This east coast camp was started over 40 years earlier by a group of Mennonites that wanted to provide an affordable summer camp experience to the local community. They had a long time Director who led the charge in developing the campus and programming for 30 years. In the years following his departure many issues began to surface. The Director for the last 5 years was leaving and the Board of Directors needed someone to evaluate the situation and help them revive the camp. This is what we found: ​

The Challenge:

• No clear direction, vision or strategy existed for the camp.
• Summer camp attendance had been on the decline for several years.
• Members were not engaging with the camp. The last "annual" meeting was a few years earlier.
• After 40 years the annual membership dues were still $10 per member per year.
• The camp was losing $50,000 per year.
• A gas lease had allowed the camp to maintain the facilities and operate at a loss for a number of years.
• The camp was significantly under-priced and thousands of dollars in receivables had not been collected. They forgave the debt for one guest group only to have them fail to pay the next year as well.
• There was no integrated marketing plan or execution.

The Solution:

• Surveyed and interviewed members, staff, campers, community leaders to find out about their interests and what was important to them regarding the camp.
• Developed a strategic framework for the camp to operate within moving forward.
• Began regular meetings with the camp membership and raised annual dues collected from $500 to over $6000 per year by offering 3 different levels of membership and increased benefits associated with each level.
• Pilot tested some new summer programs:
  • ​Introduced a water-ski camp for teens.
  • Created 2 week camp options in addition to the traditional 5 day camps.
  • Encouraged grandparents to bring their grandchildren to camp.
  • Increased the number of adventure options at camp.
  • Added multiple day camp options throughout the summer.
• Pricing was evaluated and increased to the appropriate market rate. Pictures, a camp video and camp store dollars were included in the price of camp to increase the overall value and help justify the increase.
• Marketing efforts included:
  • Developing key contact with community leaders and pastors and speaking at multiple local venues
  • Updating the website, including a group planning guide and adding online giving options.
  • Adding more pictures and video to the website increasing the average visit from 1 minute to 5 minutes.
  • Implementing SEO techniques to increase the exposure and reach of the camp website.
  • Engaging the members, staff and parents through social media.
  • Simplifying registration by implementing an online registration/donation system.
  • Promoting the Camper-ship program which raised over $10k enabling even more campers to attend the summer program. 
  • Using local earned media to provide extra exposure for the camp.
  • Sending Monthly letters with updates and opportunities to give, serve, and pray.  
  • Targeted direct marketing to youth leaders and pastors to promote summer camps and seasonal retreat options.
• Implemented controls and systems
  • ​Revised terms and conditions so that payments were received from rental groups prior to departure.
  • Worked out creative solutions to help one group grow into a 2nd week and helping another group generate fund raising ideas to cover their registration fees sooner.
  • Updated donor records and transaction history.
  • Simplified the accounting/bookkeeping system.
  • Improved inventory controls and accountability regarding cash transactions.

The Results:

• Engaged members & Staff.
• Increased summer attendance by over 30%.
• Improved parent and camper satisfaction.
• Raised more donations at fund raising events.
• Broke even in the first year of implementation and improved the cash position of the camp.