January 2011
Ron Vine, President, Leisure Vision
Barbara Heller, President ,Heller and Heller
Consulting, Inc.

• Creating a strategy focused organization based on community needs
• Why do a community needs assessment study?
• Steps to completing a community needs assessment study
• Benchmarking comparisons
• Why do strategic planning?
• Strategic planning development and deployment
• Developing and implementing strategy

• Wheeling Park Dist.
• Champaign Park Dist.
• Mundelein Park Dist.
• Schaumburg Park Dist.
• Elk Grove Park Dist.
• Highland Park District
• City of Rock Island
• Geneva Park District
• Winnetka Park Dist.
• Gurnee Park Dist.
• River Trails Park Dist.
• Hoffman Estates Park Dist.
• Bloomingdale Park Dist.
• Deerfield Park Dist.
• Lindenhurst Park Dist.
• Carol Stream Park Dist.
• Urbana Park Dist.
• Downers Grove Park Dist.
• Lisle Park Dist
• Freeport Park Dist.
• Northbrook Park District
• Park District of Oak Park
• Des Plaines Park Dist.
• Glenview Park District
• Sugar Grove Park Dist.
• Lake Bluff Park District

To understand usage of Park District today
• Usage and satisfaction with parks
• Usage and satisfaction with major facilities
• Participation and satisfaction with programs
• Marketing efforts used the most
• Barriers to participation
• Position as a market provider for youth and adults
• Value of park services

To understand community vision of Park District tomorrow
• Needs for parks, trails, and facilities
• Unmet needs for parks, trails, and facilities
• Priorities for parks, trails, and facilities
• Usage of special facilities, i.e. community centers, aquatic facilities
• To understand opportunities to expand Park District percent of service market

To understand support for funding improvements
• Support for increasing program markets for priority programs
• Level of increased tax support for priority projects
• Potential success of tax funding initiatives
Money is Not A Problem it is A Solution. Awareness is the Problem

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Buy-In Starts at the Process Beginning and Continues Through Implementation

Be a Leader from the start
Empower staff and community
Build confidence in the integrity of needs assessment survey process

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( elected officials, business people, sponsors, boards, etc.)
( Park
Board, staff, youth sports associations, seniors, youth, non-profits, citizen users, school officials, arts organizations)
Understand Issues of Key Importance to Build Consensus Inside and Outside District
& to Build Early on Trust , Transparency and Buy-In

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Quantitative Public Input includes statistically valid phone and mail/phone surveys that build buy-in
A survey of 400 households has a 95% level of confidence with a margin of error of +/-4.9%
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A survey of 800 households has a 95% level of confidence with a margin of error of +/-3.5%
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A survey of 2,800 households has a 95% level of confidence with a margin of error of +/-1.9%
@ Leisure Vision (913) 829-1215
Ensure Survey Results can be Broken
Down by Key Demographic Groups, i.e.
Household With and With-out Children, Visitors to Parks
User of Programs, Geographic Areas

Glenview Park District
Program Participation
Q10. Have You or Members of Your Households Participated in Any Recreation Programs Offered by the Glenview
Park District During the Past 12 Months?
by percentage of respondents
Yes
50%
Source: Leisure Vision/ET C Institute (March 2009)
No
50%

No
22%
Gurnee Park District
Rating of Park Conditions
Q3. Have Respondent Households Visited Any
Gurnee Park District Parks During the Past Year by percentage of respondents
Q3a. How Respondent Would Rate the Physical
Condition of ALL the Gurnee Park District
Parks They Have Visited
Excellent
47%
Yes
78%
Fair
2%
Good
51%
Source: Leisure Vision/ET C Institute (July 2007)

Level of Satisfaction with Overall Value
Received from the Geneva Park District
Q25. Level of Satisfaction with the Overall Value
Households Receive from the Geneva Park District by percentage of respondents
Very Satisfied
45%
Somewhat Satisfied
31%
Source: Leisure Vision/ET C Institute (June 2010)
Neutral
13%
Don't Know
6%
Very Dissatisfied
1%
Somewhat Dissatisfied
4%

