Five Levers Camps Can Pull This Fall for an Easier Summer
A camper fills out the booklet of all the things she can do at Pearce Williams Camp. Well done, Joe Richards.
Quick take
Many camps raised fees 20 to 25% and kept enrolment when they showed clear value.
Seven in ten families register on their phones. Almost half register after work. Make mobile easy and offer flexible payments to lift enrolment.
Retention beats new leads. Most camps do not track why kids do not return.
Hire early and use simple digital onboarding to avoid crisis mode.
Parents expect steady updates, inclusive policies, and staff ready for mental health needs.
“Fix what families feel and what staff face. Small systems now create a calmer summer.”
(This is about a 7-minute read.)
Why this matters
Staffing. Early offers and clear onboarding reduce no-shows and first-week stress.
Safety. Fewer manual steps means fewer errors with medication, transport, and waterfront lists.
Parent updates. Short, predictable emails prevent panic and support.
Rain plans. A ready swap avoids last-minute pileups.
Budget. Price to your real costs. Offer instalments to lower sticker shock and protect cash flow.
What the research says
Money and marketing.
Camps that raised fees 20 to 25% held enrolment when value was clear.
About 70% of registrations happen on phones. Nearly half happen after work.
Instalment plans or Buy Now, Pay Later account for about one in five bookings in some data.
Retention is cheaper than acquisition, yet few camps track non-return reasons.
Operations.
Paper forms and manual email chains waste time and cause mistakes.
Camps collect useful data, like session strength and refund reasons, but rarely use it.
Hiring late creates scramble. Digital onboarding trains staff before arrival.
Old systems and slow internet hurt both brand and throughput.
Social and culture.
More campers and staff arrive with MESH needs.
Inclusion is expected. Many camps lack written plans and training.
Gen Alpha is tech-native with shorter attention spans and less unstructured play. They still want hands-on learning.
Parents want updates and transparency without overload.
Competition and trends.
Specialty tracks, year-round programs, flexible schedules, and parent-facing tech are normal.
Sliding scales, tiered pricing, and donor support help with rising costs.
Definitions.
MESH: Mental, Emotional, Social Health.
Retention rate: Percent of campers who return next season.
Do this next week (30 to 60-minute wins)
Mobile check, 40 min. Register on your phone. Time a full checkout. Fix any field that is hard to read or tap. Remove one non-essential question.
Turn on instalments, 30 min. If your system supports instalments or BNPL, enable it for off-season signups. Add this line to your site: “Pay in monthly instalments.”
Retention pulse, 45 min. Export last season’s non-returners. Send a 3-question survey with two multiple-choice questions and one open text. Ask why they did not return. Tag responses.
Onboarding starter, 30 min. Make a one-page pre-arrival checklist. Include documents, short training videos, and first-day plan. Email to all accepted staff with due dates.
Parent cadence, 30 min. Draft three 120-word templates. 1) Welcome and what is new. 2) Safety spotlight. 3) Dates and deadlines. Schedule two weeks apart.
Practical examples
1) Cabin staffing, early win.
Send conditional offers by November 15 with a link to a 15-minute Day-1-Ready micro-course with short videos and a quiz. Staff who finish by December 1 get priority housing. Result: fewer gaps in week one and clearer expectations.
2) Rainy-day swap.
Create a Plan B grid with indoor rotations, a quiet room, and counsellor breaks. One radio call, “Switch to B,” and the whole camp moves calmly.
3) Parent update template, 120 words.
“Hi families, a quick update. Registration opens November 30. New this year: monthly instalments, a dedicated MESH support lead, and a simpler pickup lane. Same safety standards. More staff training before Day 1. Watch for our What to Pack note next week. Questions are welcome. You can reply here. — [Your Camp]”
Pitfalls to avoid
Pricing fear. Raising fees without a clear value story can cause churn. Pair increases with two improvements families will feel, like smaller groups or an extra swim block.
Desktop-only forms. A form that breaks on phones leads to abandoned carts. Test on a phone after every change.
One-and-done onboarding. A big PDF does not train. Use short modules and one living checklist.
Update overload. Ten emails in a week erodes trust. Send short, predictable updates instead.
Metrics to watch
Mobile checkout completion. Percent of phone sessions that finish a paid registration.
Instalment adoption. Share of enrolments using instalments or BNPL.
Retention rate. Returning campers divided by eligible prior campers.
Time to hire. Days from application to signed offer.
First-week incidents. Behaviour and medication errors. Aim down and debrief to learn.
How to track fast.
Use your registration reports and a simple sheet. Five rows, one per metric. Update monthly from November to May.
FAQs
Are instalments safe for our budget?
Yes. Set clear terms and an auto-pay date. Instalments widen access without discounting.
Will fee increases backfire?
Families accept increases when value is visible. Announce the change and show what is better for their child.
Do we need a MESH plan?
Yes. A short written plan and staff training are now baseline.
How often should we email parents?
Every two to three weeks in the off-season. Weekly for the two weeks before opening. Keep messages under 150 words.
Next step
If a quick outside read would help, you are welcome to book a free 30-minute consult. We will review your mobile flow, pricing story, and retention plan. No pressure, just practical fixes.
