Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/13-tips Going full-time is scary! These camp pros have some wise words to help any director find their footing. The Go Camp Pro team put together a really cool episode in which 13 top tier camp podcasters were asked for an important tip to tell any new camp director this season. Sam…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2024/05/start-camp-2025 If we were starting a summer camp from scratch, here’s what we can do! 200 episodes and over 14 years, the CampHacker Podcast has been around literally so long that we actually can’t find the first few episodes (seriously, if you find th…

Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/season-6-debrief The summer is upon us! Join us as we debrief the best Day Camp Pod Tid-Bits from the past eight months. Season 6 of the Day Camp Pod is winding down as we laser-focus on the daunting job before us. This episode, Sam & I debrief our ACA trip to Washington D.C. and th…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2024/05/camp-pro-adhd You can be a camp professional and have ADHD - there are lots of us out there! You probably wouldn’t be surprised to know that as we have gotten more comfortable talking about exceptionalities, disabilities or diversabilities, the rate of …

Send us a Text Message. https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2024/05/camp-2035 How are you doing at pushing past the overwhelm and considering the big picture? If you’re reading this on release (mid-May) - it may feel impossible to get out of the weeds and think about the future. That’s fair - and - in order for our industry, and even our camps to make it…

Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/gen-z-staff He’s back! Justin's insight is more important than ever. You won’t want to miss this one! This past Tri-State Camp Conference, our all-star podcast guest, Justin Pritikin presented to a packed room of camp professionals about working with his generation’s workforce. Youn…

Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/talking-teens Summer camps rarely meet their full potential of teen programing. Jeff Leiken is here to help us get into the teen mindset! There are very few camp consultant trainers in our industry over the past quarter century that have had the impact of Jeff Leiken. His impactful …

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2024/04/13-tips-for-new-camp-pros New and new-ish Camp Directors, this one is for you. Kick some butt this summer. There are a TON of full-time camp professionals that have entered the industry post-COVID. For those of us that have been around for a while, we k…

Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/yes-chef Staff training is nearly upon us…will you be ready? Hulu’s award-winning TV show, THE BEAR teaches valuable lessons from running a restaurant, and turning your staff from good to great - that really resonate to running a summer camp. Eric Wittenberg of CamperMachine and Cam…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2024/04/what-they-dont-get What is one thing you learned working at camp that surprises people when you talk about? The fact that people don’t understand what we do full-time is not just and “us” problem - it’s a problem for our entire industry. It’s annoying a…

Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/additional-needs-staff A diverse staff team is a stronger staff team. Since 2020, camps have been more and more aware of their staff’s needs - particularly their pay, schedule flexibility, and the amount of burden they carry. But meanwhile, our staff have very similar additional nee…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2024/03/choice-based Elective-based, choice-based, whatever you call it, it just may be the future of camper programs. We welcome back one of our original hosts, Dan Weir and welcome back Jack Schott from The Summer Camp Society (and TSCS Podcast!) to unpack al…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2024/03/our-advice-to-new-staff What are the most important things staff need to know to be successful this summer? Right now (March), camp directors everywhere are starting to think about staff training…or, intending to do so at least. There are a trillion thi…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/the-pudding/gen-z Unlocking the Potential of Gen-Z at Summer Camp Staffing continues to be one of the biggest thorns in the paws of our industry. It’s a challenge that isn’t likely to go away soon, so what can we do to ride this wave, rather than just letting it crash int…

Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/maximizing-summer-staff Increase your staff efficiency by maximizing your staff’s abilities. In today’s world of $4000 camp counselors, camps need to do everything possible to be efficient in how we staff our summer programs. We discuss this topic and more with Thomas Coffey from So…

Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/random-acts-ice-cream Looking to appreciate and recognize your staff better? Come listen and learn from the best in the business! One of the best parts of attending the CODA and ACA National Conference is meeting super smart day camp pros from all over the country, and I am so happy…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/the-pudding/power-between-people With great power comes…well, you know the rest. We all know that even in the sunshine and butterflies that is summer camp, there is evil lurking about. An evil that affects people and communities from all over. It has a name, too. Are you …

