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The #1 way to get more kids to summer camp
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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 calls went to voicemail. Maybe one real conversation out of 10. But the voicemails alone showed care. I’ve seen this pattern everywhere. Gary at Camp Nock-A-Mixon does something similar. 90% retention. When I asked him what’s different, he said, “We keep them in the loop like they are family.” Nothing fancy. Just consistent contact. The DataTravis Allison, Eric Wittenberg, and I recently surveyed 90 camps, both overnight and day. The finding: when camps got families on the phone, they closed the deal by answering their questions. Think about your camper recruitment efforts (aka enrollment funnel). Becoming aware of the camp is at the top, then considering options, then nudging to help finalize the registration. Emails handle becoming aware of the camp. Phone calls handle everything else. And many camps struggle with the “everything else”. In plain math language: 50% retention is the floor. Some camps are below this, but it’s the first goal. 60-65% is good. North of 80% is great. Every camp, of any size, can get to north of 80%. If you’re not there, chances are you’re not making enough phone calls. You’re not building strong enough relationships with families. That’s really it. Why Camps Don’t Do It And Why Phone Calls WorkThe same objections appear all the time. “It’s not worth it.” “I feel inauthentic doing sales calls.” “Parents will find the information online.” “I’m afraid of the answer I’m going to get.” These are all real feelings. They’re just not good reasons to avoid the phone. Email goes to a pile of several hundred messages a day. A phone call rings through and a voicemail is likely to get noticed. Parents want dialogue. You can’t assume they’ll find everything online and digest it on their own. They want to interact with the information, ask questions, hear a real person. Especially when it’s about their child. The world is filling up with AI and automations. Phone calls are still unmistakably human, and a signal of care that nothing else replicates. The PrescriptionPut all your families on a spreadsheet. Call 10 every morning. Start with the camp families you talk to the most to get comfortable. Then go to unenrolled leads. Then enrolled families. Then alumni. Ask if they know anyone who might be interested. You don’t need a script or training. Remember, Jennie was a librarian. You just need to pick up the phone. Phone calls aren’t complicated, and many camps won’t do it. Which is exactly why the ones who do pull ahead. Retention a problem? Pick up the phone. Sincerely, Senior Consultant at Immersive1st Learn more about Immersive1st's Approach |
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Subscribe to the Immersive1st newsletter for new openings and smart job search tips. Hiring? The next issue will show how your organization can reach the right candidates.
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...
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