Your Camp App Account is created by clicking the Sign Up button on the top of our website and filling out the required fields. Once the Sign Up Form is submitted we will receive a notification and set up your account based on the information you have given us. Within 3 business days of your sign up you will receive an email with your account credentials and link to your Admin Panel.

Once your account is created you can sign in through the website to have access to the Camp App and all of our downloadable resources to include our Camp Activity Guides, our Camp Administration 101 educational handouts, forms, templates, and more. You can sign in from the website on a computer or any mobile device.

**NOTE: If you have a camp with multiple sites, it is recommended that the person that regularly communicates with the parents is the one who creates an account for that site. An organization can have as many accounts as you want to fit your needs without changing any pricing or app functionality. 

All the Camp App features will always be 100% FREE for the camp, if you choose it to be. Your account will always default to this option when your account is created until you tell us otherwise. The payment methods below are one or the other. All up to date pricing is listed on the app page on the website. Here is an outline on the App payment methods:

• Free for Camps (preferred method): The default setting for your Camp App account is the 100% Free version for camps. By using this version parents will pay a ONE TIME nominal account activation fee.
• As mentioned above this is a ONE TIME activation fee that parents pay. They can connect to your camp or any other camp using the App anytime moving forward without ever paying again.
  
  
• If a parent has already activated their account with another camp, they can join your camp on the app at no charge.
  
  
• You will not have to worry about how many participants you have on the app. As many parents as you need can join. You can have as many camp admin accounts as you need for different staff or sites.
  
  
• Free for Parents: We also offer annual subscriptions for camps that start the day you purchase it. Pricing is tiered and based on the amount of participants you have annually and sold in user blocks. All pricing is listed on the app page on our website. All subscriptions are per account. Our unlimited multi-site plan allows you to have as many accounts as you need under your subscription.

When you login to your Camp App account you will see your Admin Panel Dashboard which is where you set up, upload, and post all the content that you want on the app. Your Dashboard screen will display the amount of users you have on the app and the fundraising dollars you have received broken down per camp if you have multiple sites and totaled at the top.

All the App functions will be listed on the left menu. To start you will see Dashboard, Camp, Fundraising, Messaging, and Contact Us. When you click on Camp it will populate all the app functions available for you to use. Make sure to navigate the Admin Panel so you can get a feel for where everything is located and how it works before moving forward to onboarding your parents.

All menu items have an export option as well if you need to extract any of your data from the system to an excel sheet.

Camp Administrators are able to set up as many camps as they want in their account and have as many different accounts as they want. As mentioned in Section 1, it is recommended that the person on site that is regularly communicating with parents such as the Camp Director, Head Counselor, or Site Supervisor be the account holder. We understand larger organizations may take registrations from an administrative office, not necessarily at the camp site. An Administrator overseeing the entire multi-site camp operation may only have responsibilities in planning and vast oversight of several camp sites and not interact with parents and campers on a regular basis. Smaller multi-site camps or single site camps overseen and operated by one Administrator would not have this issue.

Camp Admin accounts allow as many Camp Admins to be logged in under one login credential as you need. Also, any notifications that come through the app, such as a parent sent a message or a new downloadable resource is available from us, would go to the account holder’s email. Determining who you want logged in and who those messages go to alert may also determine how you want to set up your accounts. Here is an example with 4 different ways you could set up your Camp App Account for multi-camp organizations.

Example: Let’s say you are a Child Care Director who works out of the Admin Office and have 3 Regional Camp Directors who each oversee 3 Camp Sites for a total of 9 sites. Here are 4 ways you could set it up in the App. No specific option is preferred it is completely up to you on what works best for your camp.

• Option 1: Each Regional Camp Director can set up an account and have their 3 camps in their account. Each account holder listing the same organization will show us the camps are related even though you have 3 accounts. Camp Directors could share their login with on site camp supervisors if they want to manage those specific camps in the app or each Camp Director can manage all 3.
  
  
• Option 2: If the above 9 sites all have Site Supervisors or Head Counselors, you could also have all 9 sites on a different account with each Site Supervisor. Login credentials can always be shared with Directors to “Check In” if needed.
  
  
• Option 3: The Child Care Director can set up all 9 camps under a single account and share login credentials with everyone that needs to manage those camps. If you go this route just make sure multiple staff are not working within the same camps and working on top of each other in the App. The Child Care Director would get all notifications that come through, regardless on which camp it came from.
  
  
• Option 4: The Child Care Director overseeing the entire operation can set up whichever mix of accounts and camps per account as he/she wants and then assign those accounts to subordinate staff by sharing the login credentials. Going this route will make sure the way everything is set up is consistent but on site staff can still manage the accounts.

Use the Sign Up Now button on the home page of our website to create as many accounts as you need. Each account will have to have a different email. We can work with you to ensure whichever way you choose to set it up will maximize your Camp App experience!

