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By now the New Year's resolutions have come and gone. The diet was blown with that Mrs. Field's cinnamon roll: 1,000 calories, 48 grams of fat, and 18 teaspoons of sugar. The exercise plan down the tubes with the cloudy, gloomy post-holiday weekend when it sure made more sense to stay in bed than to suit up for the fitness center and run some laps. In our household, my husband vowed to let me have custody of the remote once a week. I have yet to see it. So you might as well haul the resolutions over to the office and give them a whirl there. And let's make them pretty easy. One success just may breed another. Resolution #1: I will look hard at my advertising expenditures. Advertising is expensive. Nothing new or earth shattering about that piece of news, but it's true. And besides being expensive, its often not even the most effective way to find new customers. Most advertising is like throwing a water balloon in the United Center. You close your eyes, give it a hurl, and hope it sprays on a few unsuspecting folks, leaving tens of thousands unaffected. Newspapers go into the hands of tens or hundreds of thousands or people. They may or may not see the advertising you paid so dearly for. And they may or may not even be your target audience, especially when you advertise specific events or programming. When marketing dollars are limited, the return on your investment could be very small. The same is true for radio, where you will likely have a lot of waste geographically. A majority of listeners might not even be residents of your community, your primary target audience. Add up all the money you spend on advertising during the course of the year and consider spending it on another form of marketing that is more direct or targeted. Resolution #2: I will get to know the realtors in my community. Realtors are a powerful group of people. They are among the first acquaintances of new residents in your community. They are often great supporters of parks and recreation. Arm realtors with information to give to all new residents. And arm them with information. According to the 2002 survey of Illinois residents commissioned by the Illinois Association of Park Districts, 90 percent of those polled believed that proximity to parks improved their property values. Other figures in the study point to strong support for parks and recreation in a community. Request a copy of the survey report from IAPD and use these figures with realtors. If you don't have a new resident kit, make one. Most realtors are happy to distribute these kits to new residents if you supply them. And you can use the money you saved on advertising cuts to develop the kits. There are plenty of other ways to keep realtors informed of all the great things you provide in the community, but you first have to identify them as an important group.
Resolution #3: I will do a better job of cross-promoting my facilities and programs. Park districts and other public agencies tend to overlook one of their greatest assets: their own real estate. Neighborhood parks are a great place to tell a captive audience about some of the other things you provide in the community. People may not realize that the same park district, forest preserve, or conservation agency that gives them their neighborhood park or favorite nature preserve is also the provider of the local recreation center, ice rink, golf course, or zoo. Try using banners on light poles or
January/February 2003 47 MIXED MEDIA backstops in your neighborhood parks that cross-promote other facilities and parks. The same banners can be displayed in golf course, recreation center, and zoo parking lots. Carry the theme through with inexpensive counter-top signage or table tents in all your facilities. Remind people about who you are and what you bring to the community at every turn. Resolution #4: I will listen to the people. This one is easier said than done. Many public agencies believe that they conduct "focus groups" every year by opening up a special meeting and letting the public voice their concerns or give input to the board and staff. That is not a focus group. That's a public meeting. A focus group allows eight to twelve people to interact with a facilitator on a predetermined series of questions. The questions are designed to promote discussion among group members. Participants should be chosen randomly from the public or from your program users. Consider having a neutral party conduct these focus groups, as people will often feel more comfortable expressing their views to a facilitator. And facilitators are trained to bring all members' views out and not let any one person dominate the discussion. The report provided by the facilitator should cover all points of the discussion and be very useful to your board in decision-making. Conduct a few series of focus groups throughout the year on a variety of topics, such as how to improve programming, or what needs to be done at your golf courses. Golfers are always delighted to be asked for their opinions! Resolution #5: I will let my spouse have a turn with the remote.
Sharing is a good thing. We teach our children about the importance of letting others have a turn and how to work well with others. We should practice what we preach and give up the death-grip on that little battery-powered device. (Just hoping my husband is reading. Besides, how many sporting events and trashy reality television shows can one person watch!)
48 Illinois Parks and Recreation |
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