Paul Berliner CampMinder

One idea sparks another, and then another, until everyone in the room more or less agrees on how we should move forward. This was back in January, 2012. By July, this exchange of ideas is materializing into some of the most significant advances in CampMinder’ s history.

Whether it’ s alumni management, webbased forms, staff recruitment, or health center operations, many of the systems within CampMinder were born out of discussions at CampMinder Camp. One session that drives much of this brainstorming is called“ The Road Ahead.” As the name implies, the focus of this session is to visualize the future: how will camps take full advantage of the Internet in our increasingly digital society?

For me, these brainstorming sessions make CampMinder Camp stand out as the most innovative gathering of camp professionals out there. At the first

WANT IN? The next CampMinder Camp will be held January 31 & February 1, 2013 at The Boulderado, in Boulder, Colo. Contact Director of Client Relations Lauren Swisher to learn more and reserve your space. You can reach her at 303 444-2267, ext. 104 or at lauren @ campminder. com. Attendance is free for current CampMinder clients.

CampMinder Camp in 2009, 30 local camp directors gathered in North Carolina to collaborate on the future of technology in camping. The conference consisted exclusively of brainstorming sessions and a keynote presentation. Four years and many suggestions later, the conference has matured into an annual convergence of progressive summer camp operators nationwide. In 2012, 150 camp professionals attended and registration filled in just under five weeks. Given the anticipation and high expectations for the event, our team spent many late nights shuffling the schedule around to deliver the most value to each“ camper.”

Camper Divisions

While studying the

list of attendees, it

became clear that

campers naturally

fell into one of three

divisions based on

their varying levels

of experience with

CampMinder:

1. juniors noun \ jün-yers \: In most cases, a Junior’ s camp has

just started with CampMinder, and there is a lot to learn. For

the novice user, we created the New Camp Track – a series of

training sessions that demonstrate the basics of each application.

2. inters noun \ in-ters \: This person is familiar with

CampMinder but wants to get more out of the system. He often

feels like there are opportunities to gain further benefit from his

relationship with CampMinder.

3. seniors noun \ sē-nyers \: A senior has been with

CampMinder for many years or is someone with an advanced

understanding of information management. Seniors are our

collaborative innovators who are passionate about shaping the

camp industry’ s future.

Our goal for CampMinder Camp 4 was to ensure that every camper would have the most valuable experience relative to his or her skill level. We began developing the 2012 program by creating the New Camp Track, then we put together sessions geared towards Inters and Seniors. This format proved to be a huge success and will continue into the future.

For Juniors, the New Camp Track starts with a New Camp Orientation, followed by introductory classes on Reporting & Communication, Forms, Health Center Management, Financial, Accounts, and Scheduling.

Even though we designed the New Camp Track primarily for those just getting started with CampMinder, all campers are free to attend any session of their choice. Many directors who have been using CampMinder for years, but are not taking advantage of the entire system, attend these 101 sessions to see how CampMinder might improve other areas of their camp’ s businesses. By design, a camper following the New Camp Track should leave CampMinder Camp with a detailed knowledge of specific CampMinder applications and a global understanding of the scope of the platform.

In effect, the New Camp Track provides a long-term vision for how each camp can“ grow into” CampMinder over time.

Inter campers have mastered the basics and are looking for new efficiencies.

Some of the sessions tailored towards Inter campers include: transportation trainings, efficient forms collection, and advanced reporting. There are also a slew of sessions that focus on broader technology topics such as social media, elegant website design, and dealing with parents who are not tech-savvy.

We want every Inter camper to leave Boulder with a specific plan to improve the management processes of at least one area of camp administration. Is there an opportunity to implement the camp store cash register? Should I be using CampMinder’ s scheduling system to automate elective assignments based on camper preferences? Should we offer bar-coded, fax-back forms to obtain hard-copy signatures digitally? These are the types of questions we expect Inters to ask themselves as they return home.

Senior campers, we expect, will spend most of their day in high-level brainstorming sessions. In the past, these sessions have led to the creation of the Health Center Management System, Resident and Day Camp Transportation Systems, web-based forms, and an ultra-efficient staff recruitment process. In 2012, we focused on the Financial System, Bunking, mobile application development and other topics. We also hosted a three-hour, mega-brainstorming“ Road Ahead” session.

Over the life of CampMinder Camp, we’ ve heard hundreds of voices offering countless ideas. Our job is to constantly listen, logically plan, and boldly move forward.

CampMinder Camp is about bringing together camp professionals intent on improving their businesses. A palpable creative energy surrounds the two-day event as attendees are introduced to likeminded

professionals whose paths they otherwise might not cross. After all, this is the only event focused exclusively on technological solutions to challenges shared across the summer camp industry.

So, should you go to CampMinder Camp?

CampMinder Camp

January 31 & February 1, 2013

Boulder, Colorado

Paul Berliner is the Chief Operating Officer at Camp- Minder. Paul is originally from Washington DC but has lived in Boulder, Colo., since 2003. He attended Camp Saginaw for 10 summers. Outside of the office, Paul can be seen skiing, biking, camping, and playing music in the Rocky Mountains.

Paul Berliner paul @ campminder. com