Once you have decided on how to structure your camps in the Camp App and who will create the account and control content for that camp, you are ready to Create Your Camps! Creating a Camp in the App is Simple:

• From the Admin Panel click Camps on the left menu
  
  
• From there click Camp List
  
  
• To the right of the search bar click the orange button that says Add.
  
  
• Complete all fields. The picture that you add to your camp will be your default picture in the App if you do not add pictures in other sections.
  
  
• Camp Dates: If you run a camp that goes several weeks, like a summer day camp, but is enrolled weekly with a different group of kids each week (some new, some returning) then you have two ways you can set it up. You can set up once camp for the duration of camp with everyone in it or you can set up a camp for every week of camp. Either way is fine and completely up to you on how you want to operate and communicate to your camp parents.
  
  
• Fundraising Page Information: To activate fundraising check the check box next to Fundraising. If you leave it unchecked the fundraising page will not show on the parents end in the app. Complete the fields for your fundraising page in the mobile app that includes your fundraising goal, a description, and a picture. When a parent hits the Donate button in the app, this page will come up first before they hit donate again and are prompted to pay. Fundraising in the Camp App will be reviewed in Section 13.
  
  
• Scroll down and click Submit.
  
  
• You can continue to add as many camps as you need under that account.

Onboarding is the process of getting your parents and campers on the App. This section reviews the functions in the App Login (Parent), Child and Camp – User menu items on the left menu in your Admin Panel. Parents and Children have two separate menu items on the left Admin Panel menu but it can be done together in bulk by uploading an excel sheet with the required information or you can add them individually. Importing a roster in bulk from a spreadsheet will add all the parents and campers.

When your rosters are uploaded the system will automatically send an email to your parents to join. If your parent is a new user and they have to pay the activation fee it will prompt them to do so before connecting. If your camp has subscribed or they are a returning Camp App user, they will not have to pay. Parents can connect to as many camps with as many kids as they need and can switch between them all on their end.

To onboard your parent’s and campers in bulk from a roster spreadsheet, do the following:

• From the Admin Panel click Camps on the left menu
  
  
• From there click App Login (Parent)
  
  
• You will see a box to import your roster with a sample spreadsheet.
  
  
• Your Excel sheet MUST match our sample sheet and have the fields Childs Name, Childs Birthday, Childs Gender, Parents Name, Parents Email. The sheet should be saved as a .CSV file before uploading.
  
  
• These fields can be uploaded with the names merged in one cell or separate cells like our sample spreadsheet.
  
  
• The Gender field is optional and the only one that can be left blank. All other fields must have something in them.
  
  
• If your registration system does not provide all those fields and you do not want to spend the time to enter them manually, you can put placeholder fields in your sheet. As long as something is in the cell it will populate. For example, if your registration system won’t export parent’s names, you could copy and paste the child’s names in the parent’s field. The important fields to make sure you have are children’s names, birthday, and the parents email.
  
  
• If for some reason it is not populating correctly you can always delete it and try again or enter individually.
  
  
• Check your rosters in the App Login (Parent) and Child menu options to make sure they populated correctly. All parent login account information will then be listed in the Camp User menu item that is listed under the Child menu item.

**We can assist with formatting your rosters so they onboard properly! If you need assistance please contact us anytime!

To onboard your parent’s and campers individually it is a two step process:

• First, you have to enter the parent in the App Login (Parent) menu by clicking Add. Entering a child individually will require you to assign them to the parents’ account.
  
  
• Second, enter the child in the Child menu item by clicking Add and assigning them to the parent you just added.
  
  
• Camp-User: This menu item is to connect current users to camps. If the user is already in the system and just needs to be connected to a camp just skip directly to the Camp-User menu item, look them up, and connect them.

Passwords and Login Credentials: Once you have your parents uploaded to the App it will automatically send them an email to connect to the camp. You will notice an Email Button next to each parent account in the App Login (Parent) section that is a small envelope. You can use this button to reset and resend them their passwords. Parents can also use the “forgot password” function at the app login screen.

**All system emails come from noreply@thesummercampsource.com. Make sure to give this email to parents so they can add it to their address book, look out for it and avoid it getting caught in spam.

The Camp – User menu item will show all the information combined to include the assigned camp, parent, child, and date it was created for your reference. You can sort or search your users in any of these three menu items. If you ever need to make changes to a parent account, you can do it in any of these sections and it will update the parents or child’s information in all fields. You cannot change email addresses. If they have a new email, you would create a new account for them and delete the old one.

Once you have onboarded your parents they can start to connect to your camp. Your dashboard will show the total amount of users you have in your system. Unfortunately, there is no way to tell who has actually downloaded the App and connected to your camp. We recommend being diligent on reminding parents to sign on and telling them in person when you get the opportunity to make sure they have it and do no miss out.

