Anonymous asked: This is our first year of camp and while the response and interest from the community has been overwhelming, I still don't have any registrations in yet and it's 12 days til deadline! Advice??

Congrats on your first year and the response you have received from the community.   We have seen some camps offer discounts for their first year to help drive registrations. Something like sibling discounts do a great job of both encouraging parents to register and getting more kids at camp.

Please keep us posted as to how you are doing!

Good luck!

22 April 2013 ·

Is The Customer Always Right?

The motto of “old-school” customer service was “The customer is always right”. It is usually credited to Harry Gordon Selfridge, the founder of Selfridge’s department store in London in 1909, to compel employees to give customers good service and to convince customers that they would get it at his store.

Taken to an extreme in our day, many customers believe this motto to be a constitutional right. It has been badly abused and is being abandoned by many companies who realize that trying to meet the needs of everyone is a costly and ineffective way to meet the needs of those who truly want, need and value their services.

For example, Author Alexander Kjerulf tells the story of a frequent Southwest flier who complained after every flight. After repeated attempts to appease her, her final grievance (about the sportiness of the flight attendants’ uniforms) was forwarded in desperation to the CEO, Herb Kelleher, who immediately wrote back, ‘Dear Mrs. Crabapple, We will miss you. Love, Herb.’”

“New-school “customer service is different:

·       It’s targeted to the customers you want to keep

In terms of ROI, customers who are “not right”—for your camp—are simply too expensive, time-consuming and exhausting to try to keep.

At the same time, camps’ target market is MOM. She means business and you HAVE to keep up with her! There’s a fine line here that must be understood.

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8 April 2013 ·

What I learned at the ACA Conference

 My name is A.J., and I have been an avid camper my entire life. I attended traditional and sports camps throughout  my childhood, and leadership camps during high school. Since then, I’ve had an opportunity to sit on both sides of the interview table, both as a job candidate and as a recruiter. I’ve hired a multitude of positions, ranging from minimum wage to six-figure income  positions, and have interfaced with everyone from small business owners to Executive Vice Presidents of Fortune 500 companies. I’m here to share my knowledge of the transferable skills that camp provides for young people today.
 
The American Camp Association National Conference ended last Friday in Dallas, sending hundreds of camp professionals back to their respective parts of the world with new ideas for the summer of 2013. The theme of this year’s conference was “Learning For Life,” paving the way for summer camp professionals to collaborate on new, fresh perspectives that are going to transform the way our nation’s future enters the workforce.
 

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6 March 2013 ·

8 Signs It’s Time to Rethink Your Camp Management System

You’ve learned a lot since you began managing camps and now you’re better able to evaluate the processes, systems and technology your camp needs to be successful. Camps have evolved and camp technology has too.

We’ve assembled a list of eight signs that mean your current approach has outlived its usefulness.

1.     Your online registration form is a downloadable PDF on your website

Because your form is “online” doesn’t mean you offer online registration… Families expect 24/7 convenience to complete the camp registration process at their leisure – from selecting camp dates, to choosing a transport option, to indicating dietary restrictions, to adding extra activities, all the way to requesting bunk buddies and buying camp merchandise. Look for a system that can handle all that, plus more.

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5 March 2013 ·

Trust Your Gut, But Use Your Data

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21 February 2013 ·

And the Winner is….

CAMP TECUMSEH YMCA WINS ACTIVE NETWORK CAMPERSHIP GRANT, GIVES DAY CAMP SCHOLARSHIPS TO 10 KIDS

Camp Tecumseh YMCA of Brookston, Indiana, was selected as the winner of the ACTIVE Network Campership Grant Contest on January 15, 2013. The $1,000 Grant was open for entries November 20 to December 31, 2012, and was established to support camps that were looking for funds to sponsor deserving children. More than 450 camps from Canada and the U.S. submitted a Grant entry form and the winner was selected at random among qualifying applicants.

“Camp Tecumseh YMCA is very honored to receive this $1,000 from ACTIVE Network! We will use the funds to provide scholarships for 10 day campers from our surrounding counties this summer,” comments Ben Meyaard, Director of Camper Support at Camp Tecumseh YMCA.

Located on 500 acres of riverfront woodlands, Camp Tecumseh YMCA offers day camps and resident camps to youths aged 8 to 15, along with retreats, leadership training and outdoor education. The camp aims to offer superb experiences to campers within a caring Christian environment.

“Our programs have a huge impact on less-advantaged youth. One parent recently commented on how a yearly week-long day camp at Camp Tecumseh had transformed her son, allowing him to grow in confidence, joy and faith over the years,” adds Meyaard. “Thank you again, ACTIVE Network, for supporting our mission and campers across America!”

“Our team’s vision is to help transform our youth to be more engaged and active. Giving more kids the opportunity to experience camp via our ACTIVE Campership Grant is a logical program for us to offer,” says Stephen Branstetter, General Manager of Youth & Education at ACTIVE Network. “We’re thrilled to support Camp Tecumseh YMCA in their mission.”

ACTIVE Network is the reference in activity and participation management technology, serving over 50,000 customers nationwide, including more than 2,000 camps. ACTIVE’s camp management solutions help GET more campers, MANAGE camps operations efficiently and BUILD an engaged camp community.

ACTIVE Network is a member and supporter of the ACA, PCCCA, CCCA and OCA.

21 January 2013 ·

Summer 2012 Stats Are In!

6 December 2012 ·

19 November 2012 ·