Using Video to Recruit Great Summer Camp Staff

Using Video to Recruit Great Summer Camp Staff

Getting great people to work at your camp is an incredibly important part of a camp director’s job (keeping great staff is a bigger issue that I’ll write more about this winter).

I found this video on the recruiting page of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank (a non-profit doing amazing things for hunger issues in the developing world).   Let’s look at what it does for CFB:

  • It gives the organization some personality - “Hey, we’re real people, with cool ideas, who can sort of draw.”
  • It shows off the true spirit of the place - you understand from the video that this is a faith-based organization that is focused on bringing food to those who don’t have enough. We now know their values
  • It allows the people of CFB to express themselves- by not “enforcing” a company line but allowing the people to write their own answers this video shows off the uniqueness of all of the people who work there
  • It shows (not tells) us that this is a national organization - this also adds value to a potential recruit by demonstrating that there are people from across the country involved.
  • It’s FUN - good music, personal pictures, people laughing and smiling.

I’d love to work there.

Your Recruiting Task:

  1. Ask your staff to send you a photo from their webcams at school, their phones when visiting cool places or their cameras at home answering this question: How does Camp _______  make the world a better place?
  2. Take a half an hour and put it together in iMovie.
  3. Place it on your website under staff recruiting.

I bet you’ll be surprised at how creative they can be!

How is your summer camp using all of the tools available to recruit the best possible staff?

NOLS Podcast

National Outdoor Leadership School - climbing. Picture by Adam Dale on Flickr

The National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) has always been a place that makes me a little dreamy.   I look forward to the day when I’ll have a chance to take one of their courses - I’m thinking about Baja today!

Check out their video podcast.  It has some great information for camp staff. I’d heartily recommend forwarding some of the less advertise-y ones to your trip staff.

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CAIRN Staff Portraits 2009

The 2009 staff of CAIRN's Baysville Programmes - Glen Mhor & Iona. For more information on CAIRN please click through to http://www.ilovecamp.org. If you are in this video and would like to be tagged please add yourself as a Fan of the Subtlevox Photography Page on Facebook (http://artist.to/subtlevox_photography/). Once you are a Friend of mine I can Tag you there. Stay tuned. I'm going to offer copies of your picture for you to use, with permission, on Facebook. Thank you to the Podsafe Music Network - http://music.podshow.com and Pama International (www.pamainternational.co.uk/) for the music. A Subtlevox Photography/Walking Maverick Production http://www.subtlevoxphotography.com http://www.walkingmaverick.com

CAIRN - Staff 2009: A Portrait Project from Travis Jon Allison on Vimeo.

The 2009 staff of CAIRN’s Baysville Programmes - Glen Mhor & Iona.

For more information on CAIRN please click through to ilovecamp.org.

If you are in this video and would like to be tagged please add yourself as a Fan of the Subtlevox Photography on Facebook. Once you are a Friend of mine I can Tag you there.

Stay tuned. I’m going to offer copies of your picture for you to use, with permission, on Facebook.

Thank you to the Podsafe Music Network - music.podshow.com and Pama International (www.pamainternational.co.uk/) for the music.

A Subtlevox Photography/Walking Maverick Production
subtlevoxphotography.com
walkingmaverick.com

A Birthday Wish for Your Favourite Charity - Facebook Causes

I don’t know if you have heard of the Causes application on Facebook but CAIRN, a client for whom I am the community manager, is now listed there. One of the cool things that people can do with the Causes app is to talk to their friends about a charity work that is important to them (My Causes:  CairnKiva.orgBreast Cancer Research).

And now… you can choose to ask friends to donate to your favourite charity instead of buying you a birthday present. A brilliant idea.