Staff Recruitment for Next Summer Begins NOW - CampHacker #148

Was staffing a pain for you this year? Let’s get ahead of this beast for next summer!

The global pandemic has hit our industry hard in so many ways, but one of them that we didn’t really expect was how hesitant our youth and young adults who have traditionally served every summer at camp would be about joining us for another season.

And whether that was because they were a bit more risk-averse, or maybe they’ve just seen the financial benefits more desirable. Either way, what we need to take away from this is just how intentional we need to be about recruiting staff.

What better time to start than when you have staff at camp NOW?

Chris, Gabz, and Travis are joined by returning guest Neva Baltzell to share how thinking about recruitment now will not just benefit next year, but will have a profound impact on your current staff team.

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How will you start your staff recruitment now? Let us know in the comments!


Tool of the Week – Make Yourself a Better Camp Director

Travis: BarKeeper’s Friend - https://amzn.to/3hpCewA

Neva: UNO Flip, Monopoly Deal, Monopoly Bid

Gabz: Notion

Chris: Black Boys Documentary


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Thanks to our sponsor!

UltraCamp

Wouldn’t it be refreshing if your registration software gave you MORE time? With UltraCamp, you can track attendance, manage staff applications, streamline registration, and much more. Get back the time you need to focus on what is really important: CAMP! Find out more at summercampsoftware.com/camphacker

Summer Self-Care for Camp Directors - with Kate Taylor - CampHacker #147

Boundaries, sleep, and exercise - tools for camp pros that are just as important as duct tape and zip ties.

This isn’t some fluffy episode where we tell you to take up meditation and manifest your stress away. Self-care for Camp Directors seems like an oxymoron most days. To accomplish any sort of balance in our camp lives, we need to put just as much intention into our self-care habits as we put into everything else we do at camp.

A camp director will best serve the staff they work with, when their needs are well met. Period. Full stop.

Chris, Gabz, and Travis are joined by Kate Taylor for a very frank and realistic perspective on what it means to prioritize self-care, even when it seems impossible.

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What do you do to be your best self when camp is at it’s busiest? Let us know in the comments!


Tool of the Week – Make Yourself a Better Camp Director

Travis: Gerber Gear Armbar Slim Drive https://amzn.to/2R2bjMl

Kate: daylio.net

Gabz: OAAARS

Chris: https://numberforliveperson.com/




Thanks to our sponsor!

UltraCamp

Wouldn’t it be refreshing if your registration software gave you MORE time? With UltraCamp, you can track attendance, manage staff applications, streamline registration, and much more. Get back the time you need to focus on what is really important: CAMP! Find out more at summercampsoftware.com/camphacker

Incentivizing Staff Beyond the Paycheque - CampHacker #146

Pay your staff more - AND - here are some other ways to appreciate and incentivize the camp experience.

We should all be working to pay our staff more. Full stop.

That being said, it may be impossible to pay staff for the sheer amount of joy, passion, blood, sweat and tears they put in to the work they do. So even WHEN we’re able to pay staff more, we should be doing everything we can to show staff how much we appreciate them and how valuable the camp experience is.

Chris, Travis and Joe are joined by Go Camp Pro contributor Darby Dame to share their best practices on how to incentivize staff beyond just how we pay them.

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How do you show staff they are valued? Let us know in the comments!


Tool of the Week – Make Yourself a Better Camp Director

Travis: The Book with No Pictures - BJ Novak https://amzn.to/3wZbF6Z

Joe: zip ties - organizations secret weapon - https://youtu.be/fhIts8zhn_A | The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zanderand Benjamin Zander https://amzn.to/2PXElwB

Darby: HotJar website

Chris: Run of the mill Laminating Machine https://amzn.to/3e57kGF


Your Hosts:



Thanks to our sponsor!

UltraCamp

Wouldn’t it be refreshing if your registration software gave you MORE time? With UltraCamp, you can track attendance, manage staff applications, streamline registration, and much more. Get back the time you need to focus on what is really important: CAMP! Find out more at summercampsoftware.com/camphacker

Drop Off and Pick Up - The Parent Perspective - Sponsored by PikMyKid - CampHacker

SPONSORED CONTENT - Thanks to PikMyKid for their support!

Every single camp has its own way of managing pick-up and drop-off and the great camps put a lot of time and intention into both processes.

Remember, those two times may be the only physical impressions of your camp that parents get, so a well-polished process will win you big points in their books.

In this interview pod, Travis sits down with Pat Bhava, the founder and CEO of PikMyKid, to share why he saw the need to bring pick-up and drop-off into the technological era, and how his software will leave a professional, polished impression with families.

Please note - PikMyKid is a sponsor of Go Camp Pro. We’re grateful for their support.

Want to share your brand’s story? Advertise with Go Camp Pro.


Your Hosts:



Thanks to our sponsor!

UltraCamp

Wouldn’t it be refreshing if your registration software gave you MORE time? With UltraCamp, you can track attendance, manage staff applications, streamline registration, and much more. Get back the time you need to focus on what is really important: CAMP! Find out more at summercampsoftware.com/camphacker