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:
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.
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:
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:
**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:
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:
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:
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:
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.
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:
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.
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:
Your Camp App Account is created by clicking the Sign Up button on the 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.
A: All system emails come from noreply@thesummercampsource.com. Unfortunately sometimes system generated emails will get lost in spam filters. Check your system for this email address and add it to your address book and safe sender list. If you still don’t see the initial email with your login credentials use the “Forgot Password” function at the login screen on the website. If you are still not able to login contact us right away so we can get you logged in!
Make sure to give your parents the noreply@thesummercampsource.com email so they look out for it for their login credentials as well when you start using the App.
A: The Camp App is always 100% FREE for camps, if you choose it to be. All accounts default to the Free for Camp pricing model where parents pay a one time nominal account activation fee. A portion of this account activation fee goes to support youth camps by providing them free resources. If you would prefer to pay for the App for your parents you can purchase an annual subscription that will start the day payment is made. All current pricing is listed on the app page of the website. Just contact us directly to update your plan!
A: Once your account is created you can do everything on your own, if you choose! We provide all the guides and tutorials needed for you to get up and running. The Camp App is simple to use and very user friendly for you do it 100% on your own. If you review all the Camp App Guides we provide you and your camp parents and still would like assistance, we are happy to help and you are welcome to email us anytime!
A: Contact us at info@rectechllc.com and a team member will assist you with whatever you need. We can help you set up your camps, onboard your parents, and offer insights on how to maximize your experience. We also do Live Demo’s periodically. Ask us if we have a demo available for you where you can see how the App works and will benefit your camp in a live setting!
A: Absolutely not! The Camp App and all features is always 100% free for camps, if you choose. There are no free vs paid features and no sales team to try to upsell you on other features! You get it all just by creating an account!
A: Nope! If you create a free Camp App account you can come and go and use the App whenever you need to. Regardless if you are an App user or not, you will always have access to our free downloadable resources for Camp Management. If you decide to purchase an annual subscription to unlock the App for your parents, your subscription starts when payment is made. Contact us today if you need to update your plan!
A: We send payment to camps 3 times a year: January, May, and August. When your camp has concluded within those time periods we will email you a statement via email with all the funds you have earned. Reply to us to confirm it is correct, along with the correct address and organization name, and we will send out payment shortly after!
A: As many as you need. You can share login information with your staff who are managing your camps and everyone can be logged in at once. Just make sure you are not working on top of each other in the same camps at the same time. If you are using the free for camp pricing plan, we would recommend everyone just create their own account.
A: Parents can be onboarded individually or in bulk with an Excel ,CSV sheet. You can simply export your participants from your registration system, format the sheet to match what is required, and import it into the App. There is a sample sheet for you to use within the App. When your parents are imported to the app, it will automatically send them an email to connect to your camp. This process is outlined in depth in our User Guide.
A: Absolutely! Login to your camp admin account on the website through your phone’s browser. Your dashboard is mobile friendly to make it easy to post and communicate to parents anytime!
A: You need a good internet connection to manage the camp side of the app through the website and the parent’s side on mobile. If yourself or parents are experiencing long wait times to login or the app is slow when uploading or viewing, it is most likely a slow internet connection. Reset your internet connection and check your device settings to ensure optimal use of the app.
PO Box 161566
Altamonte Springs, FL 32716