Needs for Parks and Recreation Facilities in the Woodridge Park District
Q10a. Estimated Number of Households in the Woodridge
Park District That Have a Need for Various
Parks and Recreation Facilities by number of households based on 12,406 households in the Woodridge Park District
Neighborhood parks
Bicycle pathway system
Large community parks
Outdoor swimming pool/water park
Nature center with trails
Park shelters/picnic areas
Indoor fitness and exercise facility
Playground equipment
Indoor walking/running track
Sledding Hill
Indoor swimming pool/leisure pool
Outdoor concert/entertainment stage
Golf course
Outdoor tennis courts
Fishing piers on ponds
Indoor basketball/volleyball courts
Outdoor basketball courts
Indoor multi-use sports field
Multi-use fields (soccer, football, lacrosse)
Baseball and softball fields
Outdoor sand volleyball courts
Disc golf course
Garden Plots
Skateboard park
Cricket field(s)
0
Source: Leisure Vision/ET C Institute (January 2010)
273
2,000
3,809
3,759
3,164
3,064
2,816
2,543
2,543
2,295
2,221
1,464
7,903
7,642
6,501
6,277
7,642
7,419
6,178
6,178
6,067
4,627
4,553
5,732
5,533
4,000 6,000 8,000
9,342
10,000

Unmet Needs for Parks and Recreation
Facilities in the Woodridge Park District
Q10c. Estimated Number of Households in the Woodridge
Park District Whose Needs for Parks and Recreation
Facilities Are Only Being 50% Met or Less by number of households based on 12,406 households in the Woodridge Park District
Indoor walking/running track
Indoor fitness and exercise facility
Indoor swimming pool/leisure pool
Sledding Hill
Nature center with trails
Outdoor concert/entertainment stage
Fishing piers on ponds
Indoor basketball/volleyball courts
Outdoor swimming pool/water park
Indoor multi-use sports field
Park shelters/picnic areas
Large community parks
Garden Plots
Outdoor tennis courts
Bicycle pathway system
Outdoor sand volleyball courts
Outdoor basketball courts
Neighborhood parks
Playground equipment
Golf course
Skateboard park
Disc golf course
Multi-use fields (soccer, football, lacrosse)
Baseball and softball fields
Cricket field(s)
0
136
773
712
658
593
1,814
1,543
1,472
1,471
1,463
1,404
1,243
1,234
1,106
967
4,695
4,601
4,448
4,216
2,684
3,108
2,484
2,391
2,331
2,316
Calculated by multiplying the number of households hav ing needs by the percentage of households whose needs are being
50% met or less.
Unmet needs exist for a wide range of outdoor and indoor parks and facilities
1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000
50% Meets Needs 25% Meet Needs 0% Meets Needs
Source: Leisure Vision/ET C Institute (January 2010)

Priorities for Parks and Recreation Facilities in the Woodridge Park District
Q11. Parks and Recreation Facilities That Are
Most Important to Respondent Households by percentage of respondents who selected the item as one of their top four choices
Neighborhood parks
Bicycle pathway system
Indoor fitness and exercise facility
Indoor walking/running track
Indoor swimming pool/leisure pool
Outdoor swimming pool/water park
Nature center with trails
Large community parks
Playground equipment
Sledding Hill
Golf course
Fishing piers on ponds
Park shelters/picnic areas
Outdoor tennis courts
Indoor multi-use sports field
Multi-use fields (soccer, football, lacrosse)
Outdoor concert/entertainment stage
Baseball and softball fields
Indoor basketball/volleyball courts
Garden Plots
Outdoor basketball courts
Outdoor sand volleyball courts
Disc golf course
Skateboard park
Cricket field(s)
Other
0%
7%
5%
4%
4%
4%
4%
3%
2%
1%
3%
8%
8%
8%
8%
7%
12%
12%
12%
10%
10%
34%
28%
22%
20%
19%
18%
25%
Neighorhood parks and outdoor sw imming pool are most important facilities for households w ith children under 10
20%
Bicycle pathw ay system and indoor pool most important w ith households w ith children 10-19
Neighborhood parks and bicycle pathw ay system most important for household w ithout children
30%
Most Important 2nd Most Important 3rd Most Important 4th Most Important
40%
Source: Leisure Vision/ET C Institute (January 2010)

