MCIC conducts reliable studies to benchmark, track, and evaluate the effect of existing services and/or recently implemented social policy. Findings are typically used in fundraising, advocacy, and policy making. MCIC specializes in difficult to reach and underserved populations.

MCIC offers a full array of research and consulting services to help you understand the external environment. Whether you work at the neighborhood, regional, or national level, you need a clear understanding of your target market, customer profiles, and appropriate site locations. MCIC can help you identify untapped markets, test new ideas and products, and plan for growth and public improvements. Community and regional studies include:

• Needs Assessment
• Facilities Evaluation
• Demographic Profiling
• Site Selection
• Market and Impact Analysis
• Documenting Neighborhood Change
• Identification of Strategic Market Opportunities

We also partner with other experts to develop comprehensive community and town plans. Whether you are working to develop additional bank branches or new daycare facilities, MCIC research and consulting services can help you make well-informed choices and decisions.

MCIC can also address internal processes, working with your board and management staff to strengthen your organization through:

• Strategic Planning
• Program Evaluation
• Product Development
• Target Marketing
• Customer Satisfaction
• Technology Planning

Our collaborative approach ensures you get the right answers to the right questions.

From local demographic patterns to the latest trends, MCIC is expert at identifying, compiling, and analyzing new and existing data sets. Tap into the wealth of strategic information currently available on the Web, in the MCIC data archives, or trapped in your own internal data.

Key informants are people with special knowledge in your area of interest. They might include academics, policy makers, business leaders, community leaders, or others with a specific interest in your efforts. Key informant interviews allow your customers and other stakeholders to share valuable insights and opinions that they might not feel comfortable communicating to you directly.

MCIC field staff have extensive experience collecting data throughout Illinois and nationally. They have demonstrated success tracking, locating, and tracing respondents who may be challenging to reach. MCIC is also expert at gaining respondent cooperation. Our staff includes many bilingual interviewers. Last year, MCIC successfully completed more than 5,000 face-to-face interviews.

MCIC has a strong reputation for designing and implementing reliable phone, mail, fax, Web, and in-person surveys. We offer a complete array of survey options including in-house indicia, full printing and mailing capability, receipt control, and follow-up. MCIC also maintains stringentdata quality standards to protect all aspects of data management and confidentiality.

Focus groups generate rich, qualitative data to stimulate new ideas and concepts, test assumptions, identify the specific language people use when talking about a subject, evaluate existing programs and services, and improve the planning and design of new programs and services. MCIC maintains a well-equipped focus group facility with a viewing room, as well as a staff of accredited focus group moderators.

MCIC offers a full array of methodologies and facilitation services for community building forums, town hall meetings, planning charettes, community juries, strategic planning sessions and much more. Whether in Spanish or English, our methodologies can accommodate upwards of 300 participants.