For more than a decade, NRPA’s future direction has been guided by a strategic planning process in which the leadership and staff of the association, with member input, set priorities, allocate resources and chart the course of how we will achieve our goals in response to a changing landscape. Fundamentally, the process of strategic planning for NRPA is about who we are, who we serve and why we do what we do.

A Timeline of Success

In prior years, more often than not, NRPA’s strategic planning process looked inward. It was primarily focused on outputs from staff — how many programs we were going to develop, how many grants we were going to make to member agencies, how much training and professional development we would offer, and other objectives outlined in NRPA’s annual business plan. 

We are proud to say that the association has been very successful in meeting both its strategic plan goals and its business goals during the past three years. NRPA membership has grown dramatically and now tops 52,000 members with more than 1,000 Premier Agency members. Our budget tops a record-high $19 million per year, and NRPA is bringing in more than $7 million per year in grants, corporate sponsorships and foundation funding, most of which goes directly to the field. 

High-quality NRPA research has raised our national visibility and credibility. The 2016 NRPA Field Report, widely considered the industry’s most comprehensive set of park and recreation agency performance metrics, and NRPA Facility Market Reports, which combine U.S. Census Bureau data and market research, are allowing agencies to examine detailed information about the communities they serve and benchmark and measure their performance. The Economic Impact of Local Parks report drew national attention in its findings that local parks generate $140 billion in economic activity and support almost 1 million jobs annually.

NRPA’s reach has also grown as proven by the numbers. In FY16 — July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016 — NRPA’s communications, marketing and public relations efforts had the following impacts: 10,000 NRPA Connect posts; 255,000 total clicks on NRPA newsletters and emails; 73,000 Open Space blog views; 4.3 million Twitter impressions; 2.4 million Facebook impressions; and 1,700 media stories mentioning NRPA with a potential media reach of 3 billion.

Preparing for the Future

As the association has grown, so too has NRPA’s vision for the future. The goals of fully serving the membership are vitally important to NRPA’s success and will continue to be important priorities. However, our new strategic plan for FY17-19 has a decidedly new focus: To maximize the impact of parks and recreation within the communities our members serve and across our nation as a whole. 

The goals of this plan are about impact, rather than processes or services. We will not just be about measuring services to members, as we have in the past and will continue to do, but we also intend to measure and quantify the power and impact of parks and recreation in the communities we serve, and provide you, our members, the resources needed to make the greatest impact in your vital work.

Infused throughout our goals for health and wellness and conservation is a deep commitment to social equity. We realize this lattermost of NRPA’s Three Pillars has significant influence over the success of its counterparts. Public parks and recreation serve all people and should do so equitably, but we recognize that there are disparities in how parks and recreation provides services, programs, parks and recreational facilities to communities. We understand the need and responsibility to forthrightly address these disparities and correct them to the extent we are able.

In brief summary, we intend to contribute to more healthy, sustainable and equitable communities during the next three years. Collectively, we will provide 1.5 million people with access to physical activity. We will provide 3 million people with improved nutrition. We will connect 1 million kids to nature and the outdoors, and we will work to help communities implement sustainable practices through parks and recreation. Throughout this effort, we will maintain a focus on reaching underserved people in communities across America.

This year, we laid the groundwork for an individual giving campaign, a new initiative designed to contribute to funding our FY 17-19 strategic plan. You will hear more about this campaign in the coming months and you will begin to see the results as individual and institutional contributions to NRPA make an impact. We intend to strengthen NRPA’s longstanding charitable mission while also benefiting the park and recreation professional. 

So, what will be the best outcomes if we are successful? Simply put, you, our members, will have the tools and resources you need to expand the impact of parks and recreation in your community. There will be a greater nationwide awareness of the power of parks in all our lives. Millions of people will become healthier as a result of better nutrition, increased physical activity and better access to park and recreation programs and facilities. One million kids, who otherwise might not have the chance, will connect to nature and the outdoors and our communities will become more sustainable and livable because of parks and recreation. 

These are ambitious goals for all of us. They will only be reached with your help and participation. Every NRPA member has a stake in achieving these goals, and if we are successful, we will be able to take pride in having made our communities and our country a better and more healthful place. Let’s start now. 

Learn more about NRPA's 2017-2019 Strategic Plan.