Understanding Program Areas With
Highest Growth Opportunities
Q12. Recreation Programs that Are
Most Important to Respondent Households
Q13. Recreation Programs That Households Currently Participate in Most Often at Northbrook Park
District Facilities
28%
Adult fitness and wellness programs
6%
Community special events
Youth sports programs
Golf lessons/clinics
Youth summer camp programs
Senior programs
Adult sports programs
4%
6%
12%
14%
11%
11%
11%
21%
18%
20%
16%
17%
Market Growth
Opportunities
Exist for
Programs of
Importance in
Northbrook Park
District Facilities
10%
Youth Learn to Swim programs
5%
Golf leagues
9%
8%
9%
Water fitness programs
3%
0% 10% 20%
Most Important for All Respondents
Participate Most Important at Northbrook Park District Facilities
30%
Source: Leisure Vision/ET C Institute (August 2009)

Understanding Support for Bond Elections
Q14. How Respondents Would Vote on a Bond Levy in Kettering to Fund the Types of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Arts Capital
Projects That Are Most Important to Their Household and for the
Amount They Would Support by percentage of respondents
Vote in Favor
54%
Might Vote in Favor
14%
Source: Leisure Vision/ET C Institute (May 2008)
Not Sure
18%
Not provided
4%
Vote Against
10%

Benchmarking Provides Better Information
Regarding Realistic Performance Goals
Q10. Have You or Members of Your Households Participated in Any Recreation Programs Offered by the Glenview
Park District During the Past 12 Months?
by percentage of respondents
Participation is considerably higher than national benchmark of
30%
Yes
50%
Participation is higher than
Illinois benchmark of
43%
Source: Leisure Vision/ET C Institute (March 2009)
No
50%

Benchmarking Provides Better Information
Regarding Realistic Performance Goals
Q3. Have Respondent Households Visited Any
Gurnee Park District Parks During the Past Year by percentage of respondents
Excellent rating are considerably higher than national benchmark of
30%
Excellent rating are considerably higher than
Illinois benchmark of
34%
Q3a. How Respondent Would Rate the Physical
Condition of ALL the Gurnee Park District
Parks They Have Visited
Excellent
47%
No
22%
Yes
78%
Fair
2%
Good
51%
Source: Leisure Vision/ET C Institute (July 2007)

Benchmarking Provides Better Information
Regarding Realistic Performance Goals
Q25. Level of Satisfaction with the Overall Value
Households Receive from the Geneva Park District by percentage of respondents
Very Satisfied
45%
Very satisfied is significantly higher than national benchmark of 26% and the Ilinois benchmark of 31%
Somewhat Satisfied
31%
Neutral
13%
Don't Know
6%
Very Dissatisfied
1%
Somewhat Dissatisfied
4%
Source: Leisure Vision/ET C Institute (June 2010)

Developing Strategy
• Why?
• Who is involved?
• Community, stakeholder input
• Map out the process
• What is the difference between strategic planning and master planning?

