stephenwinbaum
Communications Coordinator
/ Moderator
Nov 1, 2005, 12:44 PM
Post #1 of 1
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The Summer Camp Planning Process
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Successful summer camp organizations know that annual changes are a constant. Ongoing excellence, in programming and finances, means planning for each season with renewed insight.
Summer camp is like professional sports; even the winners of last year’s World Series or Super Bowl make changes before next season’s opener. Trades will be made; players will opt for free agency; lineups will be shuffled – because fans anticipate the excitement of new faces and strategies.
Summer camps bear similarities. Successful summer programmers always keep abreast of changes in the market and look for ways to improve.
The first priorities are to assemble a planning team and decide on a realistic time-frame to complete the planning process.
The planning team must be diverse:
- Campers
- Parents
- Staff
- Members of the public
- Financial partners or supporters
- Lawyers
- Insurance agents
- Accountants
A long-term goal with objectives needs to be drafted and adhered to; a change in directions confuses the members of the planning team. A written plan must be in place at the beginning for all planning participants, including — mission statement, goals, objectives, strategies, evaluation methods, and the history of the camp.
Plans need to focus on what can be accomplished immediately or in the near future; leave pipe-dreams in Wonderland where they belong.
Camp owners and directors often travel to get feedback from campers, parents, and financial backers. Mail-out and phone surveys are helpful means to collect opinions, and are crucial to an analysis of the camp’s market.
The camp’s strategic plan reaches completion when it is published, in its entirety or as a commercial brochure — or in both formats.
The final document shows that the camp has thought out its priorities and has a plan for campers, parents, and financiers; the camp is not standing still but is prepared to move into the future. Backers will look forward to the upcoming season, even when past seasons have been successful.
Planning is a key process in the camping industry. Every camp participates in it, but the most thorough summer strategists meet with the greatest success.
Stephen Winbaum is the Communications Coordinator of MySummerCamps.com
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(This post was edited by stephenwinbaum on Jan 17, 2009, 5:32 PM)
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