The Organizational Self-Assessment

From the Brushy Fork Leadership Institute at Berea College.

The Brushy Fork Leadership Institute works alongside leaders and organizations across Appalachia to strengthen communities, build local capacity, and support long-term, people-centered change. We offer learning spaces, technical assistance, and practical tools designed to meet organizations where they are — grounded in real experience, local context, and shared problem-solving.

This organization self-assessment is one of those tools.

This assessment is a chance to pause and reflect on how your organization works — both day to day and in the bigger picture. It helps you notice what feels strong, what feels steady, and where there may be room to grow.

You’ll notice we use plain, people-centered language throughout. That’s intentional. It reflects how learning and leadership grow in Appalachian communities — through clear conversation, shared stories, and honest reflection.

This assessment is a chance to pause and reflect on how your organization works — both day to day and in the bigger picture. It helps you notice what feels strong, what feels steady, and where there may be room to grow.

A quick note about honesty:

There are no right or wrong answers here. Your candid responses give you a more accurate picture of how things are going — and help us point you toward the next right steps, not all the possible steps.

Your responses are confidential. We do not share individual assessment results with external funders, sell information, or use them in any way that could harm your organization. The purpose of this assessment is simple: to support your learning, strengthen your work, and make planning easier — not to judge or report on you. We DO use the anonymized data to help us make informed decisions about what kinds of support to offer via webinars, toolkits, workshops, and other forms of information that support leaders.

Before You Start

We know your time is valuable. This assessment takes thoughtful reflection, but the time you invest now will save you time later.

Once you’re done, we’ll create a tailored report for your organization — highlighting strengths, noting pressure points, and offering practical next steps you can act on right away.

Think of this as a way to slow down long enough to get clear, so you can move forward with more confidence and far less overwhelm.

Most people spend 45–60 minutes completing this self-assessment. You don’t need to finish in one sitting — you can save your progress and come back anytime. Many folks find it helpful to move through it in a few shorter sessions