Blog
Summer is the time to dream.
It’s blissful - that perfect moment when the chaos of all of the planning and training come together and it just works. That moment in the summer when the busy-ness calms down can sometimes catch us off-guard. But it almost always happens for camp leaders. There...
What is the Value of Being Invited?
Really. Take a moment and think about that. Let me ask it differently, "What do you gain by receiving an invitation to participate that you don't get when you self-identify as a candidate for that opportunity?" If it helps, think about the context of a job...
User Days Should be Your Cornerstone Metrics
Measuring User Days is not new. Camp software companies even have reports that calculate a version of user days (also called camper days or guest days). The formulas they use and the ones created by individual camps vary - weighting meals, day use, and...
How Fresh is your Mission and Vision?
Your Organization was Likely Started to Solve a Problem for One Community Starting in the late 1800s and moving through today, communities have been developing summer camps as a means to solving a problem. Some camps were started to increase appreciation of nature;...
Finding the Right Employee
Finding the right employee is CRITICAL to your camp's success. And, frankly, you can’t afford to get this wrong. Getting it wrong means you have to live with your choice for the amount of time it takes to discover the problem, work through all possible solutions, then...
The State of the Camp Industry: The Haves and Have-Nots
Managing and maintaining a fully-functional camp from year to year is not for the weak at heart. Everything from staff changes, a decrease in funding, or lack of board support can make any director feel like they're walking on eggshells in an attempt to open in time...
How to Beat the Competition and Nail Your Camp Director Interview
Think back to your very first job interview at a summer camp. Was it everything you thought it would be? Or was it memorable for all the wrong reasons? We've all had our fair share of interview fails that we look back at and question how we even got to where we...
How Effective Communication Can Make You a More Effective Camp Leader
For most camp operations, Covid-19 put a wrench in our well-oiled machines. Information about new rules and safety measures came out at a mile a minute, leaving many staff members scratching their heads without real guidance on what to relay to their teams and camp...
Burning Questions Regarding the Opening of Camps for Summer 2021
As the New Year settles in, it is time to look ahead at what opportunities are available for summer camps. Whether you run a day program or overnight sleep away camp, chances are 2020 looked a little different than usual. Many of...