Articles from Experts

by Scott Arizala What’s their secret? Often at camp we have certain counselors, program specialists, and other group leaders that make facilitating activities and getting campers engaged and excited look so simple. Is it that they have some special gift? Maybe they understand something that the rest of us don’t‰Û_ it is simple. By simple I mean that they employ …

By Scott Arizala Once upon a time there was a camp counselor that took his junior counselor and their eight kids on a journey. What started as a walk in the woods ended as a profound experience in the development of each person as a member of something bigger: we became a team, a group, a family and community. The …

Over the past decade, I’ve received countless thank-you notes from parents and campers on behalf of our camp staff and summer camp program. Although we spend our year raising money for new bells and whistles at camp, no one has ever sent me a thank-you for installing the new high ropes course, or purchasing new paddleboats. It’s not that the …

Everyone has a camp brochure and various flyers, right? Here are some tips that make sure that your brochure and flyer marketing is effective. Design, design, design. The moment you can afford to have your materials designed by a professional, do it! A designer can combine the best colors, pictures, fonts, and style into a captivating piece. Camp directors can …

Although there are many different methods to marketing your camp, you can take the following steps to recruit new campers. Pre-marketing plan – Have a good camp! Since word of mouth will account for over 80% of our new campers, give them something to talk about! If you are not confident in your program and staff, marketing to new campers …

Marketing, Marketing, Marketing… By now, many camps are deep in the process of preparing for the 2007 camp season. During the next seven months, your challenge is to reach as many new families as possible, excite them about your program, and compel them to register. We’d like to help! Here’s how… Web site contest – sponsored by MySummerCamps.com Please send …

By Randall Grayson, PhD. Click here for a PDF version of this article. Camps vary in the degree to which they program various aspects of the day. At one extreme, there are camps that let the children freely wander around camp most of the day, where activities are open all the time on a drop-in basis. At the other extreme, …

Composing and Conveying Your Essential Story by Terry Axelrod, CEO, Raising More Money The easiest way to provide an Emotional Hook for your organization is through stories. People will remember a story. Long after the specific facts have slipped from their minds, that story will linger. You need to decide as an organization what your main “Essential Story” will be. …

Most people find your web site by looking for your exact camp name, or for specific terms, such as those they would use for the Yellow Pages. You can do a few simple (and a couple advanced) things to get your site ranked highly on Google for terms that will lead people to your site. Choosing & Using Key Words …

Every summer, we send each of our eight children to Camp. Four have ADHD and/or learning difficulties so we look for a variety of Camps. As we review our options, we always rate camps according to their ability to meet five specific needs. Camp Directors and leaders have an extraordinary opportunity to truly stand out from other Camps by addressing …

by Patrick Connelly and Chris Pallatto Marketing to new families is an ongoing process for all camps, regardless of budget size. Here are some creative ideas to add to or improve your marketing campaign. Email, Email, Email Make a regular effort to collect email addresses. Put spaces for parents to update their email addresses on registration forms, permission slips, surveys, …

The ultimate goal of every camp program is to succesfully provide a quality program that is safe for kids and makes them want to return year after year. One of the largest pieces of this ever changing puzzle that can be easily over looked is the view that our camp parents have of our program. Last month we asked what …

Do You Have The Dreaded Mid-Summer Blues?!?! Then quickly, read on… The good part is you’ve reached the part of the summer where you can see the light at the end of the tunnel and it’s not an oncoming train. But the songs aren’t new anymore and the kids don’t seem as excited as they were a while ago. It’s …

By Susan Fee Meet your summer staff: they are most likely Internet savvy, optimistic, goal oriented, and respectful of their parents. They can also be blunt, contradictory, and confident to a fault. They are members of Generation Y (although they despise labeling), children of baby boomers, and the upbeat younger siblings to Generation X. Demographers have been unable to agree …

Definition: Paradox – a seemingly contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true. As a camp director, hiring the right staff is the most important part of your job. Great staff make for happy campers, an exciting camp culture, and a quality program. All the bells and whistles simply won’t make up for sub-par staff. There are countless theories on hiring …

As summer approaches, we once again embark on the quest to find and hire the best camp staff on the planet. It’s time to put the hiring mistakes of the past behind us and move confidently forward. But how do we do this? The conventional interview, whether it is face to face or over the phone, just doesn’t seem to …

By Chris Pallatto Surviving rainy days can be easy, as long as you follow some simple steps at the beginning of the camp season. Tip #1: Be prepared for the weather! There is nothing worse than being wet and miserable all day. You are eventually going to have to go outside more than your campers will, so be prepared! A …

Course Access ‰ÛÒ Do You Need A Staple Remover? By Mark Miller, Universal Ropes Course Builders Do you need to remove staples on your course, even if you can’t use them for instructor self-belay (lobster-clawing)? NO! The importance of metal staples as hand and foot holds for climbing will not change, but they are no longer considered an appropriate anchor …

By Chris Pallatto A successful experience on the ropes course begins with establishing boundaries and setting goals. The values contract lists several commitments individuals make to themselves and others before they begin participating in activities. Presenting the values contract: Have the group stand in a circle (circles are best for all discussions).Explain that due to the physical, and sometimes risky, …

by Gary Forster, YMCA of the USA Create a year-round marketing / parent communication plan that puts special emphasis on retention and word-of-mouth marketing: Two basic concepts: The customer is ‰ÛÏMom‰Û, and her number one concern is safety. ‰ÛÏWord of mouth‰Û accounts for 85% of new campers, and we need to direct a majority of our marketing dollars to supporting …

Surviving in the Outdoors: An Emergency Guide Submitted by http://ammo.com/articles/surviving-in-the-wild Imagine a fun afternoon hike around Mt. Baker. You’re enjoying the quiet of the forest, the dappled light shining through the trees, and the intoxicating smell of the leaves when thick fog rolls in unexpectedly at 4:00 p.m. In a panic, you follow the wrong trail for hours along a …

by Jeff Ackerman – Elmwood Day Camp I believe that a unique opportunity exists for a camp counselor to influence the life of each and every camper. It is unique in that the relationship is truly like no other that a child experiences. Counselors function in the parent role but are not the parent. Counselors function in the teacher role …

Special thanks to Adam Brown from Cairn for helping find the best on the web! We evaluated sites based on 5 key factors, as further explained in Five Key Factors for a Fabulous Camp Website: Design Content & Message Functionality. Family/camper Interactivity Staff section We don’t love everything about all of them, but here are some sites that have very …

by Mark Pooler The difference between running a good YMCA day camp and a great YMCA day camp is not rocket science. It is however, something that takes passion, dedication and vision. In my twenty-five years of camping experience, I have seen many good YMCA camps and a few really great YMCA camps. After many discussions with my good friend …