Recession Pro-Action
by Brian Frick, Associate for Camp and Conference Ministries for the General Assembly Council of the Presbyterian Church (USA)

As we are all aware, our guests, campers, churches, governing bodies…well just about everyone is feeling the effects of the current recession. Looking ahead to this summer, what can we expect?

I cannot tell you what you will actually experience, but I hope I can share ideas from across the camp and conference center community on actions you can take NOW to position your center to weather the financial storm we are sailing into this year. These ideas are applicable, recession or not, and I know there are many more things you are doing creatively already that are not included.

No Cost Ideas

Church Newsletter Articles
David Gill, Executive Director of Ferncliff Camp and Conference Center (Little Rock, AR) recommends sending articles with pictures to local churches for insert into their newsletters. “Families are much more likely to read their own church newsletter than they are a presbytery newsletter or even (dare I say it) the Ferncliff newsletter.” 

Church “Camp Hopper" Program
Heartland Presbyterian Center (Parkville, MO) has begun developing a Church "Camp Hopper" Program. Executive Director, Dan Scheneman, shares “our goal is to have a camp representative in as many churches as possible. Ideally, this person is a camp alumni or supporter. Their task is to share information about Heartland Center, offer minute for mission and other promotional opportunities to hear about Heartland’s ministry and to help steer campers to register at camp. Our Camp Hoppers will be trained and provided with materials. They know their churches better than we do. We hope this program increases camper attendance, but also see it as a way to form a partnership with the congregation - to be an intentional outreach of their ministry.”

Low Cost Ideas

Wednesday’s Weekly Openings Email to Church Workers
This summer, David Gill at Ferncliff plans to share camp openings directly with church workers. “This year we are going to invite Christian Educators and selected others to join a Wednesday Camp Openings email list. On the Wednesday before camps start on Sunday, we will send an email listing the slots we have available. For instance, a boys cabin that has a counselor and only three boys could have 2-3 more boys without any additional staffing.  These last-minute openings we will make first come, first served and offer at half price with a coupon code that can go into our online camper registration system. This will bring additional income at a minimal cost.” 

Mobile Marketing
Ferncliff also provides logo shirts to friends of Ferncliff who know the program and speak highly of the Ferncliff ministry. David Gill shares “We figure that when someone notices the logo and asks the question about what is Ferncliff, that friend is going to give a good, trustworthy recommendation.”

Direct Mailings
Heartland Center saw a great jump in day camp enrollment by directly mailing to the campers of day camp age within driving distance of the camp. They purchased a mailing list of 5,000 campers and created a specific brochure just for day camp. Ferncliff has also had success with targeted, direct mailings for their summer camp.

Creativity in Marketing and Outreach
Parents have a choice as to where to spend money and what experiences to provide for their children this summer. Summer camp is a choice, but so is a family vacation or childcare. You may find some parents choosing to not send campers for financial reasons, but you may have an opportunity to attract others who are putting off big ticket trips (Disney, cruises, road trips, etc) to stay near home. “Stay-cations” is an idea that has been getting traction over the past couple of years. Basically, people are looking to save money by doing their vacation closer to home. Targeting your mailings and promotions to highlight the affordability of camp programs can help parents make those choices.

Long-term or More Time-intensive Opportunities

Family and Day Camp Programs
It may not be too late to add family camp (week-long or weekend) or a day camp program to your summer.  However, do not rush into something that you are not ready for. There is nothing worse than offering a weak program because you ran out of time and are providing a less than enjoyable experience.

What better way to save money and have a shared experience than to take the family camping and what better place to do that than at your camp? Great scenery, indoor accommodations so you don’t have to bring your pop-up trailer, great food, LOADS of safe and supervised activities, and the community spirit that comes from shared faith experiences! At a per person rate, family camp is usually priced low at our sites, but even so, it brings people in, exposes them to your ministry, and provides income. 

Johnsonburg Presbyterian Center (Johnsonburg, NJ) has been offering Family Camp week each summer for over 20 years and has recently added a Family Camp Reunion Weekend. Program Director, Harry Zweckbronner, shares “our family camps grow each year. They are a great, affordable way for families to share in the camp ministry. Our family campers often become staff members and are some of our biggest advocates in their home churches. Our summer staff stay an extra week and offer similar programming as we do for our youth camps. Families make it a tradition and return year after year.”

Most parents do not have the luxury of being able to take the summer off to care for their children. They use childcare, day camps, and other services to care for and entertain their children for a portion of that time. Do a little research into what day camps are offered in your area, what programming they provide and what they charge. I think you will be surprised at how much parents pay and how much more you have to offer because you are already running a summer camp program! Heartland Center started a day camp program in 2007 and by 2008 an average of 18 campers were attending each week. Executive Director, Dan Scheneman, said “our day camp program reaches a new audience of campers not reached through resident camp, a new group being reached by our ministry who would not otherwise. Our staff are already providing activities so additional costs are minimal. Day camp provides a good source of additional revenue and we project registrations to continue to grow.” (CAUTION – Though you want to highlight that you are cheaper than other child care options, DO NOT call your day camp “Child Care."  Most states regulate child care differently than they do summer camps.)

Budget Cutting

Every dollar you are not spending, is one more you do not need to bring in to meet your budget. If you are anticipating possible lower camp enrollment or maybe lower donations, it makes sense to look now at areas to save in your budget.

Utilities
Most of us have already switched to compact fluorescent lighting. If you have not, I recommend doing it NOW. If you spend the money at the beginning of the year you will recoup the cost of the bulbs as well as energy savings costs in the first year – after that, they continue to be cheaper. It is the gift that keeps on giving!

Energy Control
I just returned from Stony Point Center (Stony Point, NY) where Co-Directors Rick and Kitty Ufford-Chase expect to cut several thousand dollars per year from their bills. They had a full energy audit from Interfaith Energy conducted on their entire site which drew attention to the many areas where they were using electricity and heating inefficiently. Rick shares “I was amazed at what we were spending in each building and in the ways we could reduce those costs. We are assembling a list of when to implement each recommendation to reap those savings. Saving money on heating and lighting is not only good for the budget, it is good for the environment!” A full energy audit of your site could be a very useful way to save funds.

Printing
Printing costs are significant. Most of you have already printed your summer camp brochures. If you are regularly sending other brochures out to be printed in color or are doing it yourself at a copy shop, you can save significantly by printing in house on a continuous ink printer or online printing.   

I use a continuous ink printer for tri-fold brochures for day camp, family camp, and nationally for the Presbyterian Conservation Corps. A two-sided full-color brochure costs less than 10 cents per copy and the majority of that cost is in paper (get a heavier weight so it folds well). Compare that to $1 per side at a copy shop and you are going to see significant savings. Ink-pro.com is one place that can provide you with a printer system and support.

Many websites offer printing. You provide the document and upload it to their site. They print it at a fraction of the cost of other printing options. Some will also directly mail your brochures (if provided with a mailing list) and this can save you time and money. PrintPlace.com and DocuCopies.com are two sites that offer reasonable rates.

Know it all?

I don’t! If you have ideas that have worked for you in creatively marketing, promoting programs during tough financial times or have ways to cut costs, please share them with me so I can share them with others.