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Wed, Feb. 28-All Events Eastern Time

-2/28/2024

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Wednesday, February 28 -All Events Eastern Time

02/28/2024 12:00 PM
All events will be in Eastern time
Welcome and Opening Keynote

-2/28/2024

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Welcome & Opening Keynote

02/28/2024 12:00 PM

Melanie

Melanie Herman

Melanie Lockwood Herman, Esq. has served as Executive Director of the Nonprofit Risk Management Center since 1996 and has held senior management positions in the nonprofit sector since 1987. Melanie is the principal author of more than 20 books on various risk management topics; Melanie’s most recent book is World-Class Risk Management for Nonprofits. She is a fifteen-time member of The NonProfit Times “Power and Influence Top 50.” In one NPT announcement Melanie was described as “One of the most prolific writers and lecturers on the topic of nonprofit risk,” and “the architect of the risk plans of some of the nation’s largest’ nonprofits.” Melanie earned a BA in Urban Affairs from American University (Washington, DC), and a JD from George Mason University School of Law (Arlington, VA). She is a member of the District of Columbia Bar Association and currently serves on two national nonprofit boards (American Foundation for the Blind, and the National Human Services Assembly). She is the co-chair of the AFB Board. Her prior board service includes four years on the ACA Board and a two-year term on the board of a local summer theater camp.

Educational Session 1

-2/28/2024

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Educational Session 1

02/28/2024 1:09 PM
Creating Safe Camp Environments: Harassment Prevention, Policy, Training, and Investigations

-2/28/2024

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Creating Safe Camp Environments: Harassment Prevention, Policy, Training, and Investigations

02/28/2024 1:10 PM
Dive into a crucial session tailored for camp industry professionals, addressing the imperative aspects of harassment prevention, policy implementation, training strategies, and investigations. As our collective commitment to staff well-being grows, understanding and fortifying your organization against harassment is paramount. This session provides practical insights and tools for creating safe spaces, fostering positive camp cultures, and responding effectively to allegations.

Rachel Fendell Satinsky

Rachel Fendell Satinsky focuses on employment litigation and counseling, representing the camping and outdoor recreation industry. As a life-long camper, she has a unique insight and understanding necessary to provide guidance to camps and offers advice and counseling on issues that are tailored to a camp’s workforce including hiring and terminations, investigations, staff accommodations, harassment, and other matters related to discrimination and civil rights laws.

Fundraising - How to compete in a competitive marketplace!

-2/28/2024

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Fundraising - How to compete in a competitive marketplace!

02/28/2024 1:10 PM
More than ever before the fundraising sector is brutally competitive and resource shallow. Understanding the unique audiences, narratives and the best way to sell your programs is an ongoing and dynamic challenge. Moreover, as we look to the next generation of philanthropists, Camps need to prepare now for a new-norm in fund development. Camps have a competitive advantage that can be leveraged to change the dynamic to favor the bold (and those willing to invest). With costs increasing the philanthropic dollar is going to be of vital importance to stability (perhaps even survival). Discover how best to prepare, plan and execute a strong annual, capital and legacy programs. Moreover, contemplate how to best leverage your best self to ensure hero status!

David Phillips

David Phillips is Principal of Immersive1st, a firm specializing in fundraising, strategic planning and visioning, governance, program creation & implementation and acute organizational analysis. A life-long communal professional with a trademark British sense of humor, his passion is doing important things with good people that make a difference (and have fun while doing it!). He holds a MSW in Social Work with a focus on community organizing and development from the University of Pittsburgh.

Health, Wellness & Practices for Summer Camp Facilities, Staff & Campers

-2/28/2024

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Health, Wellness & Practices for Summer Camp Facilities, Staff & Campers

02/28/2024 1:10 PM

Health, Wellness & Practices for Summer Camp Facilities, Staff & Campers

Summer camp is big business, but at its core, it is the people who make it a memorable, healthy, and a life-changing experience together with those who attend.  This session will cover a few highlights from our master workshop retreat built specifically for summer camp leaders. Key takeaways will include actionable steps that will make the frequency, vibration, and energy levels of your camp improve in the best way.

This session wil be led by Allen King: Allen is the founder and CEO of FunJoin. After two decades of running huge summer camps in Los Angeles. When he could not find a modern day-camp software to fit the flexibility and mobile needs of his growing business he became inspired to create it himself. After 3 years of extensive development and rigorous real-world testing, he was grateful and motivated to share it. This aligns with his personal life mission to help as many people as possible.

