Running a Camp: What is Absolutely Necessary?

Every aspect of creating and implementing a workable plan to run a camp is important. There are many different factors that will either positively or negatively affect whether the camp will run smoothly or crash and burn. Some aspects of running a camp can take a few blows, but other areas cannot. This paper will debate the usage of some of the different areas that make up a camp, and whether or not they are absolutely necessary to the full affect to make the camp work.
To give an adequate picture of how a camp is formed, the best way to imagine it is to think of a skeletal system. The bones of the camp are the strategic planning and design of the camp itself; if an idea wasn’t there, the camp would never get off the ground. The staff and facilities itself are the muscles of the camp. Without them, the camp director would never be able to get things done, and the participants would not gain anything from the experience. Risk management is a big part of camp life, so in a way it would be the skin. The skin protects everything inside, but can take a few blows for the greater cause.
Everything else can be considered as the veins. Marketing, finance, food services, volunteers and transportation services are things that most often get over looked, but could conceivably be the most important to the overall operation. This could be because they are seen as after effects; especially for camps that have no need for them. All together, in order for a camp to function properly, these different aspects need to be planned for and understood in order for the participants to get the most out of their camp experience.
It all begins with the practice of marketing a camp. In order to have the need for anything else, people need to want to go to camp in the first place. As such, marketing is needed to draw in a diverse audience to attend the camp. When a camp is first being made, marketing is very important to get the word out that the camp exists. Within the past 5 years or so, online marketing has made the cost to drastically lower; there is no longer as much a need to print out flyers or brochures. Slowly, as the camp becomes a staple event in people's lives, the director can cut back on marketing aspects because word of mouth and returning campers, if handled properly, will keep people coming back.
Marketing, or anything else for that matter, cannot be done with out secured funds. Because of this, finance is one of the most important parts in the role of making a camp work. Without funds, a camp will not be able to function. There needs to be a finance consultant or director whose only job is to balance the books and keep the monies in check. Once a year an audit should be done to check on how well the current equipment is holding up, and changes made to maintain said equipment so it is safe for continued use. Also included in this check should be the facilities and staff since these are what consume the most income for any camp.
Since some camps are simply during the day, many places do not need to have the facilities to hold or process food. As such, food services are not always necessary to have a camp run smoothly. Overnight camps are a different story; they need to have adequate storage facilities, heating and cooling equipment as well as staff trained on how to properly prepare and serve food. Those on the food staff will need to know how to test stored food for the safe consumption and understand the consequences for if they fail to follow set guidelines.
Volunteers are the backbone of not-for-profit camps. They lower costs and make it possible for struggling camps to potentially get back on their feet. Volunteers still need to have background checks, especially if they are working with kids or those with disabilities. For camps that are just starting out, or are simply for a day or week at a time, volunteers are easier to find. People are less likely to agree to do unpaid work when it costs them money. In essence, volunteerism is not necessary for those camps that have money set aside to pay their staff. For those that rely on volunteers, marketing is also essential to get the staff they need.
Sometimes the location of the camp is hard to get to and directors will set up shuttles to get the staff and campers to the main site. This is an example of a time when proper finance, programing and transportation needs to work together seamlessly. Also, transportation is needed when camps decide to go away from the main facilities to enjoy other areas that they may not be able to offer on site. Examples include rivers or lakes, rock climbing areas, and high or low ropes courses. Many camps now offer these facilities on site and as such only require transportation of their campers to get to the camp itself. Overall, while marketing, finance, food services, volunteers, and transportation services are things that most often get over looked, without them camps would not be able to properly function. Each area has its own importance so much so that directors and their staff need to understand the consequences if those areas accidently get overlooked.