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1 DRAFT City of Richmond Community Services Department – Recreation Division Partnership Policy
I. Policy Purpose & Background
The purpose of the Partnership Policy is to establish policies, guidelines and procedures that govern how partnerships between the City of Richmond Community Services Department - Recreation Division (Recreation) and external entities are evaluated, entered into and managed. This allows the agency to be proactive rather than reactive when presented with a partnership opportunity. It also sets a “level playing field” for all potential partners, so that they know and understand in advance the parameters and selection criteria for a proposed partnership.
The main goal for these partnerships is enhancing public offerings. Recreation is interested in promoting partnerships which involve cooperation among many partners, bringing resources together to accomplish goals in a synergistic manner. Proposals that incorporate such collaborative efforts will receive priority status.
II. Background
For many years, Recreation has worked with a variety of individuals and organizations to provide programs and services to Richmond residents. These arrangements, or partnerships, have steadily grown in numbers causing Recreation to recognize the need to create more formal policies and procedures to ensure that the partnerships are consistent with the mission and values of Recreation and that partners are treated with consistency and equity.
III. Partnership Purpose
Recreation seeks to establish partnerships with non-profit and other public agencies to enhance recreation opportunities for Richmond residents. Recreation’s goal in partnering is to improve service by providing a wider range of recreational services to the community.
The purpose of a partnership is to expand or enhance the services Recreation delivers to Richmond residents. Partnerships should positively affect the quality of recreational, cultural, and outdoor experiences. A major component in exploring any potential partnership will be to identify additional collaborating partners that may help provide a synergistic working relationship in terms of resources and community contributions. The City will post the Partnership Policy on the City’s website.
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2 IV. Partnership Categories
Recreation engages with partners that fall into one of the following categories:
• Individuals
• Businesses or corporations
• Social service or community organizations
• Non-profit organizations
• Volunteer/neighborhood organizations (including ‘friends of’ groups) • Districts and Quasi-governmental entities
• Governmental entities
• Public School Districts
V. Required Conditions
The Partner must:
• Align with Recreation’s mission, values, and goals.
• Comply with all applicable laws, rules, policies, and health guidelines • Have the necessary competency, resources, or license(s) (if applicable) to engage in the proposed activity.
• Meet insurance coverage requirements as determined by the City’s Risk Management Office.
• Submit proposed activities to Recreation for review and approval. • Meet all applicable Recreation maintenance standards and construction requirements (if applicable)
• Provide programs that compliment City programming efforts and are not in direct competition.
• Present their current year budget
• Attest to receiving and agree to following all communication requirements • Demonstrate the activity provides a community benefit or significant value to the community or a significant portion of its residents.
• Prove that they are serving the residents of Richmond through their general program operations.
• Agree to or submit a policy demonstrating that they do not deny participants due to their inability to pay registration or participation fees. • For youth serving organizations, show proof of performing background screenings of coaches and administrators.
• Demonstrate that the proposed partnership has no significant impact on the facilities or department activities, that the partner will provide volunteer services and materials to mitigate any impacts created by the event or program, or that the impacts are adequately offset by the public benefit provided by the program or event.
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3 VI. Expectations for Partners
Partners will generally provide one or more of the following activities:
Funding for programs or projects
Park and/or facility operational support, maintenance and improvements Tabling at City events
Conduct at least one (1) quarterly clean-up of utilized spaces encouraging participant and community participation
Keep all areas clean and free of debris after every scheduled use Volunteer time
Provide in-kind services and goods
Help the City activate and promote ownership spaces
Park and facility operational support and improvements Programs at reduced or no cost to constituents
Fulfill the City’s fingerprinting and TB testing requirement As required, provide the City’s requirement for proof of vaccination
VII. Process
The steps for the creation of a partnership with Recreation are as follows:
A. Notification
Recreation will create a public notification process through BidsOnline that will help inform all interested partners of the availability of partnerships with the City. This will be done at a minimum annually December 1st through notification in social media post, flyers and through any other notification method that is feasible.
B. Preliminary Proposal
The proposing partner takes the first step to propose partnering. To help in reviewing both the partnerships proposed, and the project to be developed in partnership, Recreation asks for a Preliminary Proposal according to a specific format as outlined in Part Two - Proposed Partnership Outline Format.
C. Review
If initial review of a Preliminary Proposal yields interest and appears to be mutually beneficial, the Recreation Supervisor will work with potential partners.
