It’s That Time Already: Camp Planning For Next Year
Whew. Another year of camp is in the books, and you’re ready to put your feet up for a few good months before digging in again. But before you get too comfortable, there are a few items that should be on your to-do list before the whirl of registration and staffing gets started:
Dig Into the Data:
No camp can be considered successfully completed without a solid review of the data. If you’ve never gathered data for a post-camp report, start with these steps:
- Gather feedback. If you took a survey of parents or gathered the comments of your staff, these should be compiled to see if there are improvements you need to make.
- Look at age breaks. Do you have a large portion of your camp aging out after this year? Consider how that might impact your camp next summer, and think about whether there is a natural next step for campers no longer eligible for registration. Maybe you have an association with a camp for teens or a service opportunity in your camp for teen volunteers or staff.
- Take a look at the budget. If you were over budget, consider how you might trim costs. If you had leftover funds, how could you use them to optimize camp?
- Examine your application process, your daily schedule and your opening/closing of camp. These are the most likely areas that need tweaking.
Plan Your Marketing Attack:
It’s not yet time for registration, so it’s an ideal time for editing photos, crafting your message and preparing your overall marketing plan for your next season of camp.
Look at last year’s marketing. Did your campers mostly hear about you on social media, or was it the eye-catching postcard you mailed out? Using last year’s registration forms to see how campers arrived at your door can be useful for determining how to market for next year.
If your budget allows, you can set up designated landing pages for each marketing format, which enables you to see exactly how many people visited your website from a postcard, social media post or email. Landing pages can be helpful in equipping you to determine which was the best marketing investment for your camp.
Invest in Next Year With 9 Square in the Air:
You’ve seen it at other camps. You’ve thought about how great it would be to have 9 Square in the Air at your own camp. If you’re honest, you’ve drooled just a bit over 9 Square in the Air. And for good reason. It’s essential to any camp for game time, or for any time when you need to help kids burn energy and play together. It offers all the best features of any camp game: it’s fun, it’s portable and it encourages connection.
Go ahead. You know you want to. Contact us to get your order started today!
