As we continue to roll out many exciting parts of the Character at Camp Initiative, it’s a great time to share results from our recent landscape scan. (If you haven’t already, be sure to check out the Character Academy webinar series and the FAQ on the Character at Camp home page which includes more information on the initiative and grant applications!)

A quick note about character before we get to the results: ACA has adopted a broad definition of character for this initiative, like the one the Character Lab provides: “Intentions and actions that benefit other people as well as ourselves.” Rather than tell you what “good character” looks like, our intent is for every camp to consider what character means to the communities and youth they serve.

We had two goals for the landscape scan: 1) to understand what camps are already doing related to character, and 2) to identify gaps in knowledge and resources related to character. We launched the survey in early October and received over 700 responses from camp professionals!

In this second blog of a four-part series, we describe the marketing and outreach-specific findings from ACA’s Character at Camp Landscape Scan.

(If you missed part one in this series, you can find it here.)

What We Learned

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  Nearly two-thirds (60 percent) of respondents said their camps include character in their marketing and outreach materials, and they use a wide variety of marketing/outreach materials to do so. The most common marketing materials in which camps described character were websites, social media, brochures and flyers, and camper and parent handbooks. Respondents also reported that their camps use blogs, email newsletters, in-person parent orientations and information sessions, camp registration guides, program descriptions, photo and video advertisements, and merchandise such as t-shirts and hoodies with the camp mission printed on it.
• One goal of the Character at Camp Initiative is to increase access and inclusion to character development opportunities, particularly for camps who serve campers that have been historically excluded from camp. Because of this, we were interested in learning about camps’ existing outreach efforts related to character to under-represented communities. A little less than half of respondents (42 percent) said their camps include character as part of their organization's outreach efforts to under-represented communities, with almost a quarter (23 percent) of respondents unsure about whether their camps do this and 18 percent reporting that their camps don’t include character in their outreach to under-represented communities.

How Character Is Communicated in Marketing/Outreach Materials (what character strengths camps mention)

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  We were interested in learning how character is communicated in marketing and outreach materials — in other words, what camps say about character in their marketing and outreach materials. Most respondents reported that their camps name character strengths in their mission statements, core values, or program outcomes. For example, part of one organizations’ mission statement is to help their campers build character and make the world a better place. Another respondent described how their camp’s marketing materials tie together camp activities and character strengths: “Archery=perseverance and thinking before you act, Art=creativity and attention to detail, etc.”
• Even when camps’ mission statements and core values don’t explicitly use the word “character,” their marketing materials communicate similar ideas. Several respondents noted that their camp’s marketing materials include goals to help campers build leadership skills, develop confidence, grow, build a strong sense of community, be proactive, etc. Respondents often reported that their camps market these character strengths as outcomes that campers can expect to have by the end of the program.

  “A big part of including campers from under-represented communities is making sure they are welcomed with dignity. We spend a lot of time before and after camp learning about the campers coming and asking their needs, while also explaining exactly what camp will be like. Different communities need different things. Flexing and meeting the communities where they are to provide a safe and equitable experience is a big part of our character. Also, we talk to the families at length about how character and core values will benefit their children.”

• When asked “How is character part of your organization's outreach efforts to under-represented communities?,” several respondents said that some of their marketing materials highlight how camp helps all campers develop character strengths, regardless of their backgrounds.
• Respondents also reported that their camps use several techniques to promote the benefits of camp on character development to under-represented communities, including scholarships, working with community resource organizations and coordinators like school counselors, hiring staff that represent the camper population, and direct outreach to families.

So, what does this mean? 

The results from this landscape scan provide an important snapshot of how and how often camps do marketing and outreach related to character at the beginning of the Character at Camp Initiative. We now know (from a fairly large number of camps) the types of marketing materials camps use to communicate about character and what camps say about character in those marketing materials. In addition, it was great to learn that many camps already have good strategies to communicate about character when reaching out to underrepresented communities.

We also now know that there is a large portion of camps who either do not or are unsure how to talk about character in their marketing and outreach materials. Identifying this gap in knowledge will inform the resources and technical assistance that ACA will provide to camps involved in the initiative.

What are three things you can do as a camp?

1. If you don’t already emphasize character in your marketing or outreach strategies, think about how it might be included in your mission statements, core values, and program outcomes.
2. Even if you already describe character in your marketing or outreach strategies, consider how you can expand these efforts by including character in your website and social media posts, brochures and flyers, parent/camper handbooks, camp registration guide, orientations and info sessions, and photo and video advertisements.
3. Attend ACA’s Character Academy events to learn more about the Character at Camp Initiative and how you can use these resources to improve your character related marketing or outreach strategies.

What are the next steps? 

ACA will use this information to inform future phases of the project including the application process for the grants that camps will apply to, in-person and virtual training opportunities, and educational tools and resources we provide to camps. ACA plans to improve access to character-related resources and to make them more usable to support camps’ character focused communication and marketing strategies.

Stay tuned for part three of our four-part blog series sharing the results of ACA’s Character at Camp Landscape Scan. Learn more about the initiative or email character@ACAcamps.org with questions.

Authored by Sarah Acheson-Field (Abt Global), Allison Dymnicki, PhD (Abt Global), Rob Lubeznik-Warner, PhD (Delta Consulting Group), and Kevin Geoghegan, MS (University of Utah)