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Parks & Rec Business
| The Grant Finder The Next Level The importance of a robust on-line presence for parks and recreation departments. Ideas on implementation and possible funding sources. By Jim Halverson A spring 2004 survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project on How Americans Get in Touch with Government clearly showed a growing popularity and importance of e-government applications among Internet users. Fully 77 percent of Internet users -– or 97 million Americans -– have at some time gone on-line to search for information from government agencies or to communicate with them. And those users report that e-government improves how they carry out their business with government. What does this mean for parks and recreation organizations? According to the International City/County Management Association's Electronic Government 2004 survey, on-line registration for community events and use of recreational facilities and/or activities, such as classes and picnic areas, is one of the top two on-line services most requested by residents and businesses. Only on-line financial transactions such as tax payments ranked higher. ROI for PR While there is clearly a demand for such services, taking your parks and recreation program on-line can be a significant investment. The ICMA survey referenced above acknowledges the difficulty local government agencies have in funding such programs: more than 90 percent are funded through general revenues and less than 8 percent of respondents take advantage of grant programs. And many agencies have imposed transaction fees for on-line registration processes. While this is somewhat successful in generating additional revenue to cover costs, it is inconsistent with the expectations of citizens who, for example, are used to buying books on amazon.com with free shipping and utilizing free on-line bill pay services from their banks. Many communities have found their on-line programs generate enough revenue to justify upfront costs. The City of Urbandale, Iowa (www.urbandale.org) estimates it will take less than three years to see a positive return on investment from the city's on-line reservation system. Implementing the system allowed them to reduce staffing by one part-time administrative person. Even with a nominal raise in registration fees, program participation has increased, partly because of the convenience of being able to register on-line. Marketing the system is a key success factor with cross promotions through the city's newsletter, local radio advertising, newspaper articles and flyers distributed by local community organizations. Laguna Hills, Calif. (www.ci.laguna-hills.ca.us) also purchased and implemented the ReservePartner system by GovPartner, which enables program participants to register and pay for classes and facilities on-line and even get their names on waiting lists for classes and spaces that are full. To encourage citizens to register via the Web site, the city offers a 10 percent discount for online registrations. Yet even with a positive return on investment, it is often difficult to free up funds in programs that are already stretched to the limit. Despite the low reported use of grant monies to fund e-government programs, some communities have found ways to leverage grant funds. However, it takes a little ingenuity to find the money. Our research uncovered few programs that focus specifically on e-government from a funding perspective. Typically, successful communities have found ways to integrate e-government initiatives into a program that addresses a significant community or regional need. In Southern California, the City of Diamond Bar (www.ci.diamond-bar.ca.us) was able to leverage funding from the South Coast Air Quality Management District's Air Quality Investment Program (AQIP). The South Coast Air Quality Management District is the regional government agency responsible for air pollution control in Los Angeles and Orange counties and parts of Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The AQIP grants are intended to fund alternative mobile source emission/trip reduction strategies, including procurement of low emission, alternative fuel or zero emission vehicles and establishment of facilities such as telecommuting centers. Diamond Bar was able to show that by providing e-government capabilities for its citizens, the city could significantly reduce the number of trips residents needed to make to city hall to complete transactions. The community of Minnetonka, Minn. (www.eminnetonka.com) secured funding for its e-government program through the Sloan Foundation, a philanthropic nonprofit institution established in 1934 by Alfred Pritchard Sloan, Jr., then president and CEO of the General Motors Corporation. The foundation's programs and interests fall in the areas of Science and Technology and Standard of Living and Economic Performance. One of the main programs under Standard of Living and Economic Performance is the Performance Assessment of Municipal Government Program. It is this program that the city used to secure a $35,000 grant to fund implementation of an on-line citizen request system. The City of Minnetonka purchased the RequestPartner system by GovPartner to provide a centralized database of citizen requests that is used to track and monitor responsiveness by city staff. The program is used not only by the parks and recreation department, but all city departments to streamline and improve the city's responsiveness to its citizens. These are just three examples of cities that took the initiative to position e-government programs in ways that address larger community objectives or needs. Several grant sources exist. If you don't know where to look, start by checking out two online resources: the newly redesigned www.grants.gov is a clearinghouse for Federal grant programs and www.ecivis.com is a subscription-based grant locator with information on more than $80 billion in federal, state and private foundation grant programs. If you are ready to take your parks and recreation program on-line, be sure to seek out programs that might be able to help. Take a look around to see what issues and constraints face your community and how your parks and recreation organization can partner with other programs to create a strong proposal for funding assistance. Jim Halverson is a senior project manager and grant writer for Howard R. Green Company (HRG). One of HRG's most successful grant writers, Halverson has won funding on every grant he has authored for HRG clients. |
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