Below is the video transcript:

Today, I want to talk to you a little bit about investing in people and talk just through some simple things that you can do this fall to invest in those volunteers and donors and other people that are really important to your camp. But first I want to say I hope you had a great summer, whether you ran camp as you normally would, or you pivoted into another program, or weren't able to run camp at all, I hope that it was the best possible outcome that you could have had. I hope that you had a good summer. I hope that you were able to take some time and stay healthy and make the most out of it for you and your family as well.

LET'S TALK ABOUT PEOPLE

Camp needs people! People are so important to everything we do, not only the campers and their families, but our board members, our volunteers, our donors, community leaders, our neighbors, people all around us. We need to make sure to take time to invest in them. And in the fall it’s really easy to get caught up in evaluations, cleanup and starting to plan and work already towards or next summer, and those are important things, and we need to do those things, but this is also a great time of year to invest in those folks that help make camp operate, help make camp go, and make camp successful.

And today we're just going to go through a few simple little ideas you can do to help you get that time to get that done.

Meet with Board Members and Key Volunteers

So let’s Start talking about some board and key volunteers. I would encourage you this fall to just set up a schedule. Go through your board list and volunteer list and set up 30 to 60 minute meetings. If people can come up to camp, they’d love to see camp in the fall. If they can't, go visit them at their office. We want to be able to take the time to talk to them and see how they are doing and sit down and listen to their story, and how camp affected their lives, their ideas and their thoughts. Those are important times for us to make them feel good, help them feel reconnected to camp in some way. 

Send Handwritten Notes to Volunteers

Those volunteers who really stepped up this summer, we want to be able to send handwritten notes to them or give them a phone call and just let them know how much you appreciate them.  Take 10 minutes out of your day and just give them a call and say hey I’m thinking about you today.,.you’re important to me. Thank you for all you do for camp. 

Plan for End of Summer Get Together

Plan for fall or an end-of-summer get together. If you can do it safely together in person, do it, if not do it virtually but just a thank-you ice cream social, get together at some restaurant, have appetizers. Let people know that you appreciate them and you appreciate everything they do. Listen to their camp stories, talk about camp, life, their kids. Just listen to them.

Invite Key Stakeholders to Camp or Your Home

Invite key stakeholders to come to your home for dinner or invite them to camp for dinner if that makes you more comfortable. Sit down with them and spend some real time develop relationships. 

Send of End of Summer Thank You Note

If it’s not too late to have campers help you write those (if you have access to campers that can write a bunch of thank you notes) do it. Otherwise, just a note from yourself to your donors letting them know that summer is wrapped up in that you really appreciate all they've done for you and that you're thinking of them. Handwritten notes and thank you’s go a long way.

Reach out to the Community

Schools

I also want to talk a little bit about reaching out to your local schools. This is a great time of year to reach out to schools. Go to your school leadership and say “hey we're here how can we help you. How can camp support you?” Is there a way you can volunteer for your school and build relationships with them? 

Law Enforcement and Rescue

Reach out to local law enforcement. To fire folks and the rescue people in your community. Send them a note or even better stop by and visit with them. Let them know that summer is over and you’re moving in your fall. Thank them for everything they do for the community. Let them know what’s going on at camp. And just get them to get to know you. And listen to them and talk to them.

Local Leadership

Reach out to your local government leadership and spend a little bit of time talking to them as well. 

Neighbors

Come thanksgiving, reach out to your neighbors and road crews. The people that serve camps roads and keep you clear for the winter, or have been all summer. Stop by at neighbors houses. Drop off a loaf of bread or some homemade cookies or some gift of some kind and say “Hey we appreciate all you do for camp and we appreciate you being a good neighbor and we appreciate you keeping your roads open.”

We need people for camp to be successful. We need to invest in those people and let them know we care. And fall is a great time a year to do that. To reflect on your summer, and to look forward to next, but also to take time and say thank you to those who really deserve it. We need people to help build connections and we need people to support us for every facet of camp. Reach out, say thank you...get to know them. It will service you and your camp and it will serve them well.

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If there’s anything we can do at the Sherry Group, feel free to reach out. You can contact at our facebook page, our website or each of us individually. Thank you!