Reopening Considerations for Campus Recreation
Financial
A global pandemic like COVID-19 is going to have a financial impact on institutions. There is no one source for best practices regarding financial response in this scenario, so the Association has compiled a list of various questions about finances for consideration by recreation program administrators.
Considerations:
- Consult with your next level of leadership to determine possible budget scenarios.
- Develop strategies to reduce expenses based upon percentage of reduction to funding and revenues
- Determine if positive budget amounts can be carried forward to the next fiscal year
- Develop a communication plan for informing your department on current and future budget scenarios
Considerations:
- How will these impact your operations when the new normal begins?
Considerations:
- Review, revise, and communicate updated membership and program cancellation policies to staff and patrons
- Do you have the capacity to process refunds?
- Will you provide refunds in the form of a credit on account?
Considerations:
- Consult with your recreation software provider, finance department, and IT department to determine if you can provide contactless, cashless, and receiptless transactions
Considerations:
- Review and revise waivers, informed consent statements, etc. to account for the risk of COVID-19 transmission
Considerations:
- Determine if enrollment projections are up or down
- Will full-time students still be required to pay a recreation fee if classes are online but the recreation centre is open?
- What are the potential impacts to your operations and programming if there is a fee reduction or if the fee is waived?
Considerations:
- If you are open with major restrictions in place, will you adjust your public membership rates?
- Will you provide the option for public members to “hold” their membership until you return to full operations?
- How will membership holds impact future budget years if membership end dates are extended?
Considerations:
- Review program pricing structures to ensure break-even or profit-generating margins if registration is reduced as a result of physical distancing and grouping guidelines
Considerations:
- Form an action team to audit existing revenue sources and recommend new revenue generating opportunities
Considerations:
- Determine required operation and program staffing levels
- Research state, provincial, and/or national student employment grant opportunities
- In consultation with your human resource department, develop a temporary resource realignment plan that adjusts roles and responsibilities to maximize efficiencies during your reopening phases
Considerations:
- Implement internal processes and procedures to reduce spending to only essential purchases and wage expenses
- If necessary, incorporate additional layer(s) of approval to ensure the department is operating in the most fiscally efficient manner possible
Considerations:
- Track all expenses related directly to COVID-19 in the event there might be relief for these unplanned expenses from either the institution or from federal sources
- If possible, create a specific budget code to track COVID-19 costs more easily
Considerations:
- Consult with your next level of leadership to coordinate a bulk order of cleaning and PPE supplies for your campus
- Contact vendors to see if there are discounts if you purchase larger quantities