**All parent accounts are connected to their email address. The system allows two parents to login with the same email so mom and dad can share and both have access on their devices. Any more than that you would have to create additional accounts for them.

You are now at the point where you have your account and camps set up and your camp participants are connected to your camp on the App. It is time to start taking full advantage of all the Camp App features and start communicating and engaging with your camp parents! This all starts with the Camp Newsfeed. The Newsfeed is where you can keep parents in the loop with your daily operations, post important reminders, or just post fun engaging content for your parents to get an inside look on all the great things you are doing for their kids throughout the course of the day. It is one thing when a child comes homes and raves to mom and dad on how much fun they had on camp. It takes it to another level if the parents get the opportunity to see it for themselves and follow along with all the fun things you are doing throughout the day. Use your Newsfeed as much as you can to keep your parents engaged, they will appreciate it! To post on your newsfeed do the following:

• From the Admin Panel click Camps on the left menu
  
  
• From there click Camp News
  
  
• To the right of the search bar click the orange button that says Add.
  
  
• Choose the camp you want to post to from the Select Camp dropdown menu.
  
  
• Fill in all the fields and add a photo if you’d like.
  
  
• Click Submit to post to the Camp Newsfeed.
  
  
• You can continue to make as many posts as you want for the duration of your program!
  
  
• You will see the listing of all posts where you can edit or delete them as needed.
  
  
• Anytime you post to the Camp Newsfeed a push notification will alert the parents of that camp.

This feature is available to you to upload PDF versions of your camp schedules for parents to view or download on their mobile device. You can also upload any supplemental camp material here as well such as manuals, handouts, trip details, etc. as long as it is a PDF. Anything and everything that you would be able to print out at camp you can upload to the Camp App where it will stay for parents to reference for the duration of camp. No more excuses from parents that say they did not receive it, lost the paper copy, or cannot find it in their email! Everything will be right there for them! To upload documents to this section of the App do the following:

• From the Admin Panel click Camps on the left menu
  
  
• From there click Camp Schedule
  
  
• To the right of the search bar click the orange button that says Add.
  
  
• Choose the camp you want to post to from the Select Camp drop down menu.
  
  
• Name and upload the document.
  
  
• Click Submit to upload it to the App for parents to view.
  
  
• You can upload as many PDF documents as you would like to share with parents.
  
  
• Anytime you upload a new schedule or document a push notification will automatically alert the parents of that camp.

Off Site Field Trips and In Camp Events are the highlight of summer for your campers! Camp events would be things that happen at camp such as in camp guests, a camp lip sync or play, camp water day/field day or large scale activity that may require they do or bring something out of the ordinary that you would want to make an event for it. Although these activities are fun and exciting, they are also a lot of work to plan and execute. It will also generally require several reminders to parents and campers on when things start, when the bus leaves, what to bring, etc.

It seems like no matter how many times you remind your parents and campers on an upcoming trip or camp event, someone forgets, loses the information, or there is a miscommunication on the times and someone misses out (while coincidingly trying to blame you for their mishap!). This App feature should curtail any of that and make sure that parents always have the correct information at their fingertips at all times.

The Field Trips and Camp Events are entered the exact same way but are listed as two separate features on your Admin Panel. They will appear in the same section on the parents side but they will have the ability to toggle between the field trip section and the camp event section. To add a field trip or camp event to the App do the following:

• From the Admin Panel click Camps on the left menu
  
  
• From there click either Camp Trip or Camp Event
  
  
• To the right of the search bar click the orange button that says Add.
  
  
• Choose the camp you want to post to from the Select Camp drop down menu.
  
  
• Fill in all the fields and add a photo if you’d like.
  
  
• Click Submit to post to the Camp Trip and Events section in the app.
  
  
• You can continue to make as many posts as you want for the duration of your program!
  
  
• Anytime you need to change something or post a new trip or event, a push notification will alert the parents of that camp.

Pictures are your opportunity to show your parents all the great things you do at camp. If you are currently not taking many pictures at camp, you should start to! When you upload single pictures or an album to the Camp App parents will get to see them and download any that they want to keep of their child.

• From the Admin Panel click Camps on the left menu.
  
  
• From there click Camp Album
  
  
• To the right of the search bar click the orange button that says Add.
  
  
• Choose the camp you want to post to from the Select Camp drop down menu.
  
  
• Create your album then hit submit.
  
  
• Now go to Camp Gallery to upload pictures to that album. You cannot upload pictures in the Camp Gallery without creating the Camp Album first.
  
  
• You can upload as many pictures as you would like to share with parents. Select all pictures at once and hit submit. You can keep adding to the same album or create new ones at any time.
  
  
• Anytime you upload a new picture or album a push notification will automatically alert the parents of that camp.

