Financing and Acquiring Park and Recreation Resources

" When John Crompton and Dennis Howard co-authored their classic book Financing, Managing and Marketing Recreation and Park Resources in 1979, they put the spotlight on a growing shortfall in park funding and discussed an array of innovative solutions. Twenty years later, continued budget cutbacks and additional service demands have made funding an even greater concern for park and recreation managers. Now Crompton has put every aspect of park and recreation financing into a comprehensive resource that will help today's and tomorrow's managers meet the daily challenge of ""doing more with less."" Financing and Acquiring Park and Recreation Resources is not an abstract reference destined to fill space on a shelf, but a comprehensive source book filled with real and workable solutions. It examines the forces behind decreased public spending and presents a wide range of alternative funding methods being used to bridge the gap and pay for new facilities and programs. You'll find information on everything from the traditional mechanisms of municipal bonds and property taxes to the evolving role of donations, volunteers, sponsorships, foundations, coproduction, and public-private alliances in funding park operations. There's more to making ends meet than coming up with the dollars. Cost containment and effective resource management are also important factors. This book covers it all, from basic operating budgets to various ways of out-sourcing services and sharing resources to make every dollar count. Where others may merely suggest ideas like using volunteers, Crompton spells out the details, from selecting and managing recruits to preparing for their arrival. And where others may briefly allude to possible sources of friction in fund-raising efforts, Crompton gives readers a clear picture of the intangible forces that motivate every funding decision on the private and public level. There's a vast difference between knowing what to do and knowing how to get it done. Crompton makes it easy with helpful hints and practical solutions, including the following: * How to select companies with good sponsorship potential * How to recognize and position your assets * Who to contact within a sponsor organization and what to say * How to find and manage volunteers * How to build long-term relationships with benefactors * How to write successful grant proposals No other book covers so much information with such clarity and detail. Crompton has successfully rewritten the ""bible"" of financial problem solving for public park and recreation organizations. If there's a way to cut costs, raise funds, form partnerships, or reevaluate assets to further the successful operation of park and recreation areas, you'll find it in this book. "