“Organisational Baseline Questions for Partners” is based on Lesson 1.2 — Organisational Baseline — from Module 1, Framing the Need Analysis, in the EU KA2 Need Analysis course. In this blog post we share what more information we need to learn from partners rather than their PIF
For more information please check Needs Analysis resources. The AI Agent Node community shares practical tools and real examples for proposal writers working at every stage of the KA2 process. Here is the Link of a custom GPT that helps you to answer this questions, generated by AI Agent Node.
Introductory Note for Partners for Organisational Baseline Questions
Please answer in a factual and present-focused way. We are not asking for vision statements or promotional text. We need to understand your current reality in relation to the project topic, including what you already do, what capacity you already have, what is still missing, how this affects your work, and what evidence can support your statements. Please be honest. Honesty is essential for this training, because the organisational baseline must describe reality as it is now, including real gaps and limits, not an ideal or future image. Please answer for your own organisation only. Do not describe the consortium, future plans, or what you hope to achieve through the project. This follows the lesson’s core principle that a baseline must describe present reality, not future ambition or promotional image.
Organisational Baseline Questions
1. What does your organisation currently do in direct relation to this project topic
Example
Our organisation currently delivers local workshops, awareness activities, and non-formal learning sessions related to youth inclusion and participation.
2. Approximately how many relevant participants does your organisation currently reach per year in this field
Example
We currently reach around 150 young people per year through workshops, events, and mentoring.
3. What current staff, trainers, or volunteers from your organisation work in this field, and in what roles
Example
Our current team includes one project coordinator, two trainers, and four active volunteers supporting delivery.
4. What tools, methods, systems, or materials does your organisation currently use in this field
Example
We currently use face-to-face workshops, Zoom, Google Workspace, Canva, and participatory non-formal education methods.
5. What is currently working well enough already in your organisation in this area
Example
We are currently strong in local outreach, face-to-face facilitation, and participant engagement.
6. What is currently missing, weak, inconsistent, or underdeveloped in your organisation in this area
Example
We currently lack a structured curriculum, consistent evaluation tools, and enough digital learning materials.
7. What are the two or three most important gaps in your organisation in this field
Example
Our main gaps are limited digital delivery capacity, lack of a shared methodology, and weak monitoring of outcomes.
8. How do these gaps currently limit your organisation’s quality, reach, inclusion, delivery, or sustainability
Example
These gaps currently limit our ability to reach participants outside our local area and to measure learning progress consistently.
9. What evidence or records can support these statements about your organisation
Example
We can support these statements with attendance records, project reports, staff CVs, feedback forms, and internal reviews.
10. Please write a short factual paragraph describing your organisation’s current starting point in this field only
Example
Our organisation currently works with around 150 young people per year through local non-formal education activities. The team includes one coordinator, two trainers, and several volunteers. We are strong in face-to-face facilitation and local outreach, but we do not yet have a structured curriculum, consistent evaluation tools, or sufficient digital learning resources. These gaps limit our ability to scale our work and demonstrate measurable impact.
Extra Tips for Organisational Baseline Questions for Partners
To make organisational baseline writing stronger, clearer, and more useful, partners should avoid promotional or future-focused phrases.
Please avoid phrases like
1 – we aim to become
2 – we want to improve
3 – we are leading
4 – we are highly innovative”
Please prefer phrases like
6 – we currently deliver
7 – we work with
8 – we have
9 – we lack
10 -we do not yet have
11 – this currently limits
These tips match the lesson guidance, which recommends neutral functional wording and warns against promotional language in baseline writing.
Why Honesty Matters in Organisational Baseline Questions Writing
One of the most important principles in this training is honesty. Many organisations are tempted to present themselves through vision statements, positive branding, or future ambitions. However, that weakens the organisational baseline.
An organisational baseline is useful only when it is honest, diagnostic, and present-focused. It should include real strengths, but it should also clearly identify real weaknesses, limitations, and gaps. Gaps do not weaken the baseline. They make the project need clearer and more credible. The lesson materials make this point directly by showing that a baseline becomes stronger when it explains what is missing and why that matters.
That is why partners should answer openly and realistically. The baseline is not a brochure. It is not a vision statement. It is not a future plan. It is a description of the organisation as it is now.
Why These Organisational Baseline Questions Matter
These organisational baseline questions help each partner describe:
1 – what the organisation currently does
2 – what capacity currently exists
3 – what is currently missing
4 – how those gaps currently affect work
5 – what evidence supports those statements
This matters because the PIF usually already covers identity, contact details, organisation type, general background, and key staff. However, it does not always provide the present-state diagnostic detail needed for a real organisational baseline, especially on current gaps, consequences, and evidence.
In other words, these questions are practical because they help transform general partner information into a usable, evidence-linked organisational baseline.
Final Note for Organisational Baseline Questions
If you use this short questionnaire with partners, you will collect much stronger material for Lesson 1.2 Organisational Baseline. The answers will be more relevant, more factual, and easier to convert into high-quality baseline text.
The most important rule remains simple:
Describe what is true now. Do not describe what you hope will be true after the project