Legal Questions Answered

-2/28/2024

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Legal Questions Answered

02/28/2024 1:10 PM
As we plan for each summer, camp professionals run into daily legal questions: Should we update our contracts with families? Should parents sign a waiver? What are our obligations when a camper or staff member asks for medical accommodations? What are best practices for hiring? The list goes on and on. This session provides an open forum to discuss your legal questions with Isaac Mamaysky, the founder/director of a large overnight camp and partner in Potomac Law Group, which has a practice team dedicated to the camp industry.

Isaac Mamaysky

Isaac Mamaysky is Partner in Potomac Law Group, where he started a practice team focused on the camp industry. He also operates a large ACA-accredited overnight camp in Wayne County, PA and is an officer of QuantStreet Capital, a portfolio management firm that offers financial advising services to camps, camp professionals, and endowments. By working at the intersection of camp, law, and finance, Isaac brings a unique perspective to helping camps with their legal needs.

Renting Your Camp For Weddings: For the skeptics among us

-2/28/2024

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Renting Your Camp For Weddings: For the skeptics among us

02/28/2024 1:10 PM
Getting into the "wedding business" can mean lots of different things for camp directors. This session will take a basic approach to evaluating whether wedding rentals might work for your facility and will describe a step-by-step approach for easily trying out the wedding market in order to bring in more revenue for your camp.

Nick Teich

Dr. Nick Teich is the founder and was the longtime director of Harbor Camps in NH. He is now and executive coach for camp directors, helping them save stress, time, and money. He currently runs two groups for ACA-New England: “The Business of Camp” and “Mental, emotional, and social health (MESH) Systems.” During his tenure at Harbor Camps, he oversaw the creation of 20+ new buildings.

Educational Session 2

-2/28/2024

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Educational Session 2

02/28/2024 2:09 PM
Building a Culture of Financial Literacy

-2/28/2024

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Building a Culture of Financial Literacy

02/28/2024 2:10 PM
Stretching your camp’s dollars grows mission and business no matter your model. How does company culture impact your bottom line? As Peter Drucker said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” So, significantly! Build a staff culture of financial literacy to positively and directly impact your budget. This approach strengthens your financial position by giving staff ownership over expenditures and revenue. Dive into a year-round model that builds a culture of fiscal responsibility and employee buy-in at all staffing levels.

Sterling Nell Leija

Sterling Nell Leija is the Innovative Camp Company CEO, advancing camps through innovative solutions by solving problems with a focus on mission, impact, quality, and safety.  Professionally engaged in camp for 20 years, Sterling is passionate about the impact of quality programs, equitable access, character development, and education in out-of-school space.  Her expertise in camp operations expands into capacity building, operational and capital budget management, and business development.  As a consultant, educator, speaker, and writer, Sterling has extensive experience as a presenter sharing best practices, research, and tools with industry leaders.

Building A Road Map: DIY Strategic Planning

-2/28/2024

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Building A Road Map: DIY Strategic Planning

02/28/2024 2:10 PM
In this interactive session, learn the essentials of crafting a comprehensive strategic planning outline tailored for your organization's annual board planning meeting. Explore the basics of strategic thinking, goal setting, and effective implementation strategies. Whether you're a seasoned executive director or new to the strategic planning process, discover practical tips and tools to facilitate a dynamic discussion that aligns your organization's vision with actionable steps for the years ahead.

Raina

Raina Baker started going to camp in 1983 and hasn't missed a summer since! With over 30 years in the industry as a professional she is now the executive director for Camp Beausite Northwest, a special needs nonprofit camp in Washington State. With a masters degree in Organizational Leadership in tow, she has become incredibly passionate about all things camp management, funds development, strategic planning, and operations. She lives just down the road from camp with her husband Mark, and several fur babies including two corgis named Gus & Franklin.

Camp Softwares Panel

-2/28/2024

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Camp Softwares Panel

02/28/2024 2:10 PM
Camp Softwares are a necessity for any operation, from registration, to database management, to internal operations and resource management. In this panel we have invited a variety of camp directors from a variety of camps across the country who have personal experience with multiple camp softwares. Lincoln, as host, will ask a series of questions about the panel's experiences with these softwares as well as the strengths and uniqueness’s these softwares provide. Come if you want a non-technical understanding of a variety of camp softwares. We are not experts, but we are customers and we’ve come to rely on this very specific part of our job. Come learn more together.

