From Walk‑Ins to 95% Online: How Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District Scaled Programs with CivicPlus Recreation Management

In 2012, Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District began its journey with CivicPlus® Recreation Management. A decade later, the District’s Environmental Education programs have evolved from informal walk‑ins to a reliable, data‑driven operation that engages the community at scale. Today, 95% of registrations happen online, annual program participation grew to 500–600 registrants in 2024, and seasonal production now requires one full‑time coordinator instead of three. Instructor autonomy and robust reporting have turned complex seasons into manageable workflows, while the team continues to refine the participant experience.

The Challenge of Expansion

Before adopting CivicPlus, program attendance was mostly walk‑in. Marketing relied on word of mouth and posters. There was no centralized way to stage an upcoming season, verify details, or empower instructors to manage day‑to‑day communication with participants. As program offerings expanded, the District needed a system that could:

• Move registrations online for accessibility and reliability.
• Stage and proof entire seasons before launch.
• Reduce the coordinator’s administrative load.
• Give instructors controlled access to rosters and communication tools.
• Produce the insights needed to measure impact.

The CivicPlus Recreation Management Solution

Activity Registration at the Core: Savannah Peña, Environmental Education Coordinator, describes Activity Registration as “the most utilized” capability. Her team creates, schedules, categorizes, and privately stages full Program Periods. This lets them build seasons behind the scenes, review details, and then make everything public in one click when they are ready.

Instructor Management as the Enabler: The Instructor Portal gives instructors secure access to rosters and participant communication for their assigned programs. After a short training, instructors can see who is enrolled, message participants, and share post‑program materials without relying on the coordinator for every interaction.

For a district that runs dozens of activities per season, this autonomy is essential.

Reporting for Confidence and Insight: Reporting is Savannah’s “critical tool.” She uses it to proof every season before publishing. Reports confirm instructors are assigned correctly, dates and locations are accurate, and all program metadata is complete. Automated reports and lifetime data exports allow the District to share targeted lists with partners and to analyze multi‑year trends, including participant demographics and year‑over‑year volume

The Transformative Results

Participation and Digital Adoption: Annual registrations reached 500–600 in 2024, a 30% increase since 2018 as staff leveraged new tools more efficiently. Digital adoption is at 95%, making programs more accessible and reducing paper use by an estimated 50%.

Operational Efficiency: The production window for each six‑month season still spans two months, but staffing needs dropped from three full‑time staff to one, which is roughly a 67% reduction in staffing effort for seasonal setup.

Instructor Autonomy: Instructors now manage their own rosters and communications, supporting 50–70 activities per season with streamlined activity scheduling and participant check-ins, eliminating bottlenecks

Sustainability: Savannah estimates saving at least two hours every time she reviews and publishes programs, and lifetime exports support demographic analysis and grant applications.

A Foundation for Growth

Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District’s transformation shows what’s possible when technology and teamwork align. By moving from walk-in, paper-based processes to a streamlined, digital-first approach, the District has unlocked new levels of efficiency, participation, and instructor empowerment. Recreation Management has not only scaled their programs but also built a foundation for ongoing improvement and community engagement.

Ready to transform your recreation programs?
Discover how CivicPlus Recreation Management can help your organization streamline operations, empower staff and instructors, and grow participation.
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