You wouldn’t think of summer camping as lonely work. After all, camp is where kids and staff are running around all summer with constant energy, smiles, laughter, all of it. But leaders in the big chair often don’t have anyone to talk to. At least about the things that actually matter for your camp. Executive directors, program heads, owners, board presidents. The higher you sit at your camp or program, the fewer honest conversations you might get. Sure, camp is generally a happy place, but...
12 days ago • 2 min read
Nobody calls camp people entrepreneurs. But that’s exactly what they are. Think for a couple of seconds about it. Small organization. Often, one leader at the top. Limited resources. Trying to sell someone on a vision and a dream. Figuring it out as you go. Wearing twelve hats because there’s nobody else to wear them. That’s a startup. And that’s what working at a camp looks like. The outside world would never describe it that way. But the job fits the definition perfectly. How You Got to...
19 days ago • 3 min read
Many camps still communicate with parents like it’s 2005. Back in the olden days of the early aughts, you could send a welcome packet, slap up a few photos mid-session, and trust that families were fine with what was happening. Parents filled in all the blanks with camp goodwill. They assumed things were going well unless they heard otherwise. That worked then. It doesn’t work now. The Disconnect Consistently, I see this gap growing between what camps think parents need and what parents...
26 days ago • 3 min read
Did the subject line of this email send cold chills down your spine? I get it. The whole point of sleepaway camp is independence. Kids away from parents. Facing challenges on their own. Growing in ways they can’t when mom and dad are nearby. So the idea of parents on the property feels like it undermines everything. But I’ve been running market research on this, and the numbers are hard to ignore. What Families Are Telling Us I surveyed 102 affluent families from the metro New York City area...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Writing this not long after returning from Tri-State. Great sessions, even better conversations, and, as always, a ton of energy in the rooms. One big takeaway from conference season in general, and just walking through regular life: people are craving personal connection. It’s easier and easier to feel sort of online-connected and also very alone. And camp’s superpower is making people feel seen and heard. The digital world keeps accelerating. AI is everywhere. We’re on our phones...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
I visited over 40 camps last summer. Some have high-end amenities like towel service and juice bars. Some operate out of church basements. Many are very much in between. Within a few minutes of walking onto a property, it becomes clear what kind of operation I’m looking at. And if you want to know if your camp is thriving, it pays to ask these questions: 1. How do you talk to your staff? This starts with “we” language when describing how things run. But it also includes variations of, “I’ll...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Back in my days overseeing multiple camps, one of them had a 25% higher retention rate than all the others. The Farm Camp Program. Jennie was in charge and she got nearly every kid to come back to camp. She wasn’t a trained salesperson. In fact, she was a trained librarian which is about as opposite of sales as you can get. So what did she do to drive retention north of 85% with 200 kids over the summer? She called 10 families every morning. That’s it. That’s the retention playbook. Most...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
It seems like I spend half my winter and early spring at camp conferences (oh, and a few days at Disney World too!). ACA Nationals was last week. ACA Tri-State is coming up in March. ACA New England after that. Some more as the summer gets closer. This year at ACA Tri-State I’m presenting three sessions: Foundations of a Strong Camp Marketing Plan Developing Future Camp Leaders with CIT Programs The Parent Perspective: Understanding Families’ Summer Choices in 2026 Come check them out! People...
2 months ago • 2 min read
What year-round sport are you playing? What academic track are you on? These kinds of specialization questions seem to come earlier and earlier for kids. And parents are 100% feeling the pressure to make it happen. Focus and expertise are great, but this narrowing is creating anxiety in all groups, with kids less and less willing to try new things or take risks. And that means self-exploration gets squeezed out. We already know (and have covered) leadership, purpose, and belonging as some...
2 months ago • 2 min read