Host, Lincoln McLain, brings years of experience in YMCA camping and operational management at multiple YMCA Camps across the country. He is passionate about creating excellent programs that run well, build bridges in our community, and make the world a better place.

Panel Members - 

Ryan James, Executive Director at YMCA Camp Loma Mar.

Luke Gerke, Executive Director at YMCA Camp Manitou-Lin.

Sarah Keplinger,  Business Director at Westwind Stewardship Group.

Chris Maddy, Associate Executive Director at YMCA Camp Shady Brook.

Marketing Magnetism vs. Communications Charisma

-2/28/2024

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Marketing Magnetism vs. Communications Charisma

02/28/2024 2:10 PM
Marketing is not communications, and communications is not marketing. Communications is a function of marketing, but the two are not interchangeable. If you’re speechless right now, this session is for you. In short, marketing is education, promotion, the what, the why, and bringing a brand to life. Communications conveys a specific message, is the how, serves as a function of marketing, and its objective is customer engagement. You need them both. Discover the art (and science) of crafting compelling messaging, activating it, and gauging audience response. We’ll have large group and small group discussions on how to comprehend the nuances of both functions and gain actionable strategies to finish up your recruitment season strong and get ready for summer.

Laurie Ehrlich

Laurie Ehrlich founded Elevate Marketing Strategy in 2021. Utilizing two decades of expertise in digital strategy, content creation, and social media, she builds sustainable and measurable marketing programs for camps, independent schools, and nonprofit organizations. She is a results-driven and creative thinker skilled at building and innovating on ideas, programs, and teams, and is passionate about driving measurable results through key account marketing approaches to build awareness and brand loyalty. Laurie holds a M.B.A. from Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business in New York City and a B.S. from the University of Maryland, College Park.

What Does My Board Want From Me?

-2/28/2024

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What Does My Board Want From Me?

02/28/2024 2:10 PM
Join Emily to delve into the details of what your Board is looking for from your organization's staff and leadership. We'll cover areas of responsibility, the main duties of a board (and what isn't a duty of the board, just as important!), and ways to ensure that you are offering fulfilling, engaging board membership opportunities. There will also be time for Q&A.

Emily Golinsky

Emily Golinsky’s sessions get called “tremendously helpful,” “definitely not the same-old-same-old,” and “not to be missed–a reason to come to the conference!” Emily retired from a 15-year role as Executive Director at the therapeutically-based Camp Starfish (NH) to found Bright Moose, LLC (www.brightmoosetraining.com), which provides training, consultation, and PD for camps, schools and youth organizations nationwide. Emily is the VP for NHCamps and is a visitor, NCDW faculty, and facilitator for ACANE. She is a Special Education Advocate and MHFA Instructor, has a BS in Health Psychology, an MS in Camp Admin/Leadership, and is currently pursuing her Higher Ed Teaching Certificate through Harvard. Fair warning: she is an avid collector of terribly awesome puns. 

Educational Session 3

-2/28/2024

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Educational Session 3

02/28/2024 3:09 PM
Creating a Positive Organizational Culture through Intentional HR Practices

-2/28/2024

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Creating a Positive Organizational Culture through Intentional HR Practices

02/28/2024 3:10 PM
Creating a positive organizational culture starts before you've even met your staff. Now is the time to think about it! Come learn how to review your hiring, training, and supervising processes with a new lens based on a psychologist's observations over the last decade. Meaningful changes come from intentionally communicating with new and returning staff about our mission, values, and corresponding organizational structure.

Dr. Kelly Jones is a licensed clinical psychologist and Owner/Executive Director of Outpost Summer Camps in San Diego. Her primary business roles include staff interviewing, hiring, onboarding, training, and evaluation. She is passionate about creating a positive organizational culture - from the very first pre-hire interaction - in order to benefit staff and camp families.

