Building Relationships with Camp Alumni - CampHacker #62

Super Summer Camp Support

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Although we have talked about Camp Alumni on Episode 25 (listen here) it made sense for us to tackle the topic again.  Now that I look back at it it WAS 3 years ago…

I’m so grateful to Theresa and Rebecca for joining the show again.   I really like the ideas that they have at Cairn and at Kintail.

In particular, I think Kintail’s Cake by The Lake event (which attracts camper and staff alumni from as long ago as the 30’s and 40’s) fits today’s topic perfectly - building those relationships between the generations.

What do you do at your camp to keep strong ties with your alumni?

Tool of the Week – Make yourself a better Camp Director

Travis - Carhartt Quilted, Lined Duck Bib Overall 
Gab - Canon Powershoot G16
Joe - Book - The Generosity Network - New Transformational Tools for successful fund-raising. 
Theresa - Switch by Chip & Dan Heath 
Rebecca - PicMonkey’s Dropbox integration

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Thanks for the evening, friends.

Ask Us Anything 2013 - CampHacker #61

You Asked, We Answered

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In one of our favourite shows of the season we have annual Ask Me Anything show this week.  We answered questions from our viewers, people on the CampHacker email list and the #CampPros.

Today we answered these 4 questions (seriously... in 1 hour.  We're very talkative when it comes to camp stuff).

1. Do you have a dress code at your camp and how do you enforce it?
2. How do you communicate with THIS generation?
3. What is the most effective (time-wise, money-wise) way to market our summer camp?
4. How does your camp handle your shooting-sports programs with all of the concern about gun control and gun violence?

Tool of the Week – Will Return Next Episode

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10 Tips for Summer Camp Staff Hiring - CampHacker #60

Get the best of those looking for a Summer Job at Camp

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Since it was just Gab and I, we decided that for this podcast, we would focus on a rapid-fire back-and-forth list of great ideas that we have tried for hiring staff. 

I'm really excited to offer the #CampPros this list of our 10 Top Tips:

1.  Re-interview your returning staff
2.  Hire the people you've fired
3.  Lessen the gap between expectation and reality
4.  Include a creative project in your applications
5.  Train your staff in the hiring process and have them help you hire
6.  Have a staff hiring day to truly understand how they work together
7.  Ask questions that begin with "tell me about a time when..."
8.  Set alerts on TalkWalker.com to be notified when something is posted about your staff
9.  Set the bar and stick to it
10. Hire for the person, not the position

Tool of the Week – Make yourself a better Camp Director

Travis: Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook by Gary Vaynerchuk
Gab: DaFont

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Thanks for the evening, friends.

 

Finding a Career at Summer Camp - CampHacker #59

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Life is more than a summer job at camp

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For those of us lucky enough to have (or have had) a full time job in summer camp there are a few things that are consistent about our journey from camp counsellor to camp director.   We had a great discussion on this show about our own stories of making the leap.

Some of the things that we recommend if you are looking for a full-time, year-round camp job:

  • start attending camp conferences.  If you camp can’t afford to send you then try to attend on your own dime.  This is particularly inexpensive if you are a college or university student

  • when you are at conferences, don’t be afraid to pipe up.   I know that I first started to get mentors in the camp industry when I started asking smart questions in sessions

  • lead sessions.   Almost all of the conferences offer the opportunity to submit session proposals.   This can be a great way (something that all 5 of us on this discussion have done) to start to get your name out

  • work at camps in the shoulder seasons.   Camp people can have a great opportunity to stand out as leaders and initiative takers when they work at camps in the off-season

  • participate in camp forums such as our own Summer Camp Professionals group on Facebook.   Every camp person I know loves to help young adult become better leaders.  You will find lots of encouragement in these forums.  

One thing that I wish I thought of after the discussion: start giving back now.  There is a LOT of room for more blogs, YouTube shows and podcasts for the summer camp industry.  Check out what Lanet Hane is doing on The Camp Whisperer. She is doing a brilliant job of creating an online resume of her summer camp passion.

I’ve offered this before and I'm happy to do it again… if you want to become a podcaster on the CampHacker network please email me with your idea [travis (at) socialcatalyst.ca].   We are always looking to expand.

What’s your “getting a full-time camp job” story?   Leave us a comment!

Tool of the Week – Make yourself a better Camp Director

Joe: Spreaker
Travis: The Inside Social Media Podcast
Dan: How Difficult Can This Be? The F.A.T. City Workshop ~ Understanding Learning Disabilities
Gab: The Matt and Joe Show - Australia Tour
Rich - “Find Something to Do” book by Jim Cain at http://www.teamworkandteamplay.com/, no-prop game book, order directly from Jim for the best deal

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Rate and Review the CampHacker Show in iTunes (It helps! It really, really helps!)

Thanks for the evening, friends.