Positioning PARDs

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Positioning PARDs

• Kindal Hunt

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What business are we in? What is the goal of
park and recreation departments?What is our
purpose?
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Benefits!
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Benefits!

• Health and Fitness
• Youth mentors/ prevent delinquency
• Stewards of the natural environment
• Socialization
• Stimulating the economy
• Opportunities for the underemployed
• and many more

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To provide benefits, we need staff, land,
programs
City council has the to give from citizens
taxes
Lots of other government agencies want the too.
PARDs need to demonstrate their vital role in
the community
Positioning!
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Positioning!

• A position refers to the place that a public
  recreation and park agency occupies in the minds
  of elected officials, decision makers, and
  citizens relative to other services that compete
  for tax dollars.
• Positioning is also the process of fostering a
  desired status for public recreation and park
  agency in the minds of citizens and elected
  officials.

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Kindal, How do I position?!?

• 1 Real Actually change what the agency does
• Competitive Altering beliefs about what an
  agency does vis-à-vis its competitors
• Psychological Altering constituents beliefs
  about what the agency currently does
• This is important as park and recreation agencies
  are often perceived as non-necessary services

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Position Reduce youth crime

• REAL
• COMPETITIVE
• PSYCHOLOGICAL

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Okay, so I know how to position Which position
should I choose?

• Look at the benefits of PARDS
• Look at what your agency/community will support
• Look at what holes need to be filled

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Look at the benefits of PARDS

• FOCUS ON PUBLIC BENEFITS
• Benefits that accrue to users and non-users
• Economic, Social, Environmental
• Just a few Attracting businesses
• Attracting/retaining retirees
• Attracting tourists
• Enhancing real estate values
• Stimulating retail sales
• Urban rejuventation
• Improving community health
• Underemployment
• Youth crime prevention
• Stewards of the natural environment

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Look at what your agency/community will support

• Using importance/performance grid

High Importance Low performance room to improve!
High Importance High performance Keep up the
good work!
Low Importance Low performance Low priority
Low Importance High performance Possible overkill
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Look at what holes need to be filled
PREVENTION REFORMATION
YOUTH CRIME
Police
Boys Girls Club
Church camps
Rotary Club-volunteering
UNDEREMPLOYED
Schools
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Determine an important community issue your PARD
can contribute to
(re)position around this issue
City council and the citizens they serve perceive
PARDS as an essential service
City Council allocates increasing to the PARD
Your PARD has excellent resources to provide
benefits to the community
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Tips

• Choose a durable, long-term position
• Choose one (maybe 2) positionsyou dont want to
  muddy your position by trying to do too much!
• Engage in Real, Competitive, and Psychological
  positioning simultaneously
• Provide benefits to users and non-users to
  broaden your support base

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Happy Positioning!