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2024/02/retain-staff The number one recruiting tactic? You got it - retaining! As the summer creeps closer, the staffing woes of the industry rear it’s ugly head again. Wouldn’t it be great if staffing wasn’t the thing that stole your focus from creating the be…

Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/transitioning-leadership No one becomes a director overnight. Taking over an existing camp operation is no small feat, and today we’re joined by two seasoned, self-made camp professionals who have each had unique challenges. It’s a great podcast for anyone looking to one day become …

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2024/01/camps-and-ai Is AI going to ruin the summer camp industry? AI really proliferated right before we all went to camp in 2023. Some of us started playing with it, but over the summer, while we were living in our “unplugged” utopia, many parts of the world …

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/the-pudding/good-for-everyone Just BEING at camp is a good thing - the science proves it! We intuitively know that camp is a good thing. We can tell a million heart-filled stories about how camp changes lives. But as you all know, the proof is certainly in the pudding - s…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2024/01/climate-change Recycling programs and talking nature education programs are only step 1. When we talked about climate change and camp 10 years ago, the conversation usually was about how we can be a bit more sustainable, how to teach campers about natur…

Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/parents-at-camp Hiring parents as staff can be a double-edged sword… There’s no better way to get adult staff to buy into your camp and your culture than to have their kids attending camp, and drinking your kool-aid. That said, there’s a lot of ins and outs, a lot of positives and a…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/12/giving-up-on-dei Where did the momentum go? We believe that summer camp should be an accessible place where individuals feel welcome and included for the unique and wonderful things they bring to the community. Right? While many camps would say that the…

Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/recruitment-and-retention Do you know what keeps your campers coming back? Getting campers through the door and keeping them there is an art form of empathy, creativity, and execution. Today we speak with two experts in the field who have literally created a playbook that can be uti…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/the-pudding/being-in-nature And are we thinking about “nature” too specifically? Being in nature is good for us - we know this intuitively. But did you know that science backs this up? It is proven, beyond doubt, that being in nature decreases anxiety, decreases ruminatio…

Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/in-between-moments Blocks are good, but it’s the grout that holds everything together. At Day Camp, we spend the majority of our planning time working on our militaristic program grids of athletics, arts, swim, etc. But the day camp day ALSO includes the “in-between moments.” These …

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/12/demographics-tcsc Are you being thoughtful about how a changing demographic will affect your camp? Whether you are a camp with a wait-list, or you’re hoping for a few more “bums in bunks”, something that we need to seriously be thinking about is the pot…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/11/no-tech Is the “no technology” policy at your camp compatible with the campers of today? “No technology at camp” is a sacred part of many of our summer camp cultures. The value of unplugging. Being “in the moment”. “Being real” are all things plastered …

Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/the-staff-experience What’s the best way to ensure our staff keep coming back? Since the staff revolution of summer 2021, most camps have put more focus on the staff experience than ever before. If we’re being honest SOME focus, as opposed to hardly any, as most of us realize that w…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/11/parent-coms-2023 How confident are you that your camp parents will read and act on your emails? Getting your information to parents. The most necessary and maybe one of the most difficult parts of the job. Even though the communication landscape is cons…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/11/camp-magic How do you measure magic? Every camp professional, whether new or seasoned, knows what we mean when we say “camp magic”. For most of us, we think of camp magic as this ethereal, indescribable, ever-present part of camp. This “magic” is what m…

Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/crisis-management When it comes to crisis, prepare and prevent, don’t repair and repent. With all the crazy stuff going on in our country and the world, camp directors often have to become crisis managers. One of our friends, Dave Thoenson from Tamarack Day Camp outside of Chicago, …

