https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/camps-transformation-economy

What do hibachi restaurants and summer camps have in common? Before I answer that, let me provide some context. Earlier this year, I dined at a hibachi restaurant for the first time. I sat up at...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/spoiler-alert-you-wont-be-around-forever

Whether you plan to be at your camp for another 2, 5, 10, or 20 years, it’s not too early to start your camp’s succession planning. Camps are unique businesses that closely reflect their owners or...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/it-personal-its-business

What folks really mean when they say “it’s not personal, it’s business” is that we shouldn’t take it personally. Yet when we’re in the midst of camp and also engulfed in a swirling cloud of everyone’...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/fumble-or-fiasco-ensuring-leaders-staff-campers-learn-failure

We need to fail before we achieve success. In our personal and professional lives, we generally try to succeed, which is perfectly sensible. To reach our potential, however, we must stop fearing...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/make-strategic-decisions-not-guesses

Enjoy one of camp’s sweetest sounds as you walk up on a dining hall or an evening campfire and hear a chorus of voices singing a favorite camp song — 100 campers, 250 campers, 500 campers — can you...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/foster-feeling-cross-generational-divide

As leaders interacting with the next generation we have a choice. We can spin our wheels trying to understand why they aren’t where we are, where we believe they “should be,” or we can consider the...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/personal-finance-camp-pros

My story as a camp professional is classic. I spent a summer after college as a canoe trip leader at a camp in northern Wisconsin, expecting that it was going to be a no-big-deal, fun summer — but it...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/ultimate-guide-staffing-your-kitchen

It’s not you. With a 3:1 ratio of available culinary positions to applicants, the labor shortage for kitchen staff continues to be a harsh reality. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/addressing-elephant-camp-little-pay-creates-big-challenges

Amazing growth experiences for young adults entering the workforce should not come at the cost of competitive wages.

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/yes-improvising-your-revenue-stream

As industry and societal expectations push for updated facilities, in-depth programming, equitably paid summer staff, and larger year-round teams to make it all happen, camps face the challenge of...