Yesterday I wrote a blog post about how to increase camper retention by hosting a “Camper Appreciation Day” at the conclusion of camp. As long as we’re on the subject of marketing when camp’s not in session, here’s another way for you to get noticed in your community while helping others and get some good marketing exposure too: Host a food drive at your camp in the fall.
Encourage camp families to bring canned foods and other non-perishables to your facility for distribution to your community food pantry or soup kitchen. You can reward campers who contribute something to the food drive with a free t-shirt, hat, water bottle, or something else from your camp store that won’t cost you too much money but has high perceived value to campers. To really max-out your marketing exposure, hold your food drive between Halloween and Thanksgiving and tell the local media who might pick up the story and get your camp in the news.