Memo
To: La Verne Donelson, Instructor
From: John Doe, Student
Date: 3/22/2010
Re: Proposal for the Addition of a Kids Day Camp Program at Red Rocks Country Club

Purpose

The purpose of this proposal is to suggest development of a Kids Day Camp program at Red Rocks Country Club to enhance the current member experience and attract new members.

Summary

Red Rocks Country Club is a private organization whose amenities include: an Olympic-size pool, an 18-hole golf course, a full-service restaurant, a private fishing lake and access to a host of hiking trails.

Their vision is “A sought after, private club committed to our unique friendliness and natural landscape”. Their website markets the club as “A different kind of country club” and “a family and female friendly Club”. Red Rocks offers a variety of golf programs for men and women: Men’s golf leagues, women’s golf leagues, couples tournaments and Interclub play events. For kids ages 10 and up, they also have a Junior Golf program.

However, parents of young children often do not have the opportunity to golf together. For both the man and woman to play, they are faced with finding private childcare on an ad-hoc basis. In the summertime on a weekend day, this is not always an easy task. What often happens is that the man utilizes the golf course and the woman stays home with the kids, which can lead to a “lopsided” perception of the club’s value for the family. I am proposing that Red Rocks Country Club offer a Kids Day Camp childcare program, to be available on Saturdays and Sundays from May through August. The program will provide care for children ages 4-10 while their parents utilize the club’s facilities during the day. My proposal will cover the costs of running such a service. I will suggest specifics related to the logistics of the program. I will provide testimonials from existing members who would welcome such a service. I will demonstrate how this sort of program will increase revenue of the Club as well as attract new members.

In order to accurately assess all required information and present a recommendation, I will need to interview several members of the staff and Board of Directors at Red Rocks Country Club. Additionally I’ll research other private golf clubs to determine if others are offering these sorts of programs. Lastly I plan to create a survey for current members that will assist in determining the level of interest for a Kids Day Camp as well as tolerable price points for participation in the program.

Upon acceptance of this proposal, I will start by setting up interviews with the General Manager and Food/Beverage Director of the club. Since I am a member of Red Rocks Country Club and have over 20 years of business experience, I feel aptly qualified to perform the research and provide recommendations for this project.

Introduction

A consistent message heard from the Red Rocks Board of Directors is the need to increase the number of members in the club. They recently changed the structure of available memberships to make the club more attractive. Red Rocks promotes a “family” atmosphere; one that is relaxed and enjoyable. If a family with young children joins, the club can expect to have those members for several years which provides a consistent revenue stream.

If a couple is happy about their membership, they will tell friends. They will encourage others to consider joining the club. These members can easily overcome objections made by others that paying for a private club is an unnecessary expense. They will take advantage of all that the club offers, and get involved in volunteering to better the organization. This will strengthen the fabric of the organization as well as promote a solid sense of community.

There are a large number of members of Red Rocks who have young children. Many of these couples rarely get to take full advantage of the golf facilities as they are juggling the kids’ needs. Instead of playing a round of golf together on a Saturday or Sunday, typically the man plays and the woman stays home with the children. Over time this can lead to the woman feeling that the benefits of the club are mainly for the husband. The woman is less likely to tout the club to friends, or to engage in activities related to boosting membership. In my proposal I will show how adding a Kids Day Camp will allow more overall utilization of the facilities, which will increase revenue. The perceived value of the club will increase from the existing members’ perspectives. Additionally if Red Rocks offers such a service it will attract more families with young children which will bolster the club’s vision as well as boost membership.

For my research I will draw on the knowledge of Linda Irwin, the President of the Board of Directors. I will interview Erik Keyser, the General Manager as well as Steve Morr, the Food & Beverage Director. Additionally I will conduct research of local country clubs to determine if others are offering such a service. I plan to gather state requirements and other details related to providing childcare in a public facility. I will initiate a survey of current members with young children to gauge their level of interest in such a program. Lastly, I will demonstrate how offering such a program will bring together members of all categories: those with no children, those with kids ages 10-18 and those with young children.



My research will help to determine if the benefits associated with running a Kids Day Camp program would outweigh the costs associated with launching and maintaining it on an ongoing basis. The remainder of this memo includes the proposed tasks, a schedule, a budget, my qualifications and a list of references.

Proposed Procedure

I will be gathering the following information as well as performing interviews to develop the details for the program.

Item 1: Linda Irwin, President of Board of Directors. I will meet with Linda to determine the specific breakout of member demographics. She can also provide details on whether this sort of program has been attempted in the past.

Item 2: Erik Keyser, General Manager. I will meet with Erik to discuss the overall direction of the club. I will draw on his past experience to see if he’s supported this type of program at other clubs. I’ll ask Erik to provide insight about facilities and logistics of utilizing the clubhouse to house the program. Erik can also address payroll and staffing questions. I’ll talk with him about how the hours of the program should be defined in coordination with the weekend tee times.

Item 3: Steve Morr, Food & Beverage Director. I will meet with Steve to gather details on providing food & beverage support, as well as facilities information. I’ll draw upon Steve’s experience at other clubs who may have provided this sort of program. Steve can provide ideas on how to schedule the program in such a way to have the greatest revenue impact on the clubhouse.

Item 4: Golf Pro Shop. I’ll gather information from the Pro Shop staff to determine the best hours for couples’ tee times on the weekends. We’ll try to leverage a single block of time to help with staffing the Kids Day Camp.

Item 5: State/County/DOH Research. I’ll contact the Department of Health to determine the laws and requirements for providing childcare in a public facility. I will contact the State of Colorado and Jefferson County to learn about staffing requirements, employee vs. independent contractor status, and potential age limitations. I’ll contact other similar clubs to see if they offer childcare programs.

Item 6: Create/Distribute Survey to Existing Members. I will prepare and distribute a short survey to the existing members of Red Rocks Country Club who have young children. I will ask the following questions: How many times/month would you use the service? How much are you willing to pay? What are the ages of your children? Do you think you would spend more money on food/beverage at the club if we had a Kids Day Camp? Would you want the pool to be available as an activity for your child? Would you recommend the club to your friends or business associates?

Item 7: Prepare Final Report and Recommendation. I’ll compile all of the information into a concise final report. I will present it to Erik Keyser for review, and they to the Board of Directors for consideration.

Schedule

Item 1 BOD

Item 2 GM

Item 3 F&B

Item 4 Pro Shop

Item 5 DOH

Item 6 Survey

Item 7 Final

Week of 3/23
Week of 3/30
Week of 4/5
Week of 4/12
Week of 4/19
Week of 4/26

Qualifications

I bring the following experience and qualifications to the project:

• Education: Bachelor of Science, Illinois State University 1986.
Desktop Publishing: Red Rocks Community College 2008
Technical Writing: CCC Online 2009 • Relevant Experience: Over 20 years in private sector, with extensive experience in sales support as it relates to increasing revenue, consensus building, process improvement, new program initiatives, and training. Also several years of marketing experience, including collateral development, brand awareness, program recognition and improvement. • Current member of Red Rocks Country Club and golfer for 12 years. I have two small kids so I am the target market!

References

Linda Cope, President Red Rocks Country Club Board of Directors lgin@seecommgroup.com
Erics Fore, General Manager Red Rocks Country Club 303-222-4444
Steve Raley, Director of Food & Beverage Red Rocks Country Club 303-222-4444

Budget

Name

Hours

Rate

Cost

Shonna Falco

20

$50.00

$1000.00

Total:

$1000.00