July 2011 - Parks & Recreation - 59

Friends Groups Unite
Across America to Support
Parks and Recreation

ourbackyard and ask your friends to " friend " America's Backyard too. Engage your local community
groups, such as Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, youth groups,
or your home owner's association, as Park Partners.
Display your car cling to help promote America's Backyard. Take action when you receive the " Action Alerts. "
Make a donation. At any level of giving, you can
make a powerful impact in your community. Many
people are under the impression that small gifts
don't count, but for many nonprofits it is a combination of small gifts that results in the bulk of donations. Nationally, giving from individuals accounts for
75 percent of all contributions. Join the Citizen Network challenge to engage our members by asking
for donations and " friends " on the America's Backyard Facebook page.
Organize a " Friendraiser " event. These events
range from restaurant nights to bake sales, and raise
funds for America's Backyard with minimal time and
expense. They also introduce and cultivate potential individual donors and companies for America's
Backyard. Additionally, they increase brand awareness for America's Backyard and in turn for NRPA.
We are also engaging the local community at the
NRPA Congress in November. In collaboration with
local hosts, a 5k Run/Walk is being held at Piedmont
Park in Atlanta. Proceeds will be equally divided between the Georgia Recreation and Park Association
and America's Backyard. We are appealing to our
exhibitors at Congress to show their support-exhibitors will receive special recognition on their booths
and in printed materials.

Pay it forward
A recent study on " cooperative behavior cascades in
human social networks " demonstrated that altruism
moves up to three degrees of separation. For example, I do a good thing, which inspires another person to do a good thing, which then prompts another
person to do a good thing. Talk about paying it forward. It would appear that doing good is contagious,
so encourage your friends to spread the word about
their own acts of generosity. Celebrate the spread of

Friends groups are avid supporters of local parks and
recreation. Collectively, our local parks across the country make up America's Backyard. Just like any other
backyard, these resources need someone to take care of
them-to nurture them-and to make sure that they continue to thrive and survive in this tough economy.
America's Backyard needs support from local groups like
yours to help our voice grow stronger. Make your community a part of something bigger by supporting local parks
and recreation at the national level. America's Backyard
encourages groups of all sizes to show your alliance by becoming a Park Partner through a gift from your group. As
a thank you for your contribution, we'll link to your group
from our www.americasbackyard.org website, as well as
the America's Backyard Facebook page, giving you national publicity and recognition.
As we enter July, which has been recognized by U.S. House
of Representatives as Park and Recreation Month, we have
set a goal to have Park Partners representing every state
in the nation, as well as our nation's capital. Don't let your
state miss out-become a Park Partner-sign up by TODAY!
Thank you for all you do locally to support your park and
recreation community. If you have any question about the
Park Partner program,
please contact
Nan Moring, Senior
Manager, directly
at 703.858.2170,
800.883.3002, or at
nmoring@nrpa.org.

altruism, because it creates even more generosity
and that is a kind of social contagion that we could
use more of in the world today.
There is a powerful consensus across America
that outdoor spaces-large and small, urban and
rural-remain central to our quality of life, our economy, and our national identity. One of the tenets of
America's Backyard is that all children or children
at heart, regardless of where they live, should have
access to clean, safe outdoor places where they can
play, dream, and discover.
For more information, contact Nan Moring, Senior Manager, Individual Giving, at 800.883.3002 or
americasbackyard@nrpa.org.

www.NRPA .ORG

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Parks & Recreation 57

July 2011 - Parks & Recreation

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