Did You Miss Out?

March 1, 2015, Department, by Travis Smith, Ph.D.

If you haven’t completed a PRORAGIS™ survey in the past few years, you didn’t get a Parks and Recreation Community Standards Report in the mail. Maybe you’re curious about what you missed? 

These reports show PRORAGIS agencies how they compare to the Community Parks and Recreation Standards, which are generated from operating information we’ve gathered from more than 1,000 agencies across the country in the past five years. This new approach to defining standards for park and recreation services gives us insight into how the middle 50 percent of agencies in the country are managing their parks and serving their communities. Drawing on practical application to shape the new Standards allows comparison to what’s actually working for other agencies. However — and we can’t stress this enough — looking at the Standards ranges as you assess your current performance and future goals is only one part of the process!

We compiled the data and provide two comparisons: each PRORAGIS agency against all other agencies, and each PRORAGIS agency with those of similar population density. Importantly, these reports weren’t just written for a park and recreation audience; they also provide data that allows an agency to place the report directly into the hands of an elected official as you tell them why they’re doing a great job or why you really need to acquire that funding to catch up to other agencies.

This initial report provides median jurisdiction population for a variety of facilities, and comparisons for five key management ratios:

  • Operating expenditures per acre;
  • Operating expenditures per capita;
  • Acres per 1,000 population;
  • Revenue per capita; and
  • Revenue as a percentage of operating expenditures.

In future versions of the Parks and Recreation Community Standards Report, we’ll add to this list. But here’s the good news: If you missed out on this version, you don’t have to wait until next year to see how you compare. These graphical comparisons are now part of PRORAGIS. All you have to do is gather your data, and complete your 2015 PRORAGIS survey. Once you’re done, you’ll be able to see how you compare every time you log in — and the information will continuously update as we gather more data.

Travis Smith, Ph.D., is NRPA’s Vice President of Research.