types of groups, length of sessions, location, and development of a facilitator guide.

The facilitators recommend participant selection and recruitment techniques, including helping to identify sources for participants and drafting invitation letters and phone scripts.

The facilitators guide all aspects of staging the focus groups, including setting up rooms, arranging for the recording of the sessions, providing supplies and materials, and running the sessions.

Following the sessions, the facilitators submit a written report on major findings, supplemented by extensive verbal commentary.