Legacies & Lessons – Marketing Camps – It’s About Meaningful Connections!
Knowledge of the past enlightens the present and, like a flashlight, discovers paths to the future. – Dr. Mary Northway, OCA Honourary Life Member
In this monthly message, the Archives Committee will focus on a current issue impacting camps and share knowledge from past camp leaders that you can find in the Trent Archives and use to “discover your path to the future”. Our purpose is to provide insight into our rich history to ponder and apply to the challenges OCA members are facing today.
We would love to know what you think and hear your stories on the subject. Please use the email or chat links provided below.
Marketing Camps – It’s About Meaningful Connections!
Vol.1, No.4: December 2024
As many camps continue to struggle with enrollment after COVID, attracting new campers remains a challenge. In today’s world of virtual communication, what can you do to create more meaningful connections with prospective campers and parents? Here’s a few tips to consider from OCA camp leaders past and present.
In the summer of 1978, after touring several properties with the intention of buying a camp, my husband and I discovered an island property that suited our purpose. We decided to lease for one year and, if the experiment went well, negotiate a purchase. On that initial visit hosted by the owner, we observed that he had maintained the property and equipment in excellent condition. We later discovered, however, that under his hired director, the registration had deteriorated dramatically over the five-year period since the founding director had sold the camp to this local landowner.
That first summer, our goal was to gather enough children to run a camp program. We followed the advice of our real estate agent and former owner/director of Camp Winnebago, Bert Danson, HLM, − “accept any camper under any circumstances for any length of time at any price. Show them a fun time and they will return and bring their friends.” We did just that. We negotiated with friends, family, neighbours, and acquaintances. We achieved our purpose; we did assemble enough campers to run a program, BUT it cost us $100 for every child on the property! Not an auspicious beginning! But we persevered regardless!
On an island property without hydro or telephone communication (pre cell phone days) , we never aspired to be a large camp, but we did hope to be successful. It took us a few summers, but we did succeed! Happy campers truly are your greatest asset!
Our marketing plan relied on mailing brochures and letters to prospective families followed by personal phone calls. We did limited print advertising as we found the cost prohibitive. We experimented with dropping flyers in the mailboxes of 2500 homes in our neighbourhood. We eagerly remained at home expecting the business phone to ring off its hook. We did not receive a single call for days as a result of our mail drop. But about a week later, one parent did enquire. That call resulted in the family sending twin girls who remained at camp for ten years and brought many friends and family members with them. Our investment did pay off! From our camp office in our Toronto home, I offered to visit families in an area bounded by Hamilton, Barrie, and Port Hope – given today’s traffic, no longer a desirable option! Initially I hauled a slide projector and screen. Later it was much easier to arrive with a VHS tape. And then there was the heyday of camp fairs in schools, libraries, and community centres, on an evening or two each week, throughout the winter months.
There were many advantages to meeting one on one with parents and their child in their home. By the time I had spent an hour, I had learned a lot about the potential camper and the parents. And they had learned enough about me to begin the development of a trusting relationship. While showing the camp slides and describing the program, I discerned if the child was eager, hesitant, or fearful. I discovered if the parents were domineering, permissive, or anxious. After one evening with a father and his daughter, I left hoping that the parent would not register his only child. The father was overanxious about all the “what ifs”: what if she gets sick, or lost in the woods, or caught on the lake in a severe thunderstorm? In all sincerity he asked me, “How many children have drowned at your camp?” He did not register his daughter.
One of the best things I did was to follow the example of a successful veteran camp director, Bruno Morawetz, HLM, Founder of Camp Ponacka. Bruno made it a priority to visit new camp families as long as he was the director. Visits had long since ceased to be necessary for marketing, but he believed that first connection was the start of a successful camp experience.
Today’s marketing relies heavily on websites and emails. Travis Allison, Podcaster, Marketing Consultant, Go Camp Pro Founder, and co-author of Camper Recruitment & Retention Playbook justifies the use of digital and technological tools in order to free up the director’s time to talk to parents and build trust. He advises that, to overcome the hesitation of new parents, directors need to emphasize that camp is a safe place for their children (fun and personal development ranking below safety). The directors’ goal is that parents trust them enough that they will want to talk about camp to their friends. His marketing plan prioritizes:
- Encouraging former campers to return
- Encouraging current campers to bring their friends
- Involving current parents and alumni.
In his experience, parents of prospective campers do not phone as much as they used to, but when they do, it is crucial that their call is answered immediately or that their message is responded to promptly. Sadly, research shows that when a parent calls a camp office or leaves a message, it takes five calls to receive an answer [1]. What kind of first experience does this create?
During COVID, Camp Tanamakoon inadvertently stumbled on an effective way to increase its future enrollment of girls from cultures whose traditions do not include sending their children independently to camp. During three-day family holidays, family cohorts travelled together from one activity to another hosted by a staff instructor. Parents and children became familiar with the property, the people, and the program. When the camp returned to camper-only sessions, the parents were comfortable with the experience and the girls felt confident returning alone to a familiar environment.
Camp is about children meeting new people and building trusting, lifelong, relationships. Your marketing plan, for campers and parents, is the first step to successfully creating that experience. Communicating personally with parents and building trust from that first contact produces results!
To discover more about marketing camps and ways to create meaningful connections with parents and campers, visit the OCA Archives at archives.trentu.ca or contact KarenSuurtamm@trentu.ca, University Archivist and Head, Special Collections, Trent University. Coming soon: Camper Recruitment and Retention Playbook will be available in Trent Archives – Camping Books Collection.
Catherine Ross, OCA Archives Committee, HLM
(* HLM – OCA Honourary Life Member)
[1] – Data obtained from family focus group research conducted by Joanna Warren Smith, President, Camp Consulting services and co-author, Camper Recruitment & Retention Playbook, (Woodstock, ON: Walking Maverick Inc., 2023).
Pondering the past, present and future…
- How is this information from the past relevant to you now? How can you apply it to future actions?
- We invite you to add your comments, share your camp’s story on staff issues, or ask your questions by contacting the Archives Committee at OCAarchivescommittee@yahoo.com (new email!)
- To learn more about these and other valuable OCA camp archives, visit OCA’s Archives at Trent.
- Find tips on archiving and donating items about your camp history to the Trent Archives.
- Keep discovering and making our history matter!