September 2013 - Parks & Recreation - 88

NRPA Update
Operating Ratios
Operating Expenditures per Capita
Lower Quartile

$44.46

Median

$86.06

Upper Quartile

$135.10

Operating Expenditures per Acre of
Land Managed or Maintained
Lower Quartile

2,652

Median

5,818

Upper Quartile

14,136

Acreage of Parkland per
1,000 Population
Lower Quartile

7.1

Median

13.1

Upper Quartile

23.8

Revenue as a Percent of Total
Operating Expense
Lower Quartile

16.93%

Median

31.83%

Upper Quartile

54.48%

To fully measure your program operations, you need to count the actual
hours that the participants are served
(visitor hours). This adds magnitude
to your workload. If 1,000 visitors
register for 10 weeks of hour-long
classes, then you have 10,000 visitor hours. You still don't know what
spaces they use and what time slots
are taken unless you measure the
available spaces and the utilization of
each space during open hours.
Why is that important? All empty,
nonprogrammed spaces are opportunities for additional revenue. This is also
instructive in determining the number
of staff, both full-time and part-time,
that you need at your facility.
Before the 2013 NRPA Congress
in Houston this October, NRPA will
release an upgrade of PRORAGIS
with numerous changes to increase the
database's functionality and usability. PRORAGIS will continue to offer
meaningful comparative data, but now

Parks & Recreation

will seek to find new measures for your
operations. The prime four data items
are shown in the adjacent chart.
At NRPA, we hear concerns that
there is not enough data that measures performance in qualitative ways
rather than quantitative and often financial means. We are very interested
in examining any performance measures that focus on qualitative outcomes. For example, a colleague was
hired to develop a qualitative methodology for youth programs. She:
Engaged participants in each program
type (sports, art, etc.) in a discussion of
why they were taking this class
Asked participants to describe
what they wanted to achieve
Helped participants determine
their success
Returned at the end of the program
Conducted measurements of results established by goals
Marked each participant's improvements and recognized their
accomplishments
Conducted a satisfaction survey as
well as an instructor evaluation.
This almost clinical approach to
measuring participant accomplishments and satisfaction is much more
involved than what is found in most
public recreation settings, yet it is
often how the private fitness industry operates. While qualitative measures may become more difficult to
achieve, they certainly increase your
credibility with your customers and
department management.
If you have examples where you
have successfully measured qualitative aspects of your services, please
describe the setting, circumstance and
measurement process used. Send your
examples to proragis@nrpa.org.
Bill Beckner is NRPA's Senior Manager of
Research (bbeckner@nrpa.org).

| S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 3 | W W W. N R PA . O R G

Test Your Park
& Recreation
Knowledge
The following question is a sample
Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP) examination question.
Which of the following documents
is most often needed for a major
acquisition from external vendors?
A. Cash receipt
B. Purchase order
C. Invoice voucher
D. Check voucher
Calling all beginning to mid-level
professionals! The Certified Park and
Recreation Professional (CPRP) is the
national standard for all park and recreation professionals who want to be
at the forefront of their profession.
For more information on the CPRP
certification program and the answer
to the above question, please visit
www.nrpa.org/cprp.

September 2013 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2013 - Parks & Recreation