After a long year and a half of virtual gatherings, Community programs are resuming their usual activity levels. According to the National Recreation and Park Association, 95% of summer camps operated for most of the summer, and 92% of recreation centers officially reopened. Additionally, most parks and recreation amenities, such as parks, trails, basketball courts, and playgrounds, are now available for public use. 

With the colder months approaching, you might wonder how you can continue engaging your community and offering meaningful Programming for the fall and winter. After a year and a half of isolation, many people will likely want to celebrate the holidays with their communities, so you have the perfect opportunity to bring everyone together. When designing your programming, you should plan to: 

1. Invest in tools to digitize your community program management. 
2. Offer programming that members actually want. 
3. Explore some winter and fall programming ideas!

Maintaining attendance at your programs during the busy year-end giving season is crucial to maximizing your revenue and generating greater interest in your recreation programs. Following these 3 tips can help improve your attendees’ experience and get more people involved in your community. Let’s get started! 

1. Invest In Tools To Digitize Your Community Program Management.

Due to the pandemic, many of us have become accustomed to online registrations, contactless payments, and ticketless check-ins. Because of their convenience, these processes will likely stick around. The easier it is for attendees to gather information about and sign up for your programs and events, the better. 

For streamlining registrations, payments, facility reservations, check-ins, and more, it’s recommended that you automate and digitize as many of your processes as possible. That’s where recreation management software like CommunityPass can be an asset. Using this software, you can implement: 

• Online registration and payments: Community members can sign up and make payments touch-free from the comfort of their own homes or on the go with their mobile devices, all while minimizing contact with your staff. This way, you won’t have to require visits to your facility for registration, which is not always feasible for some individuals and can keep your staff safe. 
• Online searchable program catalog: An online program catalog makes it easy for community members to search, browse, and find different events and activities that pique their interests. 
• Integrated email and text communications: Communicating with your attendees via email and text is much faster and more convenient than word-of-mouth or printed materials. Using recreation software also allows you to send targeted alerts, automate your outreach, and pre-schedule your messaging.
• Comprehensive reporting: Keeping track of the metrics for your different programs is a highly effective way to see which events were successful and which ones weren’t. With recreation management software, you can automate attendance, financial, and registration reports to determine how to enhance your program offerings easily. 

While the pandemic has become more manageable, many community resources that increased convenience are here to stay. By offering online registrations and payments, an easy way to share your catalog, and convenient communications to your community members, you ultimately lower the barrier to engagement for your programming. 

Investing in recreation management software is the easiest and most effective way to streamline your management processes and go digital for good!

2. Offer Programming That Members Actually Want.

Last year, you had to quickly pivot your existing programming to comply with safety protocols and local legislation. Because many of us were navigating virtual event planning for the first time, you likely ran into some bumps in the road. However, you also might have realized which events worked effectively online, which events were best in-person, and which programs were not of much interest to your community at all. 

As your community gets back to normal operations, you have the opportunity to re-evaluate your offerings to ensure that your community will genuinely want to participate in your programs. 

But trying to determine which programs would captivate your community is not a guessing game. Use different strategies and previous engagements to deliberately plan certain events that have already proven successful or that you are sure will have high attendance rates. Check out these ideas to help you determine the types of programming you should consider implementing: 

• Look at past popular programs in your recreation management software database. 
• See what other parks and recreation centers are offering. 
• Consider what is locally available, like parks, national parks, lakes, and oceans. 
• Send a survey to community members asking what activities they want to see. 

Once you’ve determined which events will most likely resonate with your community, consider using a digital marketing strategy to promote your programs. Through your website, social media, and email, you can reach your target audience across multiple channels, which will increase their likelihood of remembering your upcoming event. 

Communities everywhere have dealt with some serious changes and difficulties over the past year, so offering fun and engaging programming can not just increase their involvement with recreation activities, but it can also help lift everyone’s spirits.

3. Explore These Winter & Fall Programming Ideas!

Because everyone has a different comfort level with resuming normal activities, both virtual and in-person events will be popular. For this reason, we recommend developing programming that can be adapted to both or even offered as a hybrid event. 

If you’re not sure where to get started, don’t worry! We have plenty of cold-weather program ideas for hybrid, in-person, and virtual events to help you get the ball rolling. 

First, let’s take a look at some hybrid programming options. With hybrid events, you can maximize your attendance by allowing anyone to attend, whether they’re at your facility or in their living rooms. Mixed activities are also a great option if you’re running a fundraising event because it’s easy for everyone to engage. Here are some of our ideas for hybrid events: 

• Winter concert.
• Exercise class.
• Snowman building contest.
• Rec center movie night.
• Arts and crafts night.
• Marathon.
• Charity gala.

If you’re eager to get back to in-person events, we have some ideas for you, too. Whether you’re hosting an event at your facility or venturing out into your local parks, you can bring your community together. Try out some of these in-person events this fall or winter: 

• Indoor sports league.
• Theatre production.
• Family ice skating night.
• Winter chili cook-off.
• Polar plunge.
• Indoor run-a-thon.

While in-person events have become more popular over the past few months, that doesn’t mean that virtual and at-home programming is out of style. As many students return to school, virtual events can still allow kids to engage with your programming without going anywhere. You can offer convenient and fun virtual activities, such as: 

• Individual outdoor exercises.
• E-sport competitions.
• Read-a-thons.
• Online classes.

With such a wide variety of options, you can make sure that you offer something for everyone. The colder seasons are a time for communities to come together, so building meaningful connections can make the end of the year fun for all, whether you’re meeting virtually or in-person. 

There is no better way to bring people together than through community programming. As a recreation leader, you have the opportunity to help your community build meaningful connections after a year and a half of isolation through engaging programming. By investing in tools that can make planning and running your events easier and more convenient, you can get back to doing what you love — bringing people together. 

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