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American
Camping Association - Not for Profit Council
Posted on the
Web January 10, 2001
The organized camping industry is facing
numerous challenges with the approaching
millennium. As organized camping becomes
more market conscious, questions arise as
to who will be able to go to camp, at what
cost, under what external controls, and
within what expectations for services and
outcomes. Not for profit camps have served
thousands of children, adults, and families
over the years. These not for profit agencies,
however, are under increased pressures to
scrutinize the scope of their services concerning
appropriateness, commitment, and economic
viability.
The purpose of this study was to examine
influences on not for profit agencies involved
in camping programs to determine critical
trends and issues related to organized camping.
The American Camping Association Not for
Profit Forum and Council funded this project.
We examined the following broad questions:
| How is camping currently
perceived and supported by not for profit
agencies? |
| What societal issues
are affecting camping programs within
not for profit camps? |
| What are the critical
external and internal constraints on
current camping programs? |
| What are the short
term and long term issues for not for
profit camping leaders to address? |
For purposes of this study, trends were
defined as tendencies, drifts, or changes.
Issues were the problems identified due
to the changing trends. Trends may or may
not result in concomitant issues. Although
the two concepts overlap to a great extent,
we attempted to address both as they pertained
to the field of organized camping within
the non-profit sector.
This project included three stages of data
collection. First, we conducted a literature
review and interviews with selected experts
in not for profit camping agencies. The
literature review and interviews with experts
resulted in the development of a questionnaire
to acquire information directly from camping
professionals and their agency executives
about potential trends and issues. The descriptive
statistics from this questionnaire provided
the basis for the final stage of data collection
that involved focus group sessions conducted
at the 1999 ACA Conference held in March
in Chicago, Illinois. The data from each
of these phases were analyzed resulting
in several conclusions and recommendations.
Conclusions and Recommendations
Mission
Trend #1:
All successful not for profit organizations
acknowledge the importance of mission
statements.
Issues for Not for Profit Camps:
| How is the camp
mission a roadmap for addressing
today's societal needs |
| How does the
camp mission must fit the not for
profit agency mission as well as
the national agency's mission (if
applicable) |
| Making camp programs
mission driven with the mission
driving strategic management |
| Determining how
the type of not for profit organization
(e.g., nationally affiliated or
local) influences the way that issues
related to mission, strategic management,
and prioritization of critical issues
are addressed |
Trend #2:
Camps have contributions to make in addressing
societal problems.
Issues for Not for Profit Camps:
| Showing how integral
camps are to some not for profit
organizations, even though some
camp leaders feel that less support
exists from the agency, the national
office, parents, and campers themselves
than in the past. |
| Addressing the
"image problem" where
the public may not understand the
value of camping programs. |
| Determining how
and why camping programs make a
difference in people's lives and
how to articulate the results and
outcomes of camping programs |
Recommendations
regarding Mission:
| Camp staff should
articulate "early and often"
the role they play if they are a
part of a larger agency. This role
may be traditionally central (e.g.,
Girl Scouts) but must be continually
articulated to agency executives,
staff, parents, campers, funding
sources, and the community at large. |
| All staff members
must take every opportunity to tell
the value of camping so that it
is perceived as an important youth
development activity to build assets
in young people and adults. |
| Camping programs
from agencies with national organizations
must function as autonomous units
with a broad flexible mission that
allows the local unit to tailor
their programs to fit their immediate
needs and still remain within the
national mandate. |
| Each camp program
must determine what they can uniquely
provide to meet the needs of the
agency and the local community.
Although camping programs do share
some common concerns, procedures,
and organizational climates, they
also have individual differences
and needs that must be determined
for a particular locale. |
| Camp leaders
must regularly review and re-evaluate
the mission to determine what goals
and objectives need to be implemented
to address the mission. |
| Camps must articulate
the outcomes they wish to serve
and then develop a program with
inputs and activities to address
the intended outcomes. Evaluation
should also relate to what the intentions
of a particular camp program are.
Each camp may vary in specific outcomes
that may occur. |
| The measurement
of outcomes of camping must be a
priority of ACA, national agencies,
and local camping units. Data to
determine the impact of camps on
human development is a priority. |
Strategic Management
Trend #3:
Not for profit organizations face fiscal
challenges related to their mandate and
role.
Issues for Not for Profit Camps:
| How to address
social issues with adequate funding |
| Finding funding
sources |
| Keeping the tax
exempt status |
Trend #4:
Leadership in any organization is key.
Issues for Not for Profit Camps:
| How to get quality
full and part-time paid staff |
| Working effectively
with not for profit boards and volunteers |
Trend #5:
Many youth services exist along with youth
who have many needs.
Issues for Not for Profit Camps:
| How to effectively
market outdoor programs to campers
as well as to funding agencies |
| Showing accountability
to public and to funding sources |
| Identifying the
unique contribution camping programs
make in meeting the needs of youth |
Trend #6:
Not for profit organizations must be efficient
in providing services.
