Challenge

The Minnesota Recreation and Park Association (MRPA) had a small but talented staff team that has worked closely for years. Dramatic market changes, however, resulted in the current staffing structure no longer being financially sustainable. It was clear that MRPA’s staffing structure needed to be modified, but so too did their member benefits. A new approach to finances and revenue would be necessary to sustain these changes and invest in new opportunities as well.

Methodology

AMC consultants approached this complex project using a multi-stage approach that included research, analysis, recommendations, and facilitated strategic conversations. Rather than focusing on high-level strategy, AMC consultants tackled several specific organizational pieces and wove them together into a cohesive strategic plan.

Frequent two-way communication was a vital part of the process as well. Association staff, leaders, and members were closely involved in each stage of the project. Their thoughts, opinions, knowledge, and organizational understanding were heeded and became key elements of the final deliverable.

A high-level view of the project stages included

• Stage I focused on foundational work as consultants reviewed MRPA documents, interviewed association leaders, and surveyed association members about their satisfaction and needs. 
• Stage II included an assessment of the staffing model used at MRPA followed by a comparison of leading practices at similar organizations. Published benchmarks were used to compare salaries, job descriptions, and job titles.
• Stage III was a deep dive into MRPA’s funding sustainability issues.
• Stage IV took an in-depth look at MRPA’s bylaws and provided recommendations for meaningful and actionable change.

Outcome

The work culminated in Stage V, a virtual strategy session with the MRPA Board of Directors facilitated by AMC consultants. Participants looked at the recommendations from all the stages, observing how these changes combined together would propel the association forward. Discussions at the meeting resulted in a singular strategic plan that incorporated all the pieces that had been explored individually and was fully customized to MRPA’s unique needs.