December 2015 - Parks & Recreation - 54

NRPA Update

Give the Gift of Data This December
By Kevin Roth, Ph.D.

s we wrap 2015 and look toward the holiday season, may I suggest a gift idea that would help not only your agency, but would
also be a valuable contribution to park and recreation professionals throughout the United States? What if I told you this gift idea
would not involve you or your agency giving any money but instead would
cost, in most circumstances, just 15 to 30 minutes of your time?
Well, that is how long it will take
for you to enter or update the Agency Summary information for your
agency in PRORAGIS. As you know,
PRORAGIS is NRPA's benchmarking tool that collects and analyzes
park and recreation agency data from
across the country. As the largest repository of park and recreation operating data in existence, this tool provides you with powerful information
to gauge your agency's performance
against that of its peers.
But PRORAGIS can only be as
valuable as the data entered into it

52 Parks & Recreation

and is enhanced even further when
that data is updated on an annual
basis. Perhaps your agency has not
had the opportunity to take advantage of the power of PRORAGIS.
Or, perhaps you represent one of the
more than 1,000 agencies that have
entered data into PRORAGIS since
the system's launch.
Whatever the case, make December
the month that you enter or update
the Agency Summary information
in PRORAGIS. Why? Because each
spring, NRPA publishes its Field Report. This comprehensive collection
of detailed data on local and regional park systems in the United States
provides an informative look at the
significant trends currently affecting
park and recreation departments.
The Field Report answers your agency's many questions and does it best
with a robust set of data.
The good news is that you can
ensure the 2016 Field Report is
the best ever by contributing 15
to 30 minutes of time this month
to enter your agency's 2015 data.
So, what is the information that
we need from you? The easy-toanswer questions in the Agency
Summary focus on high-level budget information (i.e., size of your
agency's operating and capital
budget, sources of revenue, etc.),
demographics of residents your
agency serves, personnel and vol-

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unteer counts, counts of park facilities and agency responsibilities.
And as a thank you for giving your
time to enter or update your agency's 2015 PRORAGIS data, you
will receive a customized Agency
Performance Report that compares
your agency's performance to the
Community Park and Recreation
Standards. This report will help you
make better-informed decisions to
make your agency more effective
and efficient.
Entering your agency's information is a gift to the park and recreation community as a whole. Data
in PRORAGIS and published in the
Field Report help park and recreation
professionals throughout the United
States analyze their agency's performance and answer questions like:
* Is my agency adequately funded?
* Does my agency have enough
parkland?
* Does my agency have enough staff ?
* What percentage of my peer agencies' revenues are derived from
generated revenue and fees?
So, give the gift of time this December by entering or updating the Agency Summary data for 2015 in PRORAGIS. And let us be of assistance to
you in the process. Should you have
questions or concerns about entering
your PRORAGIS data, please contact Greg Manns (gmanns@industryinsights.com), NRPA Research Specialist Melissa May (mmay@NRPA.
org) or me at the address listed below.
We look forward to hearing from
you.
Kevin Roth, Ph.D., is NRPA's Vice President
of Research (kroth@nrpa.org).

December 2015 - Parks & Recreation

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