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/11/small-systems It doesn’t take as much as you think to set yourself up for long-term efficacy. Travis is joined by Dr. Lydia Hughes Evans to discuss systems of project management, personal efficacy and organizational development that any camp pro can pic…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/10/decoding-research What is research, and what can it be for camp pros? We need to start here. Before we get into how to use research to empower our marketing and recruiting efforts, we need to unpack the basics of research. So, whether you’re a research …

Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/summer-2023-debrief What lessons can we learn from summer 2023? Summer 2023 is in the books, and we not only survived, but we thrived - very much like it’s 2019 again… Our super-thoughtful friend from the West Coast, Kelly Jones, joins us to talk about last summer, and we’ll try har…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/10/setting-and-honoring-boundaries - We are good at so many things as camp pros. Boundaries, writ-large, is not one of those things. We are excited to kick off this, the 13th season of CampHacker with an episode that will especially resonate with those com…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/08/the-intersection-of-camp-and-research Did you know that the positive experience of summer camp is a proven fact? Yes. It is! In this new mini-series from Go Camp Pro, join Dr. Mandi Baker and Travis Allison to focus in on prominent and emerging research…

Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/remembering-doug-pierce “Whoever needed help, Doug was there with his sleeves rolled up.” - Jay Jacobs Doug Pierce was a larger than life camp director and industry leader who set the standard for Day Camping, ACA volunteerism, positivity, and sharing. Doug passed away last April, t…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/06/30-tools - What will you be putting your brain to keep you focused this summer? Well folks, if you’re reading this in June - you’re in it now! Us, too! As we wrap up this season to take our focus to the summer, we want to leave you with a wickedly pract…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/05/alumni-community - Do you wish your camp had the benefits of an engaged alumni community? It’s a gift to have a group of people that intimately “get” what your camp is all about. And, alumni can be like getting a gym membership or Ikea furniture as a gi…

Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/camper-refunds-2023 Parents are the most important partnership a camp can have. But how do we balance the financial needs of our camp and our parents when it comes to deposits and refunds? As we head into the camp season, we’ve got plenty of parents hitting us up with refund request…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/05/new-career-new-camp What would we do if we were starting at a completely new to us summer camp? We’re so grateful to have one of our founding CampHacker hosts Dan Weir join us this episode. Welcome back, Dan! To support the vast number of new camp direc…

Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/staff-training-2023 As you gear up for another year of staff training, tune in for some expert advice from the experts, Roz and Jed! It’s just about time to get our staff together, get them energized, and get them trained up as much as we can for the arrival of our campers. Who bett…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/04/staff-and-boundaries How much do we really need to accommodate this generation of camp staff? Okay, that header is a little misleading. Don’t mistake this podcast for one big “okay boomer” rant. This conversation about summer staff and meeting them wher…

Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/variety-show Staff training is on the minds of camp pros nationwide. Dave and Dave are here to share their two cents on the hottest topics of the year! At the past ACA National Conference in February, I had the pleasure of experiencing both Dave Malter and David Phillips both in ses…

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/04/partnering-with-parents-in-2023 It's time to adapt to post-pandemic parents! We need to adapt a whole lot as camp directors. On the checklist of “things we need to re-assess every 5 or so years”, parents are certainly on that list. As the majority of ou…

Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/boss-convos Even if you’ve known your boss for years, interacting with them can still be nerve-wracking! Dan is here today to share his experience navigating this tricky power dynamic. Managing up, quiet quitting - most people have a pretty dysfunctional relationship with their supe…

Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/genz-hacks Staffing emergencies call for emergency podcasts! Are we really in a “hiring crisis,” or do we just need to change the hiring process? Justin is back to share the inside scoop on how to appeal to Gen Z applicants. I just got back from Tri-State, where I’ve been attending …

Send us a Text Message. Find full show notes and links at: https://camphacker.tv/podcast/2023/03/setting-summer-staff-up-for-success - If the success of your camp is your responsibility, then the success of your staff is your responsibility. The idea that our summer staff need to be set up for success is one of those ideas that is intuitive, yet ex…