Growing Camp

Growing Camp Daniel Zenkel Camping Magazine November 2015 Camp director Erec Hillis encourages camp professionals to broadly communicate the fact that “camp creates advantage for kids.” He asserts that this “is a winning argument that camp directors must learn to make . . . . It will help directors fill their own individual camps and …

Fresh Tips for Running a Better Summer Camp Business: A Look at Operations

Education Camping Magazine Current Issue Digital Magazine Subscribe Archived Issues Advertise As Seen In . . . Knowledge Center CampLine Conferences Training / Prof. Development Research Start a Camp Fresh Tips for Running a Better Summer Camp Business: A Look at Operations by Daniel Zenkel In the 2009 November/December issue of Camping Magazine, we discussed …

Recent And Emerging Camp Industry Trends

Recent and Emerging Camp Industry Trends, by Daniel Zenkel Several trends have emerged over the past 20 years in the camping industry. Highlighted below are the trends that have most impacted the camp business. Increasing Demand for Camp Reflects Parental Desire for Supervision of their Children During the Summer Many adults now in their 40’s, …

Summer Camp History, Development and Trends

The modern summer camp industry has its origins in the “mom and pop” resident camps that were established in the first half of the 20th century. During this period, the number of resident summer camps increased rapidly for several reasons. Summer Camp History, Development and Trends, by Daniel Zenkel Origins of Traditional Resident Camps The …

Summer Camp Market Overview

Summer Camp Market Overview, by Daniel Zenkel, The summer camp market, defined loosely to include any summer program that provides supervised services beyond mere childcare, is estimated to generate between $10 billion and $12 billion annually. According to the American Camp Association (“ACA“), approximately 12,000 camps of all kinds operate in the United States. TYPES …

30 Tips To Running A Better Summer Camp Business

Running a summer camp is a noble endeavor. Summer camps impart skills and values to all types of children. Nevertheless, every summer camp, small or large, private, religious, nonprofit or for-profit, is a business. If a summer camp takes in less money than it spends, it will eventually fail. Not coincidentally, summer camps that run …

Environmental Stewardship

The following energy-saving steps were adopted and are being implemented at all camps affiliated with CampGroup and can be easily undertaken by any camp: Environmental Stewardship, Energy-Saving Ideas for Camps To Survive And Thrive, Camping Magazine, Nov/Dec 2007, by Daniel Zenkel. Camps must embrace change, indeed seek it out. Every year camps must look for …

America’s Camp: Fun — First and Foremost

In the aftermath of September 11, Americans felt a profound desire to aid the victims. We gave blood. We wrote checks. We donated to help rescue efforts. And it still didn’t feel like enough. CampGroup, which owns eight camps in the northeast and midwest, decided to help by doing what we do best – providing …