In this episode, Carl shares a practical marketing tip on turning past guests into your next booking engine—one of the fastest, most cost-effective ways to increase occupancy without chasing entirely new leads. By segmenting your audience and sending timely, relevant follow-up emails, camps can unlock a major source of repeat business that often goes underused.

Then Mark interviews Bob Briscoe, Executive Director of Williamsburg Christian Retreat Center, brings a long-term perspective shaped by decades in camping—from his early experiences as a camper and trail guide to leading the organization through seasons of change. That background informs how he approaches leadership, balancing mission, relationships, and financial sustainability.

The conversation walks through how the camp moved from inconsistent, “spiky” bookings to steady growth. Faced with unpredictable revenue and underperforming programs, Bob and his team made key decisions to simplify their offerings, focus on profitable guest groups, and invest in improving their marketing visibility. The result was fewer gaps, stronger midweek bookings, and significant growth in room nights—including doubling occupancy in one of their primary lodging facilities.

This episode highlights what actually drives sustainable growth: clear decisions about what to stop doing, systems that support consistent marketing, and the willingness to seek outside help when internal capacity runs thin.

Keywords
camp growth, retreat center marketing, camp occupancy, guest group strategy, camp revenue growth, digital marketing for camps, camp leadership, camp operations, retreat booking consistency

Sound Bites

• “Our bookings were spiky… full weekends and then crickets.”
• “The big change was answering the phone because it was ringing.”
• “You can’t afford the person you need—so get the right help another way.”
• “Be open to asking for help and being teachable.”

Hosts

Mark P. Fisher, Inspiring Growth
Carl Lefever, Improve & Grow

Guest

Bob Briscoe, Williamsburg Christian Retreat Center

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Podcast Format
00:05 Marketing Strategies for Camps
03:00 Bob Briscoe's Journey in Camp Leadership
06:05 Understanding Williamsburg Christian Retreat Center
09:12 Challenges and Changes in Camp Operations
12:14 Navigating Program Adjustments and Guest Groups
16:51 Innovative Retreat Solutions
17:58 Recognizing the Need for External Help
19:23 Evaluating Marketing Partnerships
22:15 Navigating Budget Approvals
24:20 Implementing Changes Post-COVID
26:37 Tracking Revenue Growth
28:24 Creative Strategies During Challenges
29:24 Future Growth Focus
31:07 Encouragement for Stuck Camp Directors
35:33 Personal Insights on Marriage Growth

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In this episode, Mark shares a practical tip on using virtual tours to help camps close more bookings by making it easier for planners to visualize and sell the experience internally.

Then Carl and Mark sit down with Dusty Ledbetter, Digital Outreach Manager at Camp Cho-Yeh, to unpack a different approach to summer camp marketing—one focused less on driving traffic and more on converting interest into action.

Dusty explains how his team built a system to capture leads, follow up quickly, and guide families through the decision process. Instead of relying on parents to register on their own, Camp Cho-Yeh uses targeted offers, structured landing pages, and a trained sales team to turn inquiries into conversations—and conversations into registrations.

The result: 300+ new camper registrations from paid campaigns, with significantly higher conversion rates than traditional camp marketing funnels.

This episode breaks down the full system—from Meta ads and messaging strategy to sales calls, follow-up processes, and lifetime value math. If your camp is generating interest but struggling to convert it into registrations, this provides a practical model to close that gap.

camp marketing, summer camp registration, lead generation, camp growth, Meta ads, Facebook ads, sales systems, conversion strategy, camp revenue, digital marketing for camps

• “The ad’s job isn’t to sell—it’s to stop the scroll and get the click.”
• “70% of the conversion happens after the click.”
• “About 88% of our qualified leads now turn into registrations.”

Mark P. Fisher, Inspiring Growth
Carl Lefever, Improve & Grow

Dusty Ledbetter, Camp Cho-Yeh

00:00 Introduction
02:00 Camp Marketing Tip: Virtual Tours That Close Deals
05:30 Dusty’s Camp Story and Background
10:00 The Problem with Traditional Camp Marketing Funnels
14:30 Why Traffic Alone Doesn’t Drive Registrations
18:00 Building a Lead Capture System for Summer Camp
22:00 The Role of Sales Calls in Camp Enrollment
27:00 Landing Page Strategy and Lead Offers
33:00 Meta Ads: Messaging, Creative, and Targeting
40:00 Lead Follow-Up Systems That Convert
44:00 Understanding Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
48:00 Lifetime Value (LTV) and Smarter Budgeting
52:00 Scaling Growth Through Testing and Iteration

Camp Cho-Yeh >

Summer Camp Landing Page >

Facebook Ad Library >

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In this episode, Carl shares a camp marketing tip on how answering unasked questions on your website can dramatically increase retreat inquiries. Then Mark sits down with John Schwieterman, Executive Director of Cross Oaks Camp and Retreat Center, to unpack how he transformed a struggling camp into a rapidly growing operation.

John shares the real story behind that growth—from cold calling hundreds of churches with limited results to implementing a system that now generates consistent inbound leads and an 88% close rate. They walk through the practical changes that made the difference, including website improvements, digital marketing strategy, and the leadership shift required to stop doing everything alone.

You’ll hear what actually worked, what didn’t, and how to think about growth as both an operational and strategic challenge. If you’re trying to fill more beds, increase bookings, or move your camp out of survival mode, this episode gives you a clear, real-world example of what that path can look like.

camp growth, retreat bookings, camp marketing, lead generation, website optimization, digital marketing, camp leadership, nonprofit growth, camp revenue, guest groups

• Why most camp websites fail to convert inquiries
• The shift from cold outreach to inbound lead generation
• Website structure and FAQ strategy for better conversions
• Using Google Ads and SEO to drive qualified leads
• Improving close rates with better lead quality
• The operational challenges that come with growth
• Leadership mindset: when and how to ask for help
• Measuring ROI on marketing investments

Mark P. Fisher, Inspiring Growth
Carl Lefever, Improve & Grow

John Schwieterman, Executive Director
Cross Oaks Camp and Retreat Center

00:00 Introduction and Episode Overview
02:00 Camp Marketing Tip: Answering Unasked Questions
05:08 John’s Camp Story and Background
08:48 Challenges Facing Camp Growth
12:45 Early Growth Efforts and Cold Calling Strategy
18:48 Realizing the Need for Help
21:16 Investing in Marketing and Systems
23:24 Website and Lead Generation Transformation
27:46 Results: Higher Close Rates and Revenue Growth
30:29 The Operational Reality of Growth
31:54 Leadership Lessons and Asking for Help
33:08 Advice for Executive Directors
35:03 Understanding Marketing ROI
39:26 Time Management and Scaling Leadership

Cross Oaks Camp and Retreat Center >
Google for Nonprofits >
Grow Your Camp Podcast >

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