D. Planning
The Recreation Supervisor is available to answer questions related to the creation of an initial proposal, and after initial interest has been indicated, will work with the proposing partner to create a checklist of what actions need to take place next. Each project will have distinctive planning, design, review, and support issues. The Recreation Supervisor will facilitate the process of determining how the partnership will address Attachment 3
4 these issues. The Recreation Supervisor and the proposing partner can also facilitate input from the Library and Community Services Director, Deputy Director for Community Services-Recreation, Recreation and Parks Commission and City Manager providing guidance for the partners as to necessary steps.
E. Cost Evaluation
The partnership must cover the costs the partnership incurs, regardless of how the partnered project is staffed. If City of Richmond - Recreation staff resources are to be used by the partnership, those costs should be included in its project proposal and budget.
VIII. Costs for the Proposal Approval Process
For most proposed partnerships, there will be considerable staff time spent on the review and approval process once a project passes the initial review stage. This time includes discussions with Proposing Partners, exploration of synergistic partnering opportunities, possible RFP processes, facilitation of the approval process, and assistance in writing and negotiating agreements, contracting, etc.
IX. Definitions
Partnership: A partnership is a cooperative venture between two or more parties with a common goal, who combine complementary resources to establish a mutual direction or complete a mutually beneficial project. Partnerships can be facility-based or program-specific.
Partner: an individual, organization or group that, through a written agreement, provides a service or benefit to Recreation and/or Richmond’s residents and in exchange gets some benefit from Recreation.
Partnership Application: a standardized application each potential Partner completes and submits to Recreation.
Partnership Agreement: a written and formally executed agreement between Recreation and an outside party that details the terms of the Partnership. The Partnership Agreement must be signed by all parties, including formal execution in accordance with City laws, before Partner work can begin.
Public Benefit: an activity or service that accomplishes a public purpose promoting the needs, interests, social, economic, and cultural well-being, or the health and safety of a community and complements the vision and direction of Recreation.
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5 DRAFT Partnership Agreement Application
The proposed Partnership Agreement outline provides a format that is intended to help guide organizations in creating a proposal for review with City of Richmond Recreation staff. Organizations are asked to provide as much information as possible in the following outline form.
I. Description of Proposing Organization
Name of Organization
Years in Existence
Contact Names, Mailing Address
Physical Address, Phone, Fax, E-mail
Purpose of Organization
Services Provided
Member/User Profiles
Accomplishments
Current year budget
II. Summary of Proposal (100 words or less)
What is being proposed?
III. Benefits to the Partnering Organization
Why is your organization interested in partnering with the City of Richmond Recreation Division? Please individually list and discuss the benefits (monetary and non-monetary) for your organization.
IV. Benefits to the City of Richmond Recreation Division Please individually list and discuss the benefits (monetary and non-monetary) for Recreation and residents of Richmond.
Guiding Questions:
Meeting the Needs of our Community:
In your experience, how does the project align with Recreation’s goals? How does the proposed program or facility meet a need for Richmond’s residents?
Who will be the users?
What is the projected number and profile of participants who will be served? What alternatives currently exist to serve the users identified in this project? How much of the existing need is now being met?
What is the availability of similar programs elsewhere in the community? Is the proposed Partnership activity consistent with Recreation’s current priorities?
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6 Does the Partnership provide public benefit by increasing access to parks, facilities and/or Recreation programs?
Does the Partnership meet the needs and interests of underserved or diverse populations?
Does the Partnership engage populations that otherwise do not utilize Recreation programs and services?
What are the overall benefits for both the City of Richmond and the Proposing Partners?
The Financial Aspect:
What are the anticipated prices for participants?
What resources are expected to come from Recreation?
What is the plan to ensure the program will be funded in future years? How will the proposing partner offer programs at reasonable and competitive costs for participants?
Logistics:
How much space do you need? What type of space?
What is your proposed timeline?
What are your projected hours of operations?
What are your initial staffing projections?
Are there any mutually beneficial cooperative marketing benefits? What is your organization's experience in providing this type of program? How will your organization meet Americans with Disabilities Act and EEO requirements?
General:
Does the Partnership increase Recreation’s capacity to deliver or enhance the quality of existing programs or services?
How can the proposing partner assure the City of Richmond long-term stability of the proposed partnership?