LEADERSHIP I
Young Life Camp Promotion
A Year-Long Strategy
We have found if we pray a lot and plan ahead, it really
pays off and lots of kids go to camp. Our first strategy
is to raise money a year ahead of time and put it in our
campership fund so we can lower the price of camp.
This is one of the best things our committee can do to
support our volunteer leaders. If the price is attractive,
it is much easier to talk kids into it.
The next thing we do is take good video of our kids at
camp this year so we can use it as a promo video for
the following year. This starts the club year with a lot
of energy. At our first club in September, we show our
video of summer camp. The kids who went to camp
are very excited to be in the video, and the friends they
bring can’t wait to go to camp next summer. So our
camp promo for the next summer starts at the first club
in the fall.
Then in October we start preparing our leaders for
camp. We ask them to plan their summer around our
camp dates and pray together about doing contact work
around specific groups of kids. Many times we assign
leaders to different classes.
In November we print out our camp flyers and promote
a camp sign up night. We have raised enough money to
offer $100 off for the first 25 kids who turn in a deposit.
This is only good for first-timers and for outreach
camp. The other kids are already hooked, so we get
them to help us get their friends signed up. Last year
we had kids camping out early to get in line to sign up
for camp so they would get the coupons for $100 off.
Just for fun, I brought a BBQ and cooked hot dogs for
the early kids. That night we got 40 kids to sign up with
a deposit in November!! This gets the ball rolling.
After Christmas we start planning fundraisers so
kids can raise the whole camp fee if needed. The
more kids participate in the fundraisers, the more
ownership they have and the more they start building
relationships with leaders and other students. We plan
the fundraisers at strategic times to build momentum.
Our best fundraisers have been selling Sees candy at
Christmas and Easter, a work day in April, a bowl-athon in May, a car wash with pre-sold tickets in June,
and flamingo-ing in the summer! Leaders have to be
encouraging and doing these fundraisers with the kids
to make them work.
In March, we do a whole month of camp promotion
at club, complete with a walk-on about Woodleaf and
raffles for money off camp. At the end of March our
early bird price goes up, so we make a big push to get
more kids to get their registrations in.
Then we continue to build our group around the
kids we already have by talking to parents and
fundraising like crazy. By midsummer we need to
ask for more spots!!
Summer:
1. Pray and plan.
2. Raise money so you can reduce the price. This
will save you time and energy all year long.
3. If you can price camp at $299, kids will sign up
quickly. (This will mean that you will have to
raise a lot of money.)
4. $399 is still a good price (you will still have to
raise a lot of money).
5. Use an early bird special: $50 cheaper if you
sign up by March 1.
Sept.
1. Pray and plan.
2. At your first club, show a video of last
summer’s camp.
3. It works the best if you can show your own
kids at camp.
Oct.
1. Pray and plan.
2. Plan and strategize as a leadership team:
➢ Focus camp recruitment on leaders going to
camp and leaders that are able to follow up.
➢ Assign leaders to grade levels or groups (be
flexible as the Spirit leads).
➢ Intentionally do contact work with a
certain group.
➢ Leaders need to plan their own summer
around camp.
Nov.
1. Pray and plan.
2. In early November, make up your summer
camp flyers.
Young Life Camp Promotion: A Year-Long Strategy
LEADERSHIP I
3. Offer $100 coupons to the first 10 kids who
sign up and are first-timers.
4. Do a couple camp promos in club:
➢ Have a few kids who went last summer share
how it was the best week of their lives.
➢ Do a camp survey.
➢ Do skits that promote camp, like Little Nemo.
➢ Videos are always good.
➢ Promote a raffle to be held in Dec. Anyone
signed up for camp is in a raffle for $100
off camp.
Dec.
1. Pray and plan.
2. Hold the raffle.
3. Encourage kids to ask for camp for Christmas.
Jan.
1. Pray and plan.
2. Plan three fundraisers for the spring so kids
can earn their way to camp.
3. At every fundraiser you will get more kids
signed up for camp because they participated.
4. Suggestions:
➢ Car wash (pre-sell tickets)
➢ Traveling car wash
➢ Bowl-a-thon (or any a-thon)
➢ Yard work/housework (see if committee
folks need work done)
➢ Krispy Kreme doughnuts
➢ Candy sales
➢ Goat or chicken joke
➢ Flamingo houses
➢ Spaghetti feed and kid auction
➢ Offer parents’ day out on Sat. at a church;
offer childcare.
➢ Be creative!!!
5. Plan the fundraisers at times that will give you
momentum:
➢ Possibly Nov. before your raffle.
➢ Definitely in Feb. before your big camp
promo month.
➢ Then one or two more in March, April,
and May.
Feb.
1. Pray and plan.
2. Make this month your biggest camp promotion
month at club.
3. It is the month before your early bird
special expires.
4. This will also boost your numbers for club in
the spring.
5. Do a walk-on about camp (Woodleaf Willie).
6. Make a giant poster of a bus and put names in
the seats as kids sign up.
7. Do a monthly club contest with points and
teams to see which team can bring the
most kids to club. (e.g., Sampsonites vs.
Stunkelberries OR Fultonaters vs. Thrallstars)
8. The last night of your contest could be a
pajamarama, where everyone wears PJs and
the losing team gets a pie in the face.
Mar.
1. Pray and plan.
2. Plan some camp promo nights outside of club
to particular groups that don’t go to club.
3. Ask Christian kids in certain groups to help you.
4. Get a coach to help you show a video to a team.
5. Do a kidnap breakfast and then show the video
(plan with parents).
6. Get someone to donate $1000 and offer camp
to a group of five kids at $200 off if they all go.
7. Talk to a couple of kids who are going and
have them invite a few friends over after school
for munchies and show a camp video.
April
1. Pray and plan.
2. As a leadership team, look over your club list and
see who is not signed up and ask kids personally.
3. Go to their houses and get their registrations.
4. Talk to parents.
May and June
1. Pray and plan.
2. Ask for more spots!!!
Young Life Camp Promotion: A Year-Long Strategy