While it may feel like summer camp just wrapped up, camp directors know that it’s never too early to start planning for the next season. In fact, most begin planning nine months before the start of their camp.

There are so many steps before it’s time to welcome campers: Publishing your camp schedules and registration links, making connections with schools and community members, hiring staff, writing curriculum and lesson plans, marketing your programs, and so much more. We’ve outlined key steps and tasks that you should follow throughout the year to be ready for camp next summer. 

Fall

Fall is here, and while camp might feel far away for your customers, it’s your job to bring camp back to the top of their minds! Use this season to foster relationships with your current customers, get your name out to new customers, and even take bookings for next year.

Scheduling

Consider signing up with a camp registration and management software: When you use a camp registration and management software, you can set yourself up for success, streamline operations, increase your bookings, save yourself time and energy, and have access to a strong support team.

Publish your camps: Yes, in the fall! The earlier you publish your camps, the better. To optimize your camp listing, use high quality photos, include sample schedules, provide flexibility in your booking and payment options, and more.

Administrative work

Update your website: Showcase all of the fun from the past summer by adding photos and videos to your website. Don’t forget to include your new camp dates and booking link!

Evaluate the summer based on your goals: Reflect on the summer that just ended. Did you accomplish the goals you set out for yourself, your team, and your business? Where were the challenges? How can you avoid those pitfalls next year and replicate your successes?

Assess and determine pricing: Many camps choose to increase prices year over year to offset rising costs and to continue improving. If you plan to raise prices, make this change in the fall when you publish your 2025 camps so that customers are not surprised.

Activity planning

Test out your activities: Thinking about trying something new during your next camp session? This is the perfect opportunity to test out activities, themes, games, and more during school day off camps and after school or weekend programming. Plus, it’s a great way to introduce new families to your camp!

Marketing

Collect reviews: When a summer of fun is still fresh in their minds, it is the perfect time to ask customers for reviews. You can use reviews in your social media and email marketing as well as on your website.

Connect with schools: Connecting with local schools is a great way to meet customers where they are and give your camp credibility. You can develop relationships with schools via email outreach, donating to raffles or sponsoring events, or by volunteering to assist with school activities and programs.  

Build your email list: Email marketing is one of the best ways to reach current and potential customers. With local events, connections to schools, and drop-in camps, you can build your email list of new and returning customers.

Winter

When the weather is cold, everyone is dreaming about summer. In our 2023 Children’s Activity Industry Trend Report, we found that parents spend one to two months researching and comparing summer camps and then book 2-3 months in advance. That is why winter is such an important time for summer camp owners! To get those bookings, you need to set yourself apart from the competition and highlight your value.

Scheduling

Run a flash promotion: Offering timed promotions, early bird discounts, and other specials create a sense of urgency and excitement around your camps.

Administrative work

Create a hiring plan: Start sourcing and interviewing counselors and other staff members that you will need for the summer. 

Set SMART goals: Create a series of SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timed) goals that cover a variety of elements. For example, build goals around registration numbers, marketing, camper retention, revenue, and counselor and staff training. 

Create a DEI policy: A diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policy is important to create a summer camp where everyone feels welcome and included. 

Activity planning

Start building curriculum: It takes time to build and write your curriculum and lesson plans for the whole summer. We recommend starting early, especially so you can make your camp listings even more robust by describing what campers will learn and do in the sessions.

Marketing

Invest in advertising: Now is the time you want to get your name out there. Beyond social media, Google Ads and Meta (Facebook) ads are simple and cost effective ways to spread the word about your camps.

Connect with your families: Social media is great because you can actually build connections with prospective customers (and current customers, as well!). Open your DMs for questions about your camps, run contests, ask customers to post reviews, and more.

Spring

When spring arrives, parents are able to see the summer light at the end of the school year tunnel. Did you know, March is one of the biggest months for camp booking? Parents will definitely need to register their children if they haven’t already, and then it is up to you to get your future campers and their families excited!

Scheduling

Show you are in demand: Let parents know that your camps are filling up. Include this information in your listings and emails so parents know spots are limited.

Enable a waitlist: Having a waitlist in place allows you to keep track of interested registrants for sold out sessions. You can see which camps are generating buzz and who is waiting to book, and if your waitlist gets large enough, you can consider opening another session of that camp. At the very least, you will know which camps are most popular so you can plan to run more of those next year.

Administrative work

Hire and train counselors and staff: Make sure your team is secure and get started on onboarding so that everyone knows what to expect when summer rolls around. Proper camp counselor training is one of the best ways to keep your campers and staff safe over the summer, so make sure you keep your counselors engaged throughout.

Build safety plans and protocols: Parents trust you with their precious children, and it is your job to keep them safe. Summer camp safety procedures and plans are the best way to know you are doing the most to keep everyone safe.

Activity planning

Write lesson plans: Once you have your curriculum outlined, it is time to write summer camp lesson plans for your activities. Lesson plans are important to keep both instructors and campers on track throughout the session. 

Gather supplies: Review your lesson plans and activities: What do you need to make this summer the best one yet? Make sure you stay organized while getting everything you need.

Marketing

Post frequently and interact with families: While customers are primed to make a purchasing decision, it is so important to stay on their mind. Post often on social media and engage with your prospective and current customers. Connect with your campers and their families. Use Instagram Stories to ask questions, run polls, and more, then share the responses to create a sense of community before the summer begins.

Offer referral bonuses: Encourage families to refer friends to your camp and reward them when they do!

Lean into urgency: As you get more bookings, focus on the limited remaining spots in your email marketing subject lines, social media posts, and other forms of communication with parents. Be as specific as possible so parents know that the clock is ticking. Similar to early bird offers, “last chance” messaging can persuade parents to act fast. 

It might be fall, but it takes all year to make the summer a success! We hope these tips help you as you prepare for another wonderful summer full of happy campers. Download our tool kit and printable camp planner to get started. 

This article was sponsored by Sawyer. Sawyer is an all-in-one camp registration and management software that helps camp owners and children’s activity providers efficiently run their businesses so they can spend more time doing what they love. Looking for more ways to supercharge your camp? Speak with one of our camp experts

Lizzie is the content marketing manager for Sawyer. She helps connect camp owners and educators with the resources they need so they can spend less time on administrative tasks and more time working with children. A lifelong lover of camp as both a camper and counselor, Lizzie is thrilled that she gets to spend her days helping providers discover and use Sawyer to make camp more accessible.


Periodically, the American Camp Association (ACA) makes timely and relevant information about products and services available to its members so they can make informed decisions for their camps. However, the ACA does not endorse products, services, or companies.

The views and opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Camp Association or ACA employees.