n April of 2008, Dan and I visited Capital Camps at their winter office in Rockville, Maryland. The purpose of the meeting was to learn about fundraising so that we could begin work on a Donation Management system. However, as we began to understand fundraising best practices, it became clear that we had a much larger project on our hands. Its relevance extended far beyond donations. The most fundamental aspect of raising money is knowing who your donors are. But, to truly know your donors, you need to know how they relate to camp and how they relate to the community. For example, if Jonathan is a large donor for my camp, I should know that his grandson, Ryan, is enrolled in the July session. I should also know that Jonathan was a camper from 1947 through 1952 and that he was on staff from ’54 through ’58. Knowing this information is important. It shows a high level of care, and it makes my conversation with Jonathan much more personal. Dan and I left the meeting with this goal in mind: Allow camps to understand each person’s connections to camp and their relationships to others within the camp community. We realized this development, done properly, would take years. Allowing ourselves to dream big and conceptualize the future of camp management, we brought our initial designs to the first brainstorming session at CampMinder Camp 1. With 30 camp administrators in attendance for this first conference, we had an “all camp” discussion around our new design – the Unified Person Record. We knew right away that this was something every camp would want.
Of course, as a responsible parent, Sandy isn’t going to sign her son up for four weeks of sleep-away camp without further investigation. She sees a link and requests information through the camp’s website. Little does she know, records are created for both Sandy and Jackson in the camp’s database. Jackson is a lead and Sandy is his mom, and a personalized email is scheduled to be sent to Sandy from the camp in 20 minutes. The camp frequents Jackson’s record throughout the recruitment process. They save notes after each phone call and create follow-up reminders. They log sent emails and schedule a tour. All the while, the camp builds a layer of trust with the anxious mother. During this period, the camp learns about the connection between Sandy and Lisa, so they link their records as friends. By using this wealth of information properly, the camp earns a high level of confidence from Sandy. Her next move is to complete an application through the camp’s website. Since Sandy and Jackson already have records in the camp’s database, the online application is pre-populated with their information. In this day and age, applying for camp should be a quick and painless process for busy parents (and it should be even easier to re-enroll when the time comes). The process of applying and submitting the necessary forms online is convenient for Sandy. The personalized communication she receives from the camp helps calm her nerves as the summer approaches. It’s also reassuring that Brian and Jackson will be in the same bunk, a request she made through the Bunk Request Form within her online camp account. When opening day finally arrives, Sandy takes Jackson to meet the camp bus at the local high school. Like any eight year-old leaving home for the first time, Jackson is nervous. Sandy tears up behind her sunglasses, but she’s comforted by her belief that this is will be a life-changing experience for her son. Little do they know, this is the beginning of a lifelong relationship between their family and the camp.
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The following winter, Jackson’s cousin, Heather, is completing her final exams at the University of Maryland. She stumbles upon an article her friend shared with her through Facebook entitled: The Camp Counselor vs. the Intern. Not sure about her summer plans, she starts researching camps online. She remembers that Jackson had a great time over the summer, so she calls Aunt Sandy to get more information. Sandy tells her all about the camp and how Jackson was a different boy when he came home – more confident and mature. Heather visits the camp’s Facebook page and finds videos, blogs and photos. Her interest is piqued, and she applies for the Cabin Counselor position through the on ??R7Ffb?6F?????6???F?R6?( ?2f6V&???vR?F?R6?6fW2??FW2???VF?W.( ?2&V6?&BgFW"V6?6??fW'6F???v?F??W"??????v?2f?"F?R6??F?R7Ffb&V7'V?F?V?B&?6W72?2fW'?6???"F?F?R6?W"&V7'V?F?V?B&?6W72?fWrvVV?2?FW"??VF?W"'F?6?FW2??6??R??FW'f?Wrv?F?F?R6?F?&V7F?"??N( ?2w&VBf?B??B26???2F?RF?&V7F?"?2??F?f?VB?bF?R6?V?&6?w&?V?B6?V6?&W7V?G2F?B&RWF??F?6??&WGW&?VBF??BF?7V?V?FVB???VF?W.( ?2&V6?&B?6?R?2??&VB???r??6?R?2F?F??2f????WBF?R????Rf?&?2???W"6?66?V?B?Bv?BfWr???F?2f?"F?R7V??W"??W7BfWrF?2??F?6???VF?W"&V??W2v??6?????b?W"6???F???Bg&?V?G2v?V?B?VBF?6?f?"F?RV?F?&R7V??W"?6?R??fW2F?R7V?GW&R?BF?RV??R??BWfW'?F???r&?WB6?7V?2F??W"W'6???G??6?R?B?W"6??6?V?6V??"??V???fW"?&V6??Rw&VBg&?V?G2??V???fW"?2&VV??fW"B6??F??2?2?W"f?W'F?7V??W"26?V?6V??"gFW"?f??r&VV??V?v?B?V"6?W"??B6?RG&VG2F?RF?F?B( ?&V???.( ?F?Bv????VW?W"g&???W"???Rv?g&?????R???r?VF?W"???R?W"?Wrg&?V?B?V???fW"??2&?VB?V?&W"?bF?R6?f???F??B??VgBF?R?VWF??rv?F?F??2v??????C????r6?2F?V?FW'7F?BV6?W'6??( ?26???V7F???2F?6??BF?V?"&V?F???6??2F??F?W'2v?F???F?R6?6???V??G???3B?f??V?R0??F?R$?5T5D?dR$T?@???6??w?gFW&??????fV''V'??6?G?&V6?W2f?"?W"?B?BFVfV?G2F?f6V&????66?????26?6V??VB?B?W"V?v?B?V"???B6????6?6????2B???R????rf?FV?v?W2?6?R6VW2?7Bg&???W"g&?V?B??6?F?B6?R?W7B6?v?VBW?W"6???'&???f?"6??'&???B?6?6??&RF?R6?RvR?BF?W?vWB???rw&VB?F?W?v?V?B?fRv??FW&gV?F??RB6?F?vWF?W"??wwr?6???FW"?6????3P??