Benefits-based management: where we've been.

In 1991, a small group of park and recreation professionals met in Colorado to discuss benefits-based concepts for evaluating, measuring, promoting, and marketing park and recreation services. The leader of this effort was Dr. Bev Driver of the U.S. Forest Service. Present at the meeting were U.S. and Canadian leaders, all very interested in Dr. Driver's research and vision.

Following the meeting, in 1992, the Canadian Park and Recreation Association moved forward and captured the essence of Driver's concepts with the publication of "The Benefits Catalogue."

Simultaneously, the National Recreation and Park Association contracted with Dr. Geoff Godbey to conduct research on the public's perception of the benefits they received from local park and recreation services. The results of this project went hand in hand with the Canadian catalogue.

From 1992 to 1995, a variety of other benefits-related efforts occurred:

1. Dr. Godbey completed "The Public's Perceptions of Parks and Recreation Services" for NRPA, validating the belief that the public highly values the role of parks and recreation in its communities.

2. The Carnegie Foundation published "A Matter of Time," which identified that the No. 1 item young people wanted during off-school time was a safe recreation center.

3. The NRPA Pacific Northwest Regional Council and the Oregon Parks and Recreation Association received Benefits training from Ken Balmer and developed training programs for other professionals throughout Oregon and the region. The Regional Council produced a "Benefits of Parks and Recreation" video in 1994, which is still being distributed. The council has also created a Benefits Committee and NRPA has encouraged all other regional councils to do the same.

4. At the 1995 NRPA Mid-Year Forum, a three-hour "Benefits of Parks and Recreation" training program was held. It was here that the vision for the "Benefits Resource Guide" emerged.

5. At the 1995 NRPA Congress for Recreation and Parks, a meeting was held with both Canadian and NRPA representatives. NRPA shared its vision of Phase I ("Benefits Resource Guide," training program, promotional products, and the "Benefits are Endless...[TM]" campaign) and Phase II (testing the Benefits-Based Programming concepts and development of the training program) of the Benefits program.

6. In 1996, NRPA received a grant from the National Recreation Foundation to test the Benefits-Based Programming concepts on five pilot programs for youth in high-risk environments.

7. NRPA hired Dr. Ellen O'Sullivan to develop the "Benefits Resource Guide" and partnered with a marketing group to develop a slogan, logo and product line supporting the benefits-based marketing effort.

In October 1996, NRPA formally created a Benefits Task Force to provide support for this important project. Former NRPA President Fran P. Mainella, CLP said, "The Benefits program is really not a project, it's a process, a definite shift in how we think and discuss the value of parks and recreation."

For more information on the Benefits program, or to submit a Benefits Success Story, contact Cathy Flocke, Benefits program coordinator, at [phone].

RELATED ARTICLE: Benefits Success Story

Steve Clark, CLP is the assistant director at the Vandalia (OH) Parks and Recreation Department. He has been incorporating the Benefits-Based Management approach throughout the department, using the Benefits message on fax covers, letterhead, posters, and voice-mail messages. Clark has also brought the Benefits video to cable television, done a radio talk show, and organized a number of summer orientation programs.

Steve said the most obvious and significant change occurred during his summer staff training. After the Benefits video was shown, the group discussed the four benefit categories and identified the benefits of Vandalia's summer programs -- pool operation, day camps, and adult athletic leagues. The staff even completed a few exercises from the "Resource Guide" to further connect the seasonal staff to the Benefits message.

"It was incredible how their heads were nodding, they were smiling. The excitement level went way up," said Clark. "It was like light bulbs were going off in their heads.

"The seasonal staff realized the awesome role they played in the lives of their participants, the community, the local economy, and the environment. They realized that this was more than `just a summer job.'"