Strategic Planning Benefits

Checklist for Strategy Development
• How do you conduct your strategic planning?
• What are the key process steps?
• Who are the key participants?
• What are your short and longer term planning time horizons?
• How do you ensure the plan addresses: SWOT, major shifts in technology, markets, customers, etc., long term organizational sustainability, your ability to execute the plan?
• What are the key objectives and timeline?
• How do your strategic objectives address innovation, and balance the needs of all stakeholders

Review of Organizational Performance and
Results
 Mission. Vision, and Values development or review
 SWOT
 Financial measures (non-tax revenue, gross revenues, fund balances )

 Customer measures (customer satisfaction, customer referrals, lost customers, customer issues)
 Internal business results (internal customer satisfaction, efficiency measurements, process improvements, operational measures, benchmark comparisons)
 Employee measures (satisfaction, core competencies, alignment with strategy)

Consideration of Demographics and Trends
 Aligning strategy with community needs
 Aging population, yet park and recreation offerings are youth oriented
 Ethnic diversity
 Balance of programs among age segments and ethnic groups
 US Census information
 School district, city planning
 Environmental Services Research Institute
 US Sporting Goods Association, American
Sports Study
 Trends process/lifecycle review

The Balanced Scorecard Approach to
Strategy
• Addresses the leadership infrastructure
• Can include master plan elements/or bridge to master plan
• The four perspectives: customer, financial, internal business support, and employee learning and growth
• Cause and effect relationships
• Themes, Objectives, Measures, and Initiatives
• Building a Strategy Map

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Customer Perspective
– Product/service attributes (price, programs, quality, availability)
– Relationship (customer loyalty)
– Service (access mechanisms, standards, requirements, and encounters)
– Image
Financial Perspective
– Productivity, growth, financial results
Internal Perspective
– Operations Management (maintenance practices, program development, park design)
– Customer Management processes (support systems and use of technology)
– Innovation processes
– Regulatory and Social processes (safety, environmental)
Learning and Growth Perspective
– Human capital
– Information capital (management of organizational knowledge)
– Organization capital

Customer
Perspective
Financial
Perspective
Internal
Perspective
Employee
Learning &
Growth
Perspective
STRATEGY MAP
Delight the Customer
Expand recreation opportunities, aligned with customer need
Improve customer satisfaction and loyalty
Financial Capability
Non-tax revenue
Aligning financial resources
Build image and brand
Operational Excellence
Drive innovation
Streamline critical processes
Continuous Employee Development
Provide a quality product at a good value
Growing program and facility revenue
Build strategic alliances
Foster a positive work environment
Develop competencies
Develop customer focus

BALANCED SCORECARD
Vision: To serve the community by delivering best in class parks and recreation opportunities.
Mission: The Park District is a leader in providing leisure experiences that enhance the quality of life for our community.
Strategic Themes
Delight the customer
Financial capability
Operational
Excellence
Strategic Objectives
• Expand recreation opportunities, aligned with customer need
• Improve customer satisfaction and loyalty
• Provide a quality product at a good value
• Non-tax revenue growth
• Aligning financial resources
• Growing program and facility revenue
• Build image and brand
• Drive innovation
• Streamline critical processes
• Build strategic alliances
Strategic Measures
• Program registration (q)
• Customer satisfaction
(q)
• Customer referral (q)
• Customer retention (q)
• Program and facility revenue
(q)
• Alternative revenue (q)
• Non-tax revenue percentage
(q)
• New programs (q)
• Internal customer satisfaction (a)
• Partner satisfaction (a)
• Efficiency savings (q)
• Key process documented (q)
Continuous employee development
• Foster a positive work environment
• Develop competencies
• Develop customer focus
• Employee satisfaction (a)
• Regrettable turnover (q)
• Percent competencies achieved (q)
• Percent service staff rated high (a)

Effectively Deploying Strategy
• Top leadership commitment
• Retreats
• Regular reporting system
• Annual report
• Measurement system (12-20 Key Measures)
• Continuous communication with employees
• Performance appraisal for senior leaders
• Cascading to divisional and personal levels after a year
• Governance and staff involvement

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• Strategy formulation process Fair process: engagement, explanation, and expectation clarity
• Attitudes: Trust and communication: I feel my opinion counts
• Behavior: Voluntary Cooperation: I’ll go beyond the call of duty
• Strategy Execution: Exceeds Expectations: Self
Initiated
Blue Ocean Strategy: Kim, Mauborgne