Within the Camp App you will be able to message the entire camp or individual parents. Use this function to provide more detailed informational messages than you would post on the newsfeed. It would be similar to sending an email, but contained in the app so it cannot land in a spam box or get missed! You can also improve your marketing to past participants by going into past camps and sending reliable direct messages to parents that they are sure to receive to inform them of upcoming programs and registrations.  Messages are received and view only for parents. If they need to reply to a message or need to ask questions on something you sent, they can do so in the Contact Us menu option on their side of the App. Do the following to send a message:

• From the Admin Panel click Messaging on the left menu
  
  
• To the right of the search bar click the orange button that says Add.
  
  
• Choose the camp you want to send to from the Select Camp drop down menu.
  
  
• Select the entire camp or individual users to send the message.
  
  
• Type your message in the message box.
  
  
• Click Send to send the message.
  
  
• You can send as many messages as you would like to send to parents.
  
  
• Anytime you send a message a push notification will automatically alert the parents of that camp that they received a message.

Parents have the ability to contact you directly within the App through the Contact Us function within the parent’s side of the mobile app. When they send a message, you will get an email notification and it will land in the Contact Us section on the left menu of your Admin Panel for you to view the message. You can reply by using the Messaging function above and select the individual user that messaged you.

One of the great features of the Camp App is that is allows parents to easily give a donation to your program with a click of a button while using the App. The approach to fundraising within the Camp App is similar to a crowdsourcing campaign where you can expect a lot of small donations to come in to reach whatever goals you want to set.

You will receive 96% of the funds raised within the App that will be sent to you once your camp concludes. The 4% is to cover processing and transaction fees that we incur to offer this feature. This is another tool for you to generate revenue by using the app. See our Promotion and Fundraising Guides and Tool Kit on the website to maximize your experience with fundraising with the Camp App.

Setting up your fundraising page that the parents see on the mobile side of the App is done when setting up your camp (Section 5). It is an optional feature and can be turned on or off. Setting up this section includes setting your goal, a description of your fundraising campaign, and a picture. Make sure to add this content so parents are able to see all the details on your campaign before they donate.

The Fundraising menu item on your left menu in the Admin Panel will show all the parents who donated, what the amounts were, and what camp it was for. You can see the totals on your Dashboard that will be broken down by camp for multi-site camp organizations. Parents will not see individual donations on their end only the total that has been raised and your goal.

You can have access to the mobile side of the app by adding yourself to your roster using the same email you use to login on your Camp Admin Panel. The system will recognize your email as an admin and will not charge you. Once you download the App on your mobile device you will use the same email you have to login to the App on the Admin side, however you will be issued a new password.

Review Section 6 on adding parents individually starting in the App Login (Parent) menu item and just use your information and email in the fields. Once you add yourself as a parent and follow those steps you will send yourself the welcome email that will have the new password. When you login to the mobile side of the app you can change your password in your profile so both can then be the same. This is an optional feature and is only there to give you this ability so you can see what your parents are seeing from your posts, if you choose.

The only way to access our FREE downloadable resources on our website is by having a Camp App account. They include our Camp Tool Kit with sample documents and educational handouts, our printable activity guides with hundreds of activities separated by type of activity, and our Camp Administration 101 educational handouts. Whether you are using the Camp App at the time or not, you can still have access to these resources.

Resources are located in the Resources section on the left menu on your Admin Panel. Anytime a new resource is uploaded from us you will receive an email notification to sign in and check it out! These Camp App Guides for Camps and Parents will be located here as well as on our Resources page on the website.

You made it! At this point your camp has concluded and your parents cannot stop talking about how great your camp was with the Camp App! You can now inactivate your camps but continue to post to send information to past participants on upcoming camps.

• When your camp is complete go into your Camp List and deactivate your camp. To do this find the camp you want to deactivate in your list. On the right side of the camp listing you will see buttons under the Action menu. You can hover over these buttons to see what they do. Click the “X” button to deactivate the camp. Inactive camps will stay in your list to access for promotion to past participants, unless you delete it.
  
  
• Closing your camp will close the Contact Us section on the mobile side of the app for parents so they can no longer send messages to you. Everything else will remain available to them to go back and view until you delete the camp in your system.
  
  
• You can also continue to post to inactive camps. Use this to improve your marketing and send notifications on upcoming camp registrations!

As previously mentioned, if you use the fundraising feature of the app you will receive 96% of funds raised (4% to transaction fees). Here is how that process works:

• We will pay out camps fundraising three times a year towards the end of every August, January, and May. Once your camps are completed within those time periods, we will contact you via email with your statement to verify before we send your payment.
  
  
• The email statement will go to the account holder’s email. If your organization has multiple accounts we will reach out prior to the end of camp to figure out who should get the statements and how many you need for multi-site camps, such as sending to each site or putting it all on one.
  
  
• Review your statement and reply to us to confirm it is correct and we will send you payment!