Time flies and it will be summer before we know it. Each spring is filled with camp pros exclaiming, “I can’t believe it’s already April!” Now is the moment to create a comprehensive plan to prepare for the upcoming season. This proactive approach ensures ample time to fine-tune what is going well and revamp what needs updating while focusing on your camp’s mission and values. By creating a written, data-driven plan with goals, objectives, and deadlines, you can prioritize meeting staff and camper families’ new and changing needs through innovative solutions and quality communication. This also ensures that your professional development efforts are effective, focused, and impactful.

Summer 2024 presented numerous challenges. Some camp directors:

• Described their summer staff as the most challenging they have worked with
• Struggled with communication difficulties with families
• Detected an increase in prohibited items from campers and staff
• Experienced a reduction of commitment from staff and volunteers

Instead of assigning blame to generational differences, increased compliance complexity, and changing family dynamics, we — as creative and flexible problem solvers — have an opportunity to focus on solutions.

Camps are known for traditions, and this year, we can create a tradition of change. There is great value in refreshing manuals, updating parent handbooks, developing communication, and reimagining staff training. As camp professionals, we excel at teaching our campers to be agents of change; now is the time for us to demonstrate that same attribute. We have a responsibility to annually reset and refresh to meet changing needs and trends.

The Action Plan

Collect Data

The first step in developing a change-making plan is to collect information to define what we hope to change and assess where our time is best spent. This process will challenge our perceptions and transform feelings into facts. Collecting data tracks and defines shifts, providing facts to drive decision-making, budgeting, time allocation, and culture work.

• Create concise surveys. Design easy-to-complete surveys to encourage higher participation rates. Only focus on the most critical questions to avoid overwhelming respondents, ensuring the survey can be finished quickly without sacrificing the quality of the data collected. Lean into multiple-choice questions and limit open-ended ones to the most critical areas where feedback is needed.
• Be transparent about data. Communicate the purpose of the survey and how the collected data will be utilized. This transparency builds trust with participants, reassuring them that their input will be used to inform decisions and make improvements. Pro tip: give credit where credit is due. As you make changes, share what updates are the direct result of feedback. This will make survey participants feel appreciated and heard.
• Offer anonymous options. Provide the option for answers to be submitted anonymously. Anonymity can lead to more candid feedback, as individuals may feel more comfortable sharing their true thoughts and experiences. Anonymity goes beyond not asking for names or identifying information. When you receive the feedback, avoid the temptation to figure out who said what. Instead, use that time to identify outliers and consider if that information is truly usual or simply difficult to hear.
• Consider third-party support. Engage an external organization or consultant to assist with data collection and analysis. Third-party support can lend credibility to the process, ensure unbiased analysis, and offer expert interpretation and recommendations. Answers to tough questions may be difficult to process. A third party can help remove the emotion and bias, instead highlighting productive, actionable items that keep things moving forward.

Data collection is a crucial aspect of planning for the upcoming year. For many camp professionals, work is filled with passion for the mission and personal impact from their experiences as campers or young staff members. However, data collection helps us look beyond our own experiences and perceptions to track current and evolving trends. This enables us to adapt and grow in response to the shifting needs of our community, ensuring that our programs remain relevant and effective.

Assess Professional Development Opportunities

Supporting the changing needs of staff, campers, and camper families requires a commitment to a growth mindset and professional development. From free webinars provided by local or state authorities to multifaceted conferences, there are opportunities at every budget level to inspire fresh ideas, create opportunities for collaboration, push us to think beyond how we have always done things, and review current research findings.

• Engage in coaching or mentorship. Consider coaching services for leadership staff to take advantage of outside perspectives and thought partnerships. In a world of burnout and around-the-clock responsibility, the challenges camp leadership face run deep. A mentor can help set goals, overcome challenges, think outside the box, and grow skills.
• Participate in conferences. Support as many year-round staff as possible to attend conferences. These events allow staff to gain new insights, hear about common trends, learn about successes from the prior season, and network with peers. New ideas and fresh perspectives can lead to innovative approaches and improvements. Pro tip: regional conferences often offer excellent value. Also, look for events that offer group rates, and encourage volunteerism to save money while enhancing the experience.
• Find community. Affinity groups and support systems in the youth development field create a sense of community and belonging. These valuable groups offer a safe space for professional staff to share experiences, provide mutual support, celebrate successes, and address common challenges. While camp pros may feel isolated throughout the camp season, their experiences are often not unique. Communities can be found through national associations like the American Camp Association or the National Summer Learning Association, regional professional organizations, or a common agency. Many trends may have commonalities; networking can help spread successful ideas to spark industry change and innovation.
• Visit neighboring camps. Arranging for year-round staff to visit other camps is an eye-opening experience. Observing how other camps operate as well as sharing data, trends, and observations can provide valuable insights and practical ideas to adapt and implement in your program. This sharing of knowledge can lead to improved practices, increased efficiency, and stronger collaboration within your camp community.

Create the Roadmap

The season for planning flies by! Between recovering from summer and enjoying well-deserved time off over the winter, it is all too easy for lofty ideas to be thrown to the side come spring. Creating a game plan that puts data to work is instrumental in successfully mapping out the year, pacing yourself and your team, and maximizing resources around you.

