Canton Commits to Community Wellness with ’100 Days to Health’ (GUEST POST)

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Henry O'Loughlin

This is a guest post from Jessica Levine, Marketing Coordinator at Canton Leisure Services in Canton, Michigan.
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The figures are staggering: More than one-third of American adults and children are obese, resulting in conditions like heart disease and diabetes. Canton Leisure Services (CLS), ACTIVE Network customer and winner of the National Recreation and Park Association Gold Medal Award, is helping to relieve this epidemic on a local level through its four-month ’100 Days to Health’ program.

Supported by a strong partnership with Southeast Michigan’s Oakwood Healthcare System, 100 Days annually begins in January and wraps up in late April at the popular Summit on the Park community center located in Canton, Michigan. Continue reading →

Why You Need Benefit-Based Marketing (Guest Post)

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Henry O'Loughlin

This is a guest post by Greg Bruggeman. He is a recreation professional and blogs at Professional Recreation. Check out his blog or follow him on Twitter.
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Have you ever had to buy an item foreign to you? Not something huge like a car or house but something inconsequential and of little cost, like a cleaning solution. As you sit in the aisle weighing the pros and cons of two similarly priced items, something catches your eye: Scrubbing Bubbles! You think to yourself “How could I have been so stupid! All these years, I’ve been doing the scrubbing when these bubbles can scrub for me!” I had to get this product! While I was walking out of the store with my Scrubbing Bubbles, I realized I had become the victim of great benefit-based marketing. Continue reading →

Facebook’s New Timeline Design for P&R Agencies (VIDEO)

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Henry O'Loughlin

Facebook is playing around with a significant Timeline redesign. The new format is being rolled out experimentally and could be live for all members soon. And to cover this change for the parks & recreation community, we turn to Josh Panzer. Josh is the founder of ParksandRecreationSocialMedia.com.

Check out his video guest blog post to learn how your agency should adjust to the pending Facebook change: Continue reading →

What Recreation Professionals Need to Know About Marketing (Part II)

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Henry O'Loughlin

This is part two of Archie’s guest blog post. Click here to read the first.

Social Marketing: Different than social media, social marketing seeks to influence social behavior to the benefit the target market and general society rather than the organization. At one time, social marketing was considered to be exclusively for public and non-profit organizations. Primarily it was designed to promote public awareness campaigns, social causes or to introduce behavior change. However, social marketing is also used by commercial organizations. For example, for-profit fitness clubs are not only utilized for exercise and physical development, but also as environments for rebuilding balance to one’s life. Continue reading →

What Recreation Professionals Need to Know About Marketing (Guest Post)

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Henry O'Loughlin

This is a guest post from Archie Trader III. For 7 years, Archie has been the Recreation Program Manager at the Stanton Community Center (SCC), an Annapolis Recreation and Parks Department facility located in Annapolis, MD. He has a BS Degree in Physical Education (concentration in recreation). He chose this career because it gives him the opportunity to affect the lives of youth in the City of Annapolis and surrounding areas.

Archie’s ACTIVE is walking, biking, exercising and swimming.
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5 More Unconventional Adult Programs to Start Offering (Guest Post)

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Henry O'Loughlin

This is the second part of a guest post series from Curt Jackson. Click here to read the first five unconventional adult programs to offer.

6. Read Bedtime Stories Like a Pro – Voice over acting is a profession that you may not think about until you watch car commercials or cartoons. But acting with our voices is something most of us do daily. By using inflection, accents, different tones and pitches we tell stories and jokes to our peers. Find a voice acting coach to teach parents how to put some pizazz into reading bedtime stories. Continue reading →

5 New & Unique Adult Programs to Start Offering (Guest Post)

Posted on December 13, 2012 by Henry O'Loughlin

Most parks and recreation departments offer the same adult classes – yoga, bridge, photography, creative writing, dog training, blah blah blah. These are great to have because they are popular, but isn’t time to stand out and offer truly unique classes as well?

In every city there are possible contract instructors looking for opportunities to teach others, whether they know it or not. Sometimes they find you and other times you have to look for them. However, you can’t look for contract instructors until you know what programs you want to offer. Here are 5 unique programs I’m fairly sure you’re not offering but, depending on your clientele, could be crowd-pleasers: Continue reading →

Parks & Recreation: Avoid These Common Budget-Cutting Mistakes

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Henry O'Loughlin

Image source: umn.edu

This is an excerpt from a report by Barbara Heller, President of Heller and Heller Consulting: Making the Most of Your P&R Agency’s Resources. Well known throughout the industry for her expertise in leading park and recreation agencies and her commitment to innovation and best practices, Barbara operates outside of the typical parks and recreation industry mindset. This reports covers six key areas where parks and recreation agencies can become more efficient:
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2nd Annual ‘Looking Good Cottonwood’ Helps Assist Weight Loss in the New Year

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Henry O'Loughlin

Photo credit: Cottonwood website

This is the second guest post (see his first here) from Jason Little, recreation manager for the City of Cottonwood. Jason has over thirteen years administrative experience in municipal government operations with an emphasis in parks and recreation. He has spent his entire career with the Cottonwood Parks and Recreation Department; an agency that has grown exponentially in the last eight years. The Cottonwood Parks and Recreation Department considers recreation to be an essential service and strives to “make the good life better” for the citizens.
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‘Looking Good Cottonwood’ Helps Community Shed 3000 Pounds (Guest Post)

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Henry O'Loughlin

Photo credit: Cottonwood website

This is a guest post from Jason Little, recreation manager for the City of Cottonwood. Jason has over thirteen years administrative experience in municipal government operations with an emphasis in parks and recreation. He has spent his entire career with the Cottonwood Parks and Recreation Department; an agency that has grown exponentially in the last eight years. The Cottonwood Parks and Recreation Department considers recreation to be an essential service and strives to “make the good life better” for the citizens.
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