NEXT DOORS {ahead of the curve}
SUMMER CAMPS ARE FUN AND BIG BUSINESS FOR NONPROFITS Tom Evans | Contributing Editor
Ah, summer in Arizona. For many, this means…leaving Arizona. But for those who are unfortunate enough to have to stick around and also have children, it means finding something for those children to do while we go to work. It used to be that kids just hung out all summer, or played in the neighborhood, or maybe joined a club. Or maybe they went off to a sleepaway camp every now and then. But nowadays, the options are almost limitless.
“Our mission and vision include more than just the adoption of cats and dogs. We want to engage the community and create a joy and love of pets,” said Michelle Ramos, community engagement manager for the Arizona Humane Society, which provides summer camps for children from ages 9 to 17. “We’re teaching children at a young age about how to care for pets at these camps. And besides being a revenue source, camps are something that drives visibility for us. We want kids to be advocates for animals.”
This is because the nonprofit community is smart. They realized at some point that by offering camps for kids, they not only could create a new revenue stream, they could start to engage with future donors and volunteers at a very young age, while doing their parents a solid that also increased engagement.
Over at the Desert Botanical Garden, the organization’s summer camps completely sold out well before they started, providing children with a chance to bond with nature instead of bonding with their PlayStation 4 for the summer.
Parents now have choices ranging from theater camp to museum camp to science camp to zoo camp — with nonprofits providing experiences for children that help shape their development while building an affinity for their organizations.
“They help us push our mission forward,” said Tina Wilson, director of education for the Garden. “One of the audiences we want to engage with is families with young children. We want to help them develop and cultivate a passion for the Southwest. Camps
6 FRONTDOORS MEDIA | JUNE 2018
