Who are your stakeholders?
  • Board Members
  • Executives/Managers/Employees
  • Customers/Clients/Members
  • Instructors/Trainers
  • Students/Trainees
  • Patients
  • Doctors/Nurses
  • Campus Neighbors
  • Community Members
  • Elected Officials
  • Vendors/Suppliers
  • Industries You Serve
  • Targeted Demographic Groups

Stakeholder Analysis


How well do you know your stakeholders?

If you have an organization's future to plan, or funds to raise, your best possible results begin with a clear understanding of the people who have a stake in what you do.




Why analyze your stakeholder groups?

The more you know about your stakeholders . . . 

  •  . . . who your stakeholders are, what they need and want . . . 
  •  . . . how they use (or don't use) your services . . . 
  •  . . . what they think of them . . . 
  •  . . . what inspires them to give or not give to your organization . . . 

 . . . the better prepared you are to:

  • Anticipate their influence and their needs.
  • Minimize or eliminate any obstacles they may pose to your plans.
  • Adjust your plans if necessary to better serve them.
  • Educate your stakeholders to the benefits your organization offers.
  • Inspire them to make charitable gifts to your organization.
  • Develop strategies for getting the most from your relationship.
  • Communicate more effectively with them.

Which stakeholder group(s) should you analyze next?

  • Which groups have the most potential or the greatest need?
  • Are you making the most of your relationship with them?
  • Could they pose obstacles to your success?
  • Do you know for sure how they feel about your organization and its efforts? Do you know what they need and want from you?
  • Have there been hints of dissatisfaction?
  • Do you have a clear picture of how your organization currently serves and communicates with them?
  • Do they know all you are doing, and want to do, that is in their interests? Have you told them?
  • Do you know where the gaps are in those services or in your communication?
  • Has there been some recent change, either in your organization or in the group, that might impact the relationship?
  • Are you clear about the opportunities that remain for cultivating their enthusiastic support and reducing their opposition to your plans?

What are the six steps in stakeholder analysis?

  1. Identify the stakeholder group(s) you want to know more about.
  2. Identify representative individuals from the group(s).
  3. Decide what you need and want to ask them.
  4. Interview and/or survey them.
  5. Analyze what they report.
  6. Articulate the findings in a clear and meaningful way.

A few examples . . . 

  • When a U.S. government institute was having difficulty getting its members to use new technology for virtual teamwork, the Stakeholder Analysis conducted by my team revealed that nearly half the agency's members were using hardware that was incompatible with the chosen tools. This analysis led to a "course correction" that significantly enhanced buy-in and made the most of the institute's investment. Learn more . . . 
  • Chinese Report CoverWhen a major medical center foundation wanted to expand donor support from Americans of Chinese ethnicity, our Stakeholder Analysis revealed a serious disconnect between the medical center's extensive services to that community and the community's perception of those services. My report and recommendations helped the medical center leadership rethink this important relationship, setting the stage for future donor cultivation. Read a summary of this analysis.
  • When a large non-profit organization was beginning its strategic planning process, senior managers wanted to know how board members honestly felt about the process and where it was headed. My confidential interviews with the directors painted a picture of critical gaps in their understanding of why certain events were unfolding as they were. This stakeholder analysis led to a series of White Papers that helped educate board members on key issues and prepared them to make informed decisions about the future.
  • When academic institutions want to prepare their faculty for distance education, my team's copyrighted Technology Readiness Assessment pinpoints the faculty's readiness, both in terms of skills and attitudes. Armed with meaningful findings, administrators can tailor faculty development to actual needs.

Contact me (Gail Terry Grimes) to learn more about your stakeholders.