Remember group projects in school?

It seemed like one person (maybe you!) always ended up doing everything.

Organizing meetings, writing the presentation, and staying up late fixing everything.

Meanwhile, other group members showed up, nodded along, and figured someone else had it handled.

The worst part wasn’t the extra work. It was the confusion.

Maybe nobody meant to be lazy. They just had different ideas about who was supposed to do what.

By the time everyone realized the bibliography isn’t done? Welp, it’s too late.

Running a camp without clear roles can feel exactly the same.

The director handles a registration issue, de-escalates an angry parent, fixes a clogged toilet, and still has to lead a staff meeting.

Other capable leaders stand around asking, “What should I do?”

Or sometimes worse, they step on each other’s toes trying to help.

This isn’t a personality problem.

It’s a clarity problem.

Disagreement Origins

Most conflicts at camp aren’t about what went down. They’re about misaligned expectations of who was supposed to handle it.

Someone thinks they’re in charge of the schedule.

Someone else assumes they have input.

A third person feels blindsided when decisions get made without them.

Everyone has different assumptions about their role.

This creates resentment, duplicated work, and stalled decisions.

The solution isn’t better comms or more meetings. It’s defining roles clearly from the start.

Enter RACI (Not the Corporate Version)

The RACI framework solves this.

Before anyone worries about “corporate structure” at a summer camp: know that camps live on relationships, flexibility, and spontaneity.

And that’s exactly why RACI matters.

Clear roles mean people can be flexible without stepping on toes.

Structure = freedom, not rigidity.

RACI → Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed.

Where I see it show up most in camps is between Responsible and Accountable.

Responsible means doing the work. Multiple people can be responsible.

Accountable means it’s on someone if it doesn’t get done. Only one person can be accountable.

Example: Overnight Camp Check-in Day:

Several staff are Responsible (greeting, checking paperwork, parking cars)
The Program Director is Accountable (if check-in is a disaster, that’s on them)
Operations lead is Consulted (their input shaped the plan)
Parents and leadership are Informed (they get updates but aren’t involved in execution)

Everyone knows their lane.

Greeters don’t wonder if they should figure out parking flow.

Operations isn’t going to feel blindsided by changes.

And when something goes wrong? No finger-pointing about whose job it was to fix it.

Why Directors Feel Overworked

Without clear roles, camp pros default to being both Responsible and Accountable for everything.

No delegation because no one knows who’s supposed to own what.

The problem isn’t that directors care too much. It’s that no one else knows when they’re allowed to step up.

The Practical Application

Start small. Pick one process this week and map it:

Who’s Responsible for doing it?
Who’s Accountable if it fails?
Who needs to be Consulted?
Who just needs to be Informed?

Write it down. Share it with the team.

Watch how quickly the “who’s handling this?” questions disappear.

Clarity isn’t cold or corporate. It’s actually compassionate.

The most freeing thing a camp leader can do is tell people exactly what they’re responsible for, what they own, and when they get to have a voice.

Camps don’t need more meetings. They need to know who’s accountable.

And then camp is the best group project going.

Sincerely,
Dan Weir

Senior Consultant at Immersive1st

dan@immersive1st.com

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