Fri 10 Oct 2008
What are you doing?
Posted by Peg Smith under General
I am wondering what others are doing to advance us toward our 2020 vision. I have been hearing several ideas popping up around the country. some camps and sections have targeted new populations for specials promotions. Others are offering one day, customized visitations. Others are targeting school systems for special partnerships. What are you doing?
26 Responses to “ What are you doing? ”
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May 31st, 2009 at 10:21 am[...] What are you doing ACA 20 20 Vision Posted by root 7 hours ago (http://www.acacampsblog.org) Jessica coleman reply on october 27th 2008 4 39 pm when i observe students at outdoor education i recognize that for most of them eric naftulin says your comment is awaiting moderation aca 20 20 vision is powered by wordpress 2 6 5 and delivered to you in Discuss | Bury | News | What are you doing ACA 20 20 Vision [...]
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May 31st, 2009 at 2:54 pm[...] What are you doing ACA 20 20 Vision Posted by root 8 hours ago (http://www.acacampsblog.org) Jessica coleman reply on october 27th 2008 4 39 pm when i observe students at outdoor education i recognize that for most of them eric naftulin says your comment is awaiting moderation aca 20 20 vision is powered by wordpress 2 6 5 and delivered to you in Discuss | Bury | News | What are you doing ACA 20 20 Vision [...]
October 11, 2008
So far, I’ve been harassing poor Kim B at the National ACA office with ideas for public relations sponsorships.
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peg smith reply on October 13th, 2008 10:20 am:
Tell me more about this. Who are you suggesting?
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Jessica Coleman reply on October 27th, 2008 4:39 pm:
How about a partnership with Cotton?
They always have those great ads about summer and being
outdoors. There would be nothing better for them than shots of kids
at camp - horseback riding in jeans, playing field sports in shorts,
participating in ropes courses (or hiking) in long pants, etc. With a
nostalgic feel even…
Similarly, there’s a lemonade company that does the same thing. They
could be good too.
And I’ve really enjoyed (and noticed) the billboards and advertisements for The Foundation for a Better Life (ForBetterLife.org).
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peg smith reply on October 28th, 2008 11:15 am:
I will follow up with our cause marketing firm. Good ideas.
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October 21, 2008
Hi Peg,
I started a blog several months ago called CampMarketing News.
It’s totally free site and filled with free ideas camp directors can use to fill their camps with kids. I hope it’s a valuable resource toward meeting our 20/20 goal.
Eric Naftulin,
Executive Director
Aloha Beach Camp, Los Angeles, CA
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Michele Branconier reply on October 31st, 2008 5:11 pm:
Thanks for sharing Eric. I always find at least a “nugget”, if not more, of valuable information from your blog!
Thanks for sharing too. It is appreciated.
Michele
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October 24, 2008
Hi Peg,
I just responded to your post about this the other day and see my comments were rejected. That’s kind of curious to me. I mentioned in my post that I have write a blog for camps offering free marketing tips. It’s called CampMarketing News. If free tips about how to market your camp won’t help advance ACA’s 20/20 goal, what will? Even my local section (socal/Hawaii) thought it was so worthwhile they approached me asking if I’d write an article about how to market your camp and CampMarketing News in one of their recent newsletters. I hope you’ll reconsider your decision and include this post this time; I’ll bet camp directors will find my blog useful. Thanks very much.
Eric Naftulin
Aloha Beach Camp, Los Angeles
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October 24, 2008
I enjoyed being at the ICC in Quebec. I enjoyed your keynote and the session you did with your Canadian counterpart. Tomorrow a committee from my board begins our next Strategic Plan process. Earlier this week the Chair of this committee and I were talking. I suggested that we review the concept of “camp” and referenced ideas from your sessions in Quebec. Your comments helped me reflect and remain open to the future, the possibilities and the opportunities. I also have shared with people that attending the ICC gets me out of my comfort zone about the “concept” of camp. When I observe students at Outdoor Education, I recognize that for most of them, this is their “camp” experience. While many think of summer camp as “camp” there are many students on field trips at camps (maybe one day, maybe a full week)who are campers and experiencing “camp.” Let us continue to enjoy our “tradition” of summer camp and let us consider the “innovation” that camp can be for our changing demographics.
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October 27, 2008
Mary Helen,
I, too, enjoyed seeing you in Quebec, as well.
