187 million 187 million professionals from 200 countries use LinkedIn to network. But beyond the profile is another great tool: LinkedIn groups. Members set up groups around specific topics in order to gather like-minded people into one place for discussion and information sharing.
The groups that we are highlighting today allow you to network with other rec professionals, stay on top of technology, marketing, programming and budgeting trends; and contribute to discussions and ideas. Although the ranking isn’t scientific, I balanced relevance, discussions and number of members to make the selections. Click each group to learn more and to join.
1. Parks and Recreation Professionals (7,970 members)
2. NRPA National Recreation and Park Association (5,573 members)
3. Parks Make Life Better! (R) (1,086 members)
4. Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals (formerly NARRP) (386 members)
5. Outdoor Recreation and Travel Industry Marketing Network (1,078 members)
6. Recreation Management and Technology (232 members)
7. Sports Industry Network (99,320 members)
8. Athletic Business Conference & Expo (844 members)
9. Fitness and Health Professionals (24,236 members)
10. Choose Outdoors (812 members)
11. RCRA (Resort and Commercial Recreation Association) (314 members)
12. Sports Jobs, Marketing Sports & Recreation Careers (367 members)
State-specific Groups
The following list is a sample of specific organizations from each state. Most are restricted to professionals that work in that state. Check out these groups, or see the bottom of this article to search for your state if you don’t see it below:
13. Florida Recreation and Park Association (720 members)
14. Michigan Recreation and Park Association (492 members)
15. Wisconsin Park & Recreation Association (326 members)
16. South Carolina Recreation and Parks Association (323 members)
17. Arizona Parks and Recreation Association (212 members)
18. Indiana Park and Recreation Association (179 members)
19. Kentucky Recreation & Park Society (170 members)
20. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (150 members)
21. New Jersey Recreation and Park Association (54 members)
22. Massachusetts Recreation & Park Association (51 members)
23. Virginia State Parks (48 members)
24. Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association (TRPA) (43 members)
25. Wyoming Recreation & Parks Assoc. (25 members)
If your state’s organization was not listed here, you can conduct a search on LinkedIn by entering the name into the search box and sorting by ‘Groups’.
professionals from 200 countries use LinkedIn to network. But beyond the profile is another great tool: LinkedIn groups. Members set up groups around specific topics in order to gather like-minded people into one place for discussion and information sharing.The groups that we are highlighting today allow you to network with other rec professionals, stay on top of technology, marketing, programming and budgeting trends; and contribute to discussions and ideas. Although the ranking isn't scientific, I balanced relevance, discussions and number of members to make the selections. Click each group to learn more and to join.1. Parks and Recreation Professionals (7,970 members)2. NRPA National Recreation and Park Association (5,573 members)3. Parks Make Life Better! (R) (1,086 members)4. Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals (formerly NARRP) (386 members)5. Outdoor Recreation and Travel Industry Marketing Network (1,078 members)6. Recreation Management and Technology (232 members)7. Sports Industry Network (99,320 members)8. Athletic Business Conference & Expo (844 members)9. Fitness and Health Professionals (24,236 members)10. Choose Outdoors (812 members)11. RCRA (Resort and Commercial Recreation Association) (314 members)12. Sports Jobs, Marketing Sports & Recreation Careers (367 members)
State-specific Groups
The following list is a sample of specific organizations from each state. Most are restricted to professionals that work in that state. Check out these groups, or see the bottom of this article to search for your state if you don't see it below:13. Florida Recreation and Park Association (720 members)14. Michigan Recreation and Park Association (492 members)15. Wisconsin Park & Recreation Association (326 members)16. South Carolina Recreation and Parks Association (323 members)17. Arizona Parks and Recreation Association (212 members)18. Indiana Park and Recreation Association (179 members)19. Kentucky Recreation & Park Society (170 members)20. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (150 members)21. New Jersey Recreation and Park Association (54 members)22. Massachusetts Recreation & Park Association (51 members)23. Virginia State Parks (48 members)24. Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association (TRPA) (43 members)25. Wyoming Recreation & Parks Assoc. (25 members)If your state's organization was not listed here, you can conduct a search on LinkedIn by entering the name into the search box and sorting by 'Groups'.