Hiring staff isn't just filling roles — it’s building the culture your campers will experience all summer. And that culture begins in all the small interactions prospective staff have with your camp.

The way you talk about camp, the tone of your job descriptions, the authenticity of your photos, and the responsiveness of your communication — all of these shape whether staff feel excited, supported, and aligned. When camps invest in those early moments, they reduce mid-summer burnout, increase retention, and create a stronger experience for campers and staff alike.

Naming the Values You’re Actually Hiring For

We often talk about values in our mission statements — things like empathy, accountability, teamwork, and resilience. But values aren’t just statements. They should guide behavior.

When you think about “the kind of people you want on your team,” picture actual actions. Who notices the quiet camper at lunch and invites them into the game? Who owns their mistake instead of deflecting blame? Who communicates clearly rather than letting questions go unasked? Who shows up ready to support their co-counselor on a hard day?

Those are values, lived out. When you’re clear about what matters and how it looks in real behavior, people can either see themselves in your expectations, or they can opt out.

Creating Your Roadmap for Culture-Building Before Hiring

Once you’re clear on the values you’re actually hiring for, you can start looking at all the early touchpoints with intention. Think of these as invitations into culture, rather than administrative tasks.

Website and Materials

Do the photos and descriptions reflect the real experience? Are the emotional and physical demands described honestly and respectfully? Does the tone match who you are?

Job Descriptions

Do they articulate responsibility while preparing staff for the realities of camp work? Do they help people understand what success looks like? Are you clear about expectations and support?

Communication

Are you responding in a way that models accountability? Is your tone invitational rather than transactional? Are you giving information in digestible, spaced-out ways?

Interviews

What format reflects your culture best? (For us, switching to group interviews helped candidates feel camp.) Are the questions values-centered? Are you using interviews to show what working together really looks like?

This isn’t about being perfect — it’s about being intentional. The more clearly you communicate who you are and what matters to you, the more clearly staff can choose to align with you.

Refine, Reflect, Repeat

Culture-building isn’t something you do once and walk away from. Hiring and onboarding are processes that evolve each year. Each season, you gain new insights that help refine your roadmap.

Consider: What questions during interviews signal confusion? What pre-camp communication was unclear or overwhelming? During camp, what do staff say they wish they knew earlier? After camp, what did they say shaped their experience the most?

Those aren’t problems. They’re guideposts. Every summer gives you data that shapes the next.

The best camps aren’t the ones that get everything right — they’re the ones that build culture with intention, curiosity, and honesty.

Photo courtesy of Camp Friendship in Palmyra, Virginia

This blog was written on behalf of ACA's Project Real Job, whose goal is to support camps in their efforts to recruit, hire, and retain staff.

Kelly Ireland is a nonprofit consultant and founder of Cloverphase Solutions. She partners with mission-driven organizations to build people-focused systems, strengthen operations, and support staff and leadership in creating meaningful, sustainable work environments. Kelly can be reached at [email protected].