Friday the ACA National Board of Directors met. One of our board members responded to the never-ending conundrum as to whether we ‘define’ camp by, instead,suggesting maybe we need to consider what we are really talking about is the growth in the concept of the camp experience based on the sound principles and values of what we have known and loved as the traditional summer camp experience. This would allow us to possibly have a profound impact on youth development. Much to consider, so many opportunities.
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October 27, 2008
Eric, I am not sure why your post was rejected. It certainly wasn’t anything deliberately done by me. I will check with our IT guy. I apologize. The 2020 Vsion will only be accomplished by a shared, collective effort. I applaud and appreciate your support!!
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Eric Naftulin reply on November 21st, 2008 11:12 am:
Thanks Peg!
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October 27, 2008
I’ve been thinking about specific ways that individual camps can help move our 2020 vision forward, small ways that can build momentum and help us increase camp’s reach.
For example:
- Promote ACA membership to your seasonal staff. Most of your counselors are probably students and will qualify for the $50 student membership fee; this gives them a full-year of access to Camping Magazine, ACA’s Web site and archived materials, and discounts to conferences. This means you’ll have better trained staff members next year, plus they’ll feel appreciated, and you might actually even increase your counselor return rate!
- Encourage your staff – seasonal and year-round – to become Standards Visitors. Being a visitor is an educational process; participating counselors and camp leaders will learn a lot from the training process (including why we bother with accreditation and all these rules!) and from other camps (who are willing to not only show their facilities but also to talk about how they handle issues and their creative programming ideas). They’ll come back to you with new ideas and a refreshed approach to your camp! And when they return home, they’ll talk to others about what camps do and the benefits they provide to all children. Plus, many Sections around the country are short on visitors, including ACA,NY!
- Talk to the media. We know it can be scary, but most reporters really do want to write about the good things that are going on in their community. Get to know your local journalists and their interests. Send them pictures of campers (be sure you have photo releases) and staff engaged in fun activities, and include an exciting tagline of what’s going on. If you’re really interested, do a media-training workshop and start to send out your own press releases. We need everyone to know how great camp is!
- Give Camperships. Besides feeling good and doing a nice thing for your community, camperships will help us increase the number of children in camp (part of our 20/20 goal; it will also thereby increase the number of people that “get” what camp does, hopefully strengthening support for the camp experience in the upcoming generation of leaders).
- Donate to ACA’s Annual Fund. No matter how little you can give, your gift matters! When corporations and grant-giving foundations look at ACA as a charity, one of the first things they check is the percentage of the membership that has donated, that has shown its support of the association’s mission. Your gift to ACA will go to the general operations, helping with the things ACA does everyday; or you can earmark your gift and request that it be used for something specific – e.g. Section programs, fundraising, media outreach, or camperships.
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November 21, 2008
Hi Peg,
Here’s a link to an article I read today which, unforunately, reflects the reality of our economic times. Basically, the article discusess how a free shuttle bus brining over 40 kids to and from camp per week may need to be discontinued for a Parks and Rec. Dept. Maryland to cut costs. We provide transportation for our campers at <a href=”http://www.alohabeachcamp.com/transportation.html”<Aloha Beach Camp, so I know it can be expensive costly. But this article is sad…
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November 21, 2008
Eric Naftulin says: Your comment is awaiting moderation.
November 21, 2008
Hi Peg,
Here’s a link to an article I read today which, unforunately, reflects the reality of our economic times. Basically, the article discusess how a free shuttle bus brining over 40 kids to and from camp per week may need to be discontinued for a Parks and Rec. Dept. Maryland to cut costs. We provide transportation for our campers at <a href=”http://www.alohabeachcamp.com/transportation.html”<Aloha Beach Camp, so I know it can be expensive costly. But this article is sad…
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November 21, 2008
Hi Peg, I’m having a little trouble posting the link I wanted to share. I tried submitting it a few times this morning but it doesn’t seem to be working, so I’ll try one more time. Thanks!
http://www.mdcoastdispatch.com/article.php?cid=18&id=4829
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November 26, 2008
I enjoyed seeing you in Quebec!
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April 12, 2009
Hey Peg -
I was really moved by your speech in Quebec
Here in Idaho, we are working on a similar project - a little behind yours!! - but hopefully once we have got a little further along in our plans, I do want to discuss with you potential collaborations…
Keep up the great work!
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October 26, 2010
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January 18, 2011
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January 25, 2011
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July 13, 2011
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July 15, 2011
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December 6, 2011
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May 7, 2013
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