1. Set goals. Set three to five goals for the season. Use the data collected to identify and prioritize the camp’s greatest needs. Your goals should define the big ideas while supporting the year-long vision for your camp. Spend time setting aggressive but realistic goals that include timelines for implementation. To ensure goals are achievable, think about the budget needed, time required, and staff energy necessary for each goal. Pro tip: write SMART goals — specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely.
2. Create supporting objectives. Write objectives to support each goal. Objectives are shorter-term and outline the measurable and actionable steps to achieve each goal. Objectives can be delegated to multiple people, and they serve as benchmarks to measure progress and help keep you on track. Be sure to consider what professional development opportunities could support staff in achieving their objectives.
3. Assess your needs and resources. Develop a plan for each objective. What resources are needed? This could include such things as financial resources, intellectual property, or staff hours. Who can support you? In addition to colleagues, consider local resources, volunteers, consultants, or subject matter experts. Communicate your goals and objectives to others around you who may be able to provide support or expertise. Pro tip: understanding what resources are available will make you nimble as funding opportunities come up, ensuring a steady focus on current goals and objectives.
4. Develop a timeline. A detailed calendar or timeline is a vital tool for pacing progress and staff time allocation throughout the year. A calendar breaks down the planning process into manageable segments, ensuring that tasks are completed systematically and on time. By mapping out deadlines and key milestones, you can prevent the last-minute spring rush and reduce stress. A well-structured timeline will improve communication and coordination, keeping everyone on the same page with a written plan and regular team check-ins to track progress and stay accountable.

Overall, structured planning will turn a big idea into an actionable and realistic plan, providing a clear roadmap for success. Ultimately, it maximizes a limited planning season, setting the stage for a successful and well-organized year.

Commit to Communication

Communication was a clear challenge in the summer of 2024. Common trends included camp directors who had expectations they assumed but never communicated and camp staff who felt intimidated to talk to leadership. There were manuals too long to read, policies that contradicted another policy, and emergency procedures too complex to remember. Most of these resulted in good intentions with poor outcomes. What went well? Early, concise, frequent, and creative communication all rose to the top.

• Follow up on important conversations. As you dive into planning for the upcoming year, ensuring consistent follow-up on important, and often difficult, discussions from the season reinforces accountability and shows staff value and respect. Even if you think a staff member or family will not be reapplying, consistent follow-up is valuable to create clear expectations and prevent misunderstandings. Pro tip: follow up verbal conversations with written summaries to track communication. Not only will this prevent miscommunication, but it can support new year-round staff when there is turnover.
• Communicate early and often. Clearly defining expectations starts now. Communicate early and regularly to provide staff with a solid understanding of roles, responsibilities, cultural expectations, changes, and performance standards. This clarity prevents confusion and misinformation. It also enables staff and campers to make educated decisions about whether new expectations are a good fit so they can apply for camp with confidence.
• Diversify communication. Use a variety of communication methods to ensure information reaches all staff and families, regardless of their preferred communication style. By diversifying communication methods, camp directors can enhance information dissemination, foster inclusivity, and ensure that everyone receives important messages. There is no perfect platform for communication. Consider polling staff and families on their preferred methods to communicate and implement several options. Pro tip: ensure each method of communication also includes a way for a reply. Two-way communication will help identify potential issues early, foster a culture of collaboration, and give professional staff helpful insight.
• Communicate concisely. Is your staff manual over 100 pages long? Do you keep adding addendums to meet new needs and trends? Was your last major policy and procedure overhaul over 10 years ago? Do families need to reference multiple documents or web pages to access basic information? Camp leadership is faced with competing challenges: the continued growing need for documentation and policies to meet compliance requirements along with shrinking attention spans and growing depth of responsibility. You can achieve shortening policies, procedures, and manuals by focusing on clarity and conciseness. Start by eliminating redundant information and jargon. Prioritize critical facts, use bullet points, and ensure all information is within your scope. This approach ensures essential information is accessible and comprehensive while being more digestible and user-friendly.

As we look ahead to the upcoming year, thoughtful preparation is key to overcoming challenges and modifying our operations to meet changing needs. By focusing on data-driven decisions, enhancing professional development, and fostering open communication, we can ensure that our camps are well-equipped to handle evolving needs. Embracing a tradition of change and continuous improvement will not only uphold our mission and values but also create a dynamic, supportive environment where everyone can thrive.

Find Your Community

Networking with communities of fellow camp pros with whom you can share ideas and tackle challenges, and from whom you can get support and garner wisdom, can help you prepare for the next camp season or for the next step in your camp career. Check out these resources to find your people:

National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) Professional Summer Learning Communities (PLCs)

• Special Populations
• Health and Fitness
• Arts Education
• Research and Evidence
• Environment and Outdoor
• Libraries and Literacy
• New Vision for Summer Schools
• Public and Affordable Housing
• Charter Schools
• Youth Employment and Internships
• Health Sciences

summerlearning.org/plc-2/

ACA Kindred and Affinity Groups

• BIPOC Affinity Group
• Camps on Campus
• Camp Kindred en Espanol
• Emerging Professionals in Camping (EPIC)
• Faith-Based Camp Professionals
• Medical and Disability Camp Kindred
• Not-for-Profit Council
• Pioneers of Camping
• Pride at Camp

ACAcamps.org/about/partnerships/kindred-groups

Sterling Nell Leija is the Innovative Camp Company founder and CEO, dedicated to advancing camps with innovative, mission-focused solutions. With over 20 years of experience in camp leadership and as a camp founder, she specializes in operational efficiency, measuring outcomes, capacity building, and risk management. She can be reached at Sterling@InnovativeCampCompany.com.