Issues for Not for Profit Camps:
| Using technology
to the fullest |
| Capitalizing
facilities |
| Expanding year
round facility use |
Recommendations
for Camps:
| Staff (full time
as well as seasonal) salaries and
compensation packages need to be
competitive with other available
jobs to attract and retain the best
employees. |
| Efforts must
be renewed to recruit staff that
represent the diversity of the campers
participating or that a camp desires
to have participate in camps programs.
Staff (full time and part-time)
will likely come from a diverse
workforce in the future. |
| Funding, especially
for maintenance and upkeep of camp
facilities, is a priority that must
be addressed by camps. |
| Every camp executive
and board must weigh keeping costs
at a reasonable level to allow kids
the opportunity to experience camp
and still have an adequate budget
to reach the camp goals. |
| The mission of
the camp and the need for an adequate
budget cannot be separated. In addition,
the mission must be applied to the
operation of the facility and the
priorities established for any given
camp. The evaluation plan should
also relate to the mission. |
| Camp organizations
need to determine the percentage
of costs that will be covered by
fees and what costs will be covered
from other sources. |
| Many potential
funding sources exist for not for
profit camps (grants, government
assistance, donations, endowment
funds, etc.) that must be examined.
It takes time, energy, and a concerted
plan on the part of the agency to
procure these funds. |
| Fund-raising
for camping programs must be done
for an intended, articulated purposes. |
| Staff training
will be critical in the future.
A well-conceived training plan that
addresses social as well as technical
skills will be necessary. Money
invested in training will likely
have long term benefits. |
| Volunteers working
in not for profit camps require
applied personnel management strategies.
They should be treated similarly
to paid staff except without the
salary compensation. |
| A potential shortage
of full time staff can be addressed
by assuring that quality staff do
not burn out or are unable to have
a desired quality of life when they
are working at camps. |
| Year-round schools
are not an issue for most not for
profit camps but the use and upkeep
of facilities year-round is an issue
that must be addressed. |
| A long-range
maintenance plan should be developed
at each camp facility. |
| A marketing plan
should be based on being responsive
to community needs, but also be
realistic in terms of what camps
can provide. |
| Marketing for
not for profit camps includes not
only to campers, but also to funders. |
| Camps must monitor
state and national legislation that
affects regulatory issues as well
as not for profit status issues. |
| Camps must seek
partnerships within their local
communities for program development
as well as funding possibilities |
Critical Issues
Trend #7:
The demographics of American society are
changing.
Issues for Not for Profit Camps:
| Getting campers
and staff that reflect local and
national diversity |
| Resolving the
problems with gaps that occur in
income in our society |
| Using camp as
a means for addressing youth development
issues |
| Getting leaders
that can serve as positive adult
role models |
Trend #8: Accountability is critical
in all social organizations.
Issues for Not for Profit Camps:
| Determining what
goals and objectives camping accomplishes |
Recommendations
for Camps:
| Camp staff need
to examine fee structures to make
sure that some campers are not being
eliminated from camp. In not for
profit camps, the balancing of young
people from all income levels ought
to be considered. |
| Staff in camps
need to examine cultural values
that may preclude people from participating
in camp programs |
| The focus on
increasing camp numbers must also
examine how to make camps inclusive
as well as how many campers can
be reasonably served without sacrificing
a quality experience. |
| Staff who can
serve as positive role models must
be hired, but they also must be
trained in what it means to be a
positive role model. |
| Camp programs
must address a variety of opportunities
and skill levels. |
| Youth have many
choices with what to do with their
lives. In choosing to come to camp,
they should know what they could
expect. |
| Camp programs
attempt to address ethics and values,
but what these values are have not
been clearly articulated by staffs
as they attempt to work with young
people in camps. |
| A camp cannot
be everything to everybody, nor
can all activities be addressed.
Therefore, each camp must determine
what camper needs they can address
and what groups to target in their
recruitment efforts. |
| Camp directors
will need to be sensitive to diversity
issues such as disability and income
status if recruitment efforts are
to be effective. |
| A focus on recruiting
campers who represent diverse groups
must be done in collaboration with
the agency at large and its recruitment
efforts to obtain members for all
agency programs. |
Summary
In response to the broad question asked
in the title of this report, "Can not
for profit camps survive?" the answer
is a resounding "yes." Not for
profit camping will survive into the new
century and into the new millennium. Big
challenges exist, however, that camp leaders
must address. Camp leaders may have to focus
their energies in new ways, be more cognizant
of the influence of changing social patterns,
and adapt to a work environment more similar
to the corporate world. Camp professionals
will be asked to do more with less, wear
more "hats," and still provide
the stable camp programs that are often
the most visible articulation of the agency's
mission and goals. When not for profit camp
directors are asked, "What difference
do you make?" they will have to show
outcomes and results based on providing
effective leadership, clarity of vision,
and fiscal responsibility to demonstrate
accountability and commitment of to the
agency, the campers, and the local community.
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