Camp Hi-Ho is a 30-year-old family-owned day camp in Louisville, Kentucky. In addition to 8 summer sessions attended by up to 300 5-to-13-year old campers per week, the camp hosts private off-season events such as birthday parties, corporate outings, Oaks and Derby Day camp, family reunions, and Thunder Day, a day camp for children on the autism spectrum.
Blaine Lawrence grew up around Camp Hi-Ho and has been directing the camp since 2008.
The Path to a Modern System
Like many other camps, Camp Hi-Ho’s first online presence was a homemade PHP system that handled online camp registration, but provided no management tools for administration. Reporting was time-consuming and reliable results were nearly impossible to obtain.Camp Hi-Ho’s administrative and report structure was “an organizational mess.”
Focus on Reporting
In 2010, Blaine’s search for new camp management software focused on reporting capabilities that could handle the 20-30 different reports he runs with different filters of people. He chose ACTIVE Network on that basis, along with ACTIVE’s great customer service, competitive pricing, and a database infrastructure designed specifically for camps.
Powerful Analytics
Even with his high expectation for the reporting feature, Blaine was surprised by the power of the database infrastructure.
“It’s incredible. I love how you can customize reports with just the data you need and none that you don’t. Being able to extract exactly what you want is a huge timesaver.”
Massive Timesavers
- Reporting − The once-manual listing of counselor groups per session (Blaine’s favorite report) can now be done in minutes, not hours. He can easily pull reliable camper data such as name, contact information, allergies/meds, and individual activity schedules for each counselor, for each session.
- Built-in email tools − Preloaded registration and payment confirmation emails not only save time but also add more value to his brand than he expected.
- Easy camp set-up − It's quick and easy and literally takes minutes. Adding off-season special events has been a breeze, as well.
“Mass email was my only choice with my old system. Everybody had to get every email. Targeted email wasn't on my list of important features, but it has turned out to be incredibly valuable.”
Poised for Growth
Being able to access and understand the camp’s data has contributed to the increase in registrations Camp Hi-Ho has enjoyed since adopting an ACTIVENetwork solution. Weeks before the2013 season started, they were only 200 registrations shy of filling all available slots.
“That’s unheard of. Now we’re considering how to grow and fulfill that demand, which is a wonderful position to be in.”
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