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At some point, every agency has to make a case for something it wants to do, or keep doing. Managers are well-acquainted with the traditional cost-benefit analysis, which is more easily calculated when the costs and benefits already exist as fixed amounts. But how does one measure the seemingly priceless value of a child’s smile? Should it be measured?
One of the major strategic trends of the past decade has been the parks and recreation benefits movement. A key marketing phrase was, “The benefits are endless,” followed by a list of all the good results purportedly gained from participation in recreation and leisure. This approach was meant not only as a method of raising awareness but also an increase in expectations that managers would provide proof of the benefits’ positive effects. Indeed, this goal became a principal component of the Benefits-Based Programming model (Edginton, et al.).
But what to measure and report: children’s intangible smiles? Using “benefits” to justify proposals to agency stakeholders can be weakened by relying on less-than-relevant criteria. Sometimes stakeholders are not immediately interested in children’s smiles.