Retirement Planning for Camp Professionals

-2/28/2024

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Retirement Planning for Camp Professionals

02/28/2024 3:10 PM
A camping career combines organizational, management, leadership, and mentorship skills with making a positive impact on the next generation. At the same time, by planning ahead, camping professionals can set themselves up for long-term financial success. However, many in this industry do not actively seek out financial planning advice on how to prepare for their retirement, whether it be years or decades away. Successful retirement planning involves answering three key questions: (1) How much money do you plan to spend once you retire? (2) How much in savings do you need to support your retirement spending for several decades? (3) How much should you save and how should you invest now to reach your retirement goals? Join Harry Mamaysky, a professor at Columbia Business School and a partner at QuantStreet Capital, for a discussion about retirement planning, saving, and investing that will provide a template for achieving a financially secure future. Participants will have plenty of opportunities to ask questions.

Harry Mamaysky

Dr. Harry Mamaysky is a partner at QuantStreet Capital, which offers its clients intelligent financial advice and investing services through separately managed accounts. Harry is also a Professor at Columbia Business School, where he is the Director of the Program for Financial Studies. Harry’s research focuses on the application of quantitative techniques to investing and financial planning. Harry is a frequent industry and academic speaker. Prior to his time at Columbia, Harry spent years in finance practice, rising to the position of senior portfolio manager at Citigroup, where he also served on the firm’s Risk Executive Committee. Harry was a professor at the Yale School of Management, which he joined after earning his PhD in Finance from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He holds BS and MS degrees in computer science and a BA in economics from Brown University.

Social Media: What? Where? When? Why? How?

-2/28/2024

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Social Media: What? Where? When? Why? How?

02/28/2024 3:10 PM
Let's get social! Discover what types of posts to use, where to post, when to post, why it matters, and how to maximize impact.

Carter Blend

Carter Blend is the Creative Director for Tic Tac Toe Marketing. With over 15 years of experience, he has worked with numerous camp executives and leadership teams all across the country in their marketing and creative efforts. Originally from North Dakota, he currently lives in Pennsylvania with his wife Kaitlyn, 10-month-old son Laken, and their 2 cats. Summer camp has played a big role in his life. He attended camp as a youth, worked at camp as a young adult, met his wife at camp, and now lives onsite at a camp where his wife serves as the Associate Director. He enjoys losing at board games, traveling with his family, playing guitar, and knowing way too much about pennies.

The Business of Camp Health Services: Foundational Activities for Safe and Supported Care

-2/28/2024

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The Business of Camp Health Services: Foundational Activities for Safe and Supported Care

02/28/2024 3:10 PM
Camps do amazing work around planning activities and and support services. However, health care services may not be included in these important planning discussions. The highest risk area on camp - health services - requires intentional conversation, procedures, and planning to offer high quality safe services. This session will outline foundational components of care that help to mitigate risk and promote wellness for all at camp.

Tracey Gaslin

A previous professor and dual certified nurse practitioner in pediatrics and adults. Tracey Gaslin completed her PhD in Educational and Organizational Leadership and taught for 10 years specializing in camp nursing, service leadership, physiology, and hematology. Dr. Gaslin periodically works as a camp consultant and legal consultant and publishes the majority of her work in the areas of bleeding disorders, pediatric development, camp nursing, behavioral health, and service leadership. She currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer for the Alliance for Camp Health and recently (2020) co-authored a textbook: Camp Nursing; The Basics and Beyond. Tracey is passionate about every child having a camp experience and learning that they can achieve great things in life.

Unleash the Fundraising Powerhouse: Engaging Your Nonprofit Board

-2/28/2024

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Unleash the Fundraising Powerhouse: Engaging Your Nonprofit Board

02/28/2024 3:10 PM
Your nonprofit board members are passionate about your mission, but are they equipped to be effective fundraising champions? This interactive workshop will equip your board with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to become active participants in securing the resources your organization needs to thrive.

Leigh Hersey

Leigh Nanney Hersey is an Associate Professor of Political Science and program coordinator for the MPA and Political Science programs at the University of Louisiana Monroe. Dr. Hersey’s teaching and research covers public and nonprofit administration, grant writing, civic engagement, and social media. She serves on several nonprofit boards of directors and currently is the Board President for the Children's Coalition for Northeast Louisiana. Dr. Hersey served on the City of Scottsdale (AZ) Parks and Recreation Commission, chairing the commission in 2004.

Collaboration Hub

-2/28/2024

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Collaboration Hub

02/28/2024 4:05 PM
Executive Level Day- Survey

-2/28/2024

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Executive Level Day- Survey

02/28/2024 4:30 PM