Strategy & Services

The vast and evolving public park and recreation industry serves as a critical component of a community’s physical, social, and economic well-being. As public services face chronic underfunding and general fund challenges, park agencies are often among the first to see their budgets shrink, leading to struggles to provide basic services and massive deferred maintenance backlogs. This is compounded by stretched personnel resources, with many agencies facing staffing shortages and hiring freezes. At the same time, public demand for new and improved programs, facilities, and accessible open spaces is at an all-time high, driven by a post-pandemic reawakening to the value of parks, natural areas, and recreation programming. 

ParksWell Consulting serves as an essential partner, helping address the critical gap between public resources and needs by building community connections in support of parks and recreation. Our service is designed for the park agency that understands the necessity for external support and public-private partnerships but lacks the time, expertise, or dedicated personnel to effectively create and manage a Park Foundation, Friends Group, or similar. 

  • Group of six diverse coworkers in a modern office, smiling and stacking hands together in a gesture of teamwork and collaboration.

    Community Collaboration

    We provide the expertise to establish a stable, legally sound, and mission-aligned Park Foundation or Friend Group. We’ll guide the vision of a support organization into a reality, from initial formation to establishing a board of directors and governance structures and then help establish strong fundraising programs, from annual giving to major gifts and capital campaigns.

  • Map of a park showcasing a playground, performance space, court sports, picnic tables, sand play area, a shelter with tables, bike racks, restrooms, and various trees and vegetation.

    Extend Capabilities

    We relieve the burden on stretched personnel and subject matter expertise by providing hands-on public-private partnership development services. We tailor approaches to your community and supporters, develop strategic plans, identify funding and campaign opportunities, and guide partners along the way, allowing agency staff to focus on their primary mission of managing parks and recreation services

  • A person in a dark suit writing on a yellow sticky note on a large bulletin board filled with colorful sticky notes and papers for a project or presentation.

    Partner Support

    We capitalize on the increasing recognition that public-private partnerships are the future of park and recreation management. As Park Foundations and Friends Groups become more prevalent and sophisticated, there is a clear and growing demand for professional support services that can help them achieve their full potential. The success of these groups is a direct result of the support they receive from formation to operational capacity

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