{"podcast":{"title":"Grow Your Camp","slug":"grow-your-camp-7692382","podcast_index_feed_id":7692382,"rss_url":"https://api.riverside.fm/hosting/idzX3ZjO.rss","website_url":"https://growyourcamppodcast.com/","image_url":"https://hosting-media.riverside.com/media/podcasts/a20bc04e-40b5-4e64-a5f2-67eda6997509/logos/77d4b576-d2d3-4be8-9782-7613ef8ab5a1.jpeg","author":"Mark P. Fisher & Carl Lefever","episode_count":17,"summary":"Welcome to the Grow Your Camp Podcast: 'Cause You Can't Minister to Empty Beds Where we share stories and systems to help camps grow. Hosts: Mark P. Fisher , of Inspiring Growth Carl Lefever , of Improve & Grow Overview: Most camp directors didn't sign up to be marketers. They signed up because they know what happens to a kid who spends a week away from everything — and they wanted to be part of it. But empty beds are a real problem, and figuring out how to fill them, fund the mission, and still lead well is work nobody really prepared you for. The Grow Your Camp Podcast exists for that director . Every episode opens with one tactic you can use this week — then goes deeper with a real camp leader who's already solved the problem you're sitting with. Real numbers. Real stories. The systems behind the growth. This is what it sounds like when the mission gets to grow. Key Themes: Filling the Calendar: Strategies and real-world examples of how retreat and camp leaders increase bookings and reduce seasonal gaps. Topics might include: lead generation systems, improving inquiry response times, pricing strategy, market positioning, capacity management, and off-season marketing approaches.…","last_synced_at":"2026-07-18T20:20:44.188986+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/grow-your-camp-7692382"},"episode":{"title":"EP 16 | What Happens When Referrals Aren't Enough?","slug":"ep-16-what-happens-when-referrals-aren-t-enough","published_at":"2026-07-11T20:58:34+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/grow-your-camp-7692382/ep-16-what-happens-when-referrals-aren-t-enough","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/grow-your-camp-7692382","url":"https://api.riverside.com/hosting-analytics/media/1fc5494915ec8ca90c7773e07815aff692362c58e49c79b534b3adb987610dc7/eyJlcGlzb2RlSWQiOiJlY2YzNTEzNC02ZDQ3LTQzNmEtODZlZC1mMzE2OGQzZjk4MzMiLCJwb2RjYXN0SWQiOiJhMjBiYzA0ZS00MGI1LTRlNjQtYTVmMi02N2VkYTY5OTc1MDkiLCJhY2NvdW50SWQiOiI2OTI0ZmUzZmQ5YTYwMzc4YTgzYjNmOWMiLCJwYXRoIjoibWVkaWEvY2xpcHMvNmE1MmE5YTMyZTlhNTg5ZDNmZWJlN2M4L2dyb3cteW91ci1jYW1wLXBvZGNhc3QtY29tcG9zZXItMjAyNi03LTExX18yMi0zNy01NS5tcDMifQ==.mp3","audio_url":"https://api.riverside.com/hosting-analytics/media/1fc5494915ec8ca90c7773e07815aff692362c58e49c79b534b3adb987610dc7/eyJlcGlzb2RlSWQiOiJlY2YzNTEzNC02ZDQ3LTQzNmEtODZlZC1mMzE2OGQzZjk4MzMiLCJwb2RjYXN0SWQiOiJhMjBiYzA0ZS00MGI1LTRlNjQtYTVmMi02N2VkYTY5OTc1MDkiLCJhY2NvdW50SWQiOiI2OTI0ZmUzZmQ5YTYwMzc4YTgzYjNmOWMiLCJwYXRoIjoibWVkaWEvY2xpcHMvNmE1MmE5YTMyZTlhNTg5ZDNmZWJlN2M4L2dyb3cteW91ci1jYW1wLXBvZGNhc3QtY29tcG9zZXItMjAyNi03LTExX18yMi0zNy01NS5tcDMifQ==.mp3","summary":"Many camps dream of growing their ministry, but sustainable growth rarely comes from a single campaign or one great season. It happens through consistent leadership, clear messaging, intentional systems, and a willingness to confront the obstacles holding a camp back. Mark opens the episode with a practical marketing tip on selling the problem before the program , explaining why camps should lead with the challenges their guests already feel, not simply the name or date of an event. When people recognize a problem they're trying to solve, they're far more likely to engage with your camp's solution. Dave Crouse, Executive Director of Angeles Crest Christian Camp, shares the remarkable story of taking over a camp that couldn't pay its electric bill and transforming it into a thriving ministry serving nearly 7,000 guests each year. Dave discusses the leadership decisions that changed the trajectory of the camp, including clarifying the camp's brand, improving its digital presence, embracing data-driven decision making, and investing consistently in both facilities and people. He also explains how sustained growth strengthened donor confidence, funded major capital improvements, and positioned the camp to pursue even bigger ministry opportunities, including a bold vision to serve 10,000 guests annually. Throughout the conversation, Dave reminds camp leaders that growth begins by honestly identifying the one or two obstacles preventing your camp from moving forward and intentionally building systems to overcome them. Keywords camp leadership, camp marketing, Christian camps, retreat center marketing, nonprofit marketing, camp growth, branding, digital marketing, donor development, guest group marketing, executive director, stewardship Sound Bites \"My first day on the job, I…","meta_description":"Many camps dream of growing their ministry, but sustainable growth rarely comes from a single campaign or one great season. It happens through consistent…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3116,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/grow-your-camp-7692382/episodes/ep-16-what-happens-when-referrals-aren-t-enough/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/grow-your-camp-7692382/ep-16-what-happens-when-referrals-aren-t-enough.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}