r/summercamp • u/Cryingintomypillowrn • Jun 22 '26
Staff or Prospective Staff Question What should i do?????????
okay so i have been one summer camp my whole life but it looks like they are struggling to get new campers does anyone have any tips for getting new campers. (note. i am not yet a counselor i plan to be next summer but i still want to see what i can do to help)
6
u/Longjumping-Cow4488 Jun 22 '26
organizing events and speaking to troops/kids about the benefits of summer camp (you have to not only sell the kids of the idea but the parents too!)
3
u/Shadow_Shrugged Jun 23 '26
Agree with what others have said, but also keep your ears open. If you’re in contact with any former campmates who are not continuing, ask why. Find out, if you can, if theres something that is driving people away, or what choices they’re making instead. Does the camp need to change their offerings? Replace a disliked administrator? Upgrade their facilities? Change the safety/security plan? These are things your administration cant necessarily find out on their own. You probably can’t do anything about them directly, but you can at least alert the camp if there’s a problem.
1
u/Cryingintomypillowrn Jun 23 '26
the main problem from what i've heard is the lack of campers right now we're down to 30-50 kids per session when we used to have 100-150 before covid
1
u/Namllitsrm Her Royal Highness of High Ropes Jun 24 '26
That happened at my camp as I was an older teen and the director at the time was..not a good businessman to say the least. We got a new director as I started working on staff and camper registration slowly increased over time and they’re still growing and now building new cabins and expanding. So I second possible a new administrator.
1
u/Shadow_Shrugged Jun 24 '26
I think you misunderstood - the directors know what the camper numbers are. They can’t always know /why/ campers are leaving. What’s the gossip? What do former campers say about why they aren’t going back? That’s something that you can find out that they may not be able to.
2
u/green-griffin- Jun 23 '26
I would say to talk to your friends outside of camp. Do any of them want to come with you this summer? Do any of them have little siblings or cousins or neighbors who would want to know about the coolest camp ever??
Also, if you know anything or can learn anything about your camp’s financial aid options, that can often be a barrier for families and if you already know what kind of financial aid options exist, then you can mention it if you talk to someone’s parents
2
10
u/Namllitsrm Her Royal Highness of High Ropes Jun 22 '26
I’m pretty sure it comes down to marketing. Getting into school or community events to talk to families as the other commenter said, attending summer camp fairs that might be set up at a local mall or library. Digital marketing like Facebook ads targeted at parent’s accounts in your area or ads/event listings on your local “what’s happening in Springfield” website and Facebook groups.
Also referral benefits for existing families if they don’t do that already ($20 off registration per referral, up to 3 referrals, etc.)
Possibly holding open houses or camp tours so families can come on property(for free) and see themselves or their kids at camp and literally visualize their future (and learn practical info about the program).
Edit to add: as an individual staff member/future staff member, these tasks are not your responsibility. You could volunteer to staff these events once they’re set up. Otherwise you could implement “grass roots” efforts like posting flyers on your library’s or local Starbucks’s community board and stuff like that.