How Park & Recreation Agencies Work with Non-Profit Organizations to Reach Their Goals
With colleagues from Penn State University, Nick Pitas recently published a peer-reviewed article examining how local park and recreation agencies partner with non-profit organizations to deliver services.
Traditionally, local park and recreation services are funded predominantly through tax-based allocations, supplemented by other streams such as earned revenue, dedicated levies, and sponsorship agreements.
Unfortunately, the average agency is not sufficiently funded to deliver on its core mission. Partnership with non-profit organizations, a form of neoliberal conservation, represents a potential strategy to this longstanding issue. This article describes the motivations behind the initiation of these partnerships, as well as the benefits, best-practices, and challenges faced by agencies engaging with non-profits.