Monthly To-Do List for Family Camp Circle

January

• Identify potential Family Camp directors or co-directors and advisors. Contact them to check if they are interested and available. If no Family Camp director can be identified by the end of January, the issue will have to be discussed with the Operations Team and the Council to determine if we still should apply for Camp Shehaqua with the park rangers.
• In 2017, the PA State Park rangers added this requirement: “The camp must be under the immediate direction of a trained camp director, a person of mature judgement and at least 25 years of age.” If the weekend program director is younger than 25, make a plan to find an adult who can be at camp as a codirector, to represent the program leadership with the rangers.

• Decide dates for weeks and weekend program and let the Pocono Family Ministry secretary know (as of April 2018, the position is held by Kyra Moyer). The application has to be signed and submitted to the Hickory Run State Park by the secretary of Pocono Family Ministry.

• Submit a budget. Financial circle usually sends out a reminder. (From our guidebook: "Each circle puts together an itemized budget request for their estimated yearly expenses by February 1 and sends it to the Financial Circle.")

• Discuss progress of search for cooks

• Discuss the production of the t-shirt

• Discuss results from action steps of last meeting

February

• Match camp directors/codirectors with advisors. Advisor's could be former camp directors willing to support a new camp director. The advisor's don't need to be on the Family Camp Circle calls, but they should be available to the directors and check in with the directors periodically on how they are doing.

• Decide who can be liaison between Family Camp Circle and program director for each program. The liaison should be a member of the Family Camp Circle who will be on all calls to give monthly updates on how that program is doing.
• Encourage camp directors to start recruiting key staff positions, such as chef/cook, move in/move out coordinator, general affairs, etc. Support where needed.

• Make sure camp staff is balanced between generations to avoid having one week with primarily small kids and another with primarily older kids. Weeks that have a lot of young families will struggle to fill the necessary volunteer assignments. Mixed camps work best for everyone.

• Camp Directors should recruit appropriate education director(s), possibly with suggestions from Family Camp Circle.

• Discuss results from action steps of last meeting

March

• Continue to encourage camp directors to start recruiting key staff positions, such as cook, move in/move out coordinator, general affairs, etc. Support where needed.

• Coordinate with registrar and webmaster about registration

• Coordinate with newsletter editor to announce Family Camp registration. Save the date announcement usually goes out in early March, and registration opens at the end of March or early April. (It opened April 2 in 2017.)

• Discuss progress of search for cooks, move in/move out director, and other important staff positions

• Decide on a date to go over Shehaqua policies with camp directors (use Guidebook/Wiki). Policies that program directors need to read and understand:
  • Pennsylvania State Park Regulations
  • General Shehaqua Program Policies
  • Financial Policies
  • Administrative Discounts
  • Shehaqua Code of Conduct
  • Staff and Volunteer Assignment descriptions
  • Shehaqua Data Privacy

• Discuss results from action steps of last meeting

April

• Work with social media coordinator to create a Facebook Event page
• Encourage camp directors and staff to make presentations at Sunday Services, etc. in local communities
• If program has an advisor, ask advisors for report on how their camp directors are doing. Advisors are not necessarily part of the Family Camp Circle, so someone will have to contact them before the meeting (maybe the liaison to that program).
• Discuss survey/reflection form. Will the Family Camp Circle provide a survey that both Weeks can use? Who can create it/update last year’s survey forms?
• Help directors to familiarize themselves with our registration system and start assigning volunteer roles on that document
• Discuss results from action steps of last meeting

May

• Coordinate with newsletter editor and social media coordinator to remind people of early bird deadline (May 31)
• Inform registrar by May 24 at the very latest about staff members who are entitled to administrative discounts.
• Remind camp directors that all staff members (including the camp director himself) who are entitled to administrative discounts register by May 24, one week before the early bird deadline (May 31 for Family Camp) so the registrar can make the adjustments in time. This is especially important for reduced fees, so the payments can be made in time. If they don't register by that date, they will not receive the full administrative discount. Also, don't forget to inform/remind the move-in/move-out director and assistant, as well.
• Work with social media coordinator to create a Facebook Event page
• Check that Operations Team is on top of the ordering of the t-shirts, mugs, and candles for the candlelight prayer
• Hold second conference call with directors, discuss among other things transitions of leadership between programs, move-in and move-out details, etc.
• Encourage camp directors and staff to make presentations at Sunday Services, etc. in local communities
• Ensure that camp directors are aware of deadlines to submit documents that need to be printed by registrar
• If program has an advisor, ask advisors for report on how their camp directors are doing. Advisors are not necessarily part of the Family Camp Circle, so someone will have to contact them before the meeting (maybe the liaison to that program).
• Discuss results from action steps of last meeting

June

• Coordinate with newsletter editor and social media coordinator to remind people of regular fee deadline (June 30)
• Encourage camp directors and staff to make presentations at Sunday Services, etc. in local communities
• Ensure that camp directors are aware which documents they or their education director will need to be print for camp: Daily schedule, kitchen serving and cleanup schedule, education materials, HDK materials, reflection forms, group leader manual
• Make sure the camp directors are aware that they need to buy the notebooks and pens for the education sessions as well as the writing of reflections
• Make sure the camp directors are aware that they need to buy supplies such as markers and pens
• Make sure someone orders the candles for the candlelight prayer
• Make sure someone picks up the t-shirts and mugs

July

• Discuss results from action steps of last meeting
• Discuss last minute issues regarding the upcoming programs

August

• Before the August call, ask all program directors to submit a report about their program. At the meeting, discuss reports. What can we learn? How can we provide feedback and guidance to the directors? Maybe set up another director's call?
• Request reports from camp directors, education directors, and possibly other key positions such as general affairs manager, kitchen chef, cleanup coordinator, registrar, move in/move out coordinator, etc.
• What can the Family Camp Circle do to improve next year’s programs?
• Identify potential Family Camp directors or co-directors and advisors for next year. Contact them to check if they are interested and available.
• Discuss results from action steps of last meeting

September

• Identify potential Family Camp directors or co-directors and advisors. Contact them to check if they are interested and available.
• Evaluate reports from camp directors, education directors, and other key positions. Suggest changes to policies, practices, volunteer job descriptions, Guidebook checklists etc. if needed to Operations Team and/or Council
• Discuss results from action steps of last meeting
• Election for circle positions for one year (facilitator, administrator, scribe)

October

• Identify potential Family Camp directors or co-directors and advisors. Contact them to check if they are interested and available.
• Discuss results from action steps of last meeting
• Determine the signup process/applications for new camp directors. Should they apply through the online form? Will it have to be updated? If not, how can we get them to make a solid commitment?
• Election for circle positions for one year (facilitator, administrator, scribe), if you haven't done so already in the previous meeting

November

• Identify potential Family Camp directors or co-directors and advisors. Contact them to check if they are interested and available.
• Discuss result from action steps of last meeting

December

• Identify potential Family Camp directors or co-directors and advisors. Contact them to check if they are interested and available.
• Discuss results from action steps of last meeting

This list was last updated October 15, 2018, by Claude