Which of the following activities helps professionals gather information about other human service agencies?

Making personal contacts with professionals is an effective method for gathering information about other human service agencies because it facilitates relationship-building and enables direct communication. By interacting with professionals from different agencies, one can obtain insights that are often not available through formal reports or surveys. Personal contacts often lead to in-depth discussions about services, operational challenges, and the unique approaches taken by different agencies. This qualitative information can be invaluable for understanding the landscape of human services in a community, allowing for better collaboration and resource sharing among agencies.

While conducting community surveys can provide valuable quantitative data about community needs, it may not delve deeply into specific agency operations or relationships. Collecting client testimonials can reveal individual experiences but does not necessarily provide comprehensive information about the services of various agencies. Reading agency reports offers structured and documented information, but it might lack the contextual understanding that comes from direct conversations with professionals. Therefore, making personal contacts stands out as the best approach for gaining a well-rounded perspective on the workings of different human service agencies.