A Guide for Planning and Reporting Community Benefit

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Updated in 2022 to incorporate equity and social determinants of health as community benefit priorities, CHA's A Guide for Planning and Reporting Community Benefit provides a comprehensive framework for health care organizations desiring to develop a strategic approach to planning, delivering and reporting on community benefit programs.

This resource includes guidance on meeting federal requirements for tax-exempt hospitals to conduct community health needs assessments and adopt implementation strategies to meet identified needs. The Guide also includes guidelines for reporting on the IRS Form 990, Schedule H as well as valuable information from community benefit and public health professionals about leading practices in community health improvement.

This resource is primarily for staff who plan, develop, implement, and report community benefit programs. It can also be used by board and executive leaders, as well as staff in mission, finance, planning, population health, communications, clinical and social services, compliance, advocacy, legal, and other offices involved in community benefit planning and reporting.

The Guide is organized around the basic components in community benefit planning, implementation and reporting: 

  • Getting Started.
  • Understanding What Counts and Does Not Count as Community Benefit.
  • Building a Sustainable Infrastructure.
  • Accounting for Community Benefit.
  • Planning and Implementing Community Benefit Programs.
  • Evaluating Community Benefit Programs.
  • Communicating the Community Benefit Story.

Watch and learn more about the 2022 updates to the Community Benefit Guide

The Guide has numerous links to additional tools, examples and resources that can be accessed on the CHA website.

Downloadable PDFs - FREE for CHA Members (login required)


» See the Guide for Planning and Reporting Community Benefit videos featuring Julie Trocchio