Camping Magazine articles from September 2006

Camping Magazine archives from September 2006

How to get the best price for credit card processing.
September 1, 2006... Whatever you think you are paying for credit card processing, you are probably wrong. We will get back to this in a moment. Getting a credit card to pay camp expenses is a relatively straightforward process. Setting up your camp to access...

Turn, turn, turn: to everything there is a season: building principles.
September 1, 2006... I remember like it was yesterday. A white collar professional was attending a large camp conference and announced that he was changing careers to camping to lower his stress level and so that he only had to work three months of the year. It was...

Marketing: it's 51 percent common sense.
September 1, 2006... Some aspects of camp management are almost automatic. You need food, you call your food service. You need shirts, you e-mail your outfitter. You have a question about risk management, you contact your insurance agent. You need campers, you......

The role of supportive relationship: building camps that care about kids--first in a series of four articles.
September 1, 2006... Once upon a time twenty camp directors had the opportunity to find out what campers and staff really thought about camp. Oh, they had used evaluations every summer. Don't the American Camp Association (ACA) standards require that? But besides...

The words of the profits: highlights from ACA's camp business operations report: 2006.(American Camp Association)
September 1, 2006... As part of its efforts to better understand the needs of its members, the American Camp Association (ACA) conducts periodic research on business issues, the benefits of the summer camp experience, and youth development. In November and December...

Summer returns: a place to share.(summer camps)
September 1, 2006... It takes guts to write about camp and what it has meant to me, because I abhor sentiment and cliche. To me, they are the marks of a lazy writer who lacks the tools or the will to say something original and effective. So what do I do, then, when...

Intentional youth development through camp experiences research.
September 1, 2006... Camp directors often design the summer camp experience with intended camper outcomes in mind. Campers often experience positive changes as a result of attending summer camp. The research highlighted below provides an initial attempt at...

Recruiting health center staff: start early! Risk management.
September 1, 2006... "Where do I find a camp nurse?" "Finding Health Center staff? That's the hardest recruitment job!" "The campers will be here next week; I need someone now!" Recruiting personnel for the camp health center is challenging. In most...

Camps in a world of change: managing diversity--first in a series of five articles.
September 1, 2006... Let's start this article with a brief cognitive exercise. Imagine that you stop at the local fast food outlet for lunch (this is not a meal that I am condoning, and as vanguards of youth fitness, we should certainly be more selective in our...

Their space or yours? Social networking sites bring risks and rewards to the camp community.
September 1, 2006... The popularity of social networking sites, such as Myspace.com, Facebook.com, Xanga.com, and Friendster.com, raise new and important issues for camp directors intent on protecting their campers and their camps from the dark side of the online...

Balancing the personal and professional: young professionals.
September 1, 2006... If I'm such a young professional, why am I so tired? The twenty-something director at a neighboring camp is rumored to cook a killer lasagna. Last spring, I asked him when we could get together so I could sample his famous recipe. In his e-mail...

Tips for running a better summer camp business.
September 1, 2006... Running a summer camp is a noble endeavor. Summer camps impart skills and values to all types of children. Nevertheless, every summer camp, small or large, private, religious, nonprofit or for-profit, is a business. If a summer camp takes in...