We are excited to announce that long-time JCamp 180 team member Elizabeth Kaplan has been
promoted to the position of JCamp 180 Consultant!
Read on to learn more about Elizabeth and how she'll be supporting the work of JCamp 180 and the field in her expanded role!
What will your portfolio at JCamp 180 consist of?
My portfolio will consist of a mix of day and overnight camps throughout the US and Canada. I will continue to lead and facilitate both the Enrollment GSD Program and the Camp GPS Program. I am also a member of our conference team as well as the lead on grants administration and evaluation – including Forward Together, Endowment Accelerator, and the Day Camp Matching Grant.
What is a project at JCamp 180 that you are most proud of?
I have worked extensively on JCamp 180’s Professional Development programs during my time on the team. I streamlined our set of offerings and facilitated a process where our team can help guide camps to the program that is best for them.
As the co-lead of the Enrollment GSD program, I have worked alongside many day and overnight camps who are looking to enhance their recruitment and retention work. I contributed new tools to the existing Enrollment workbook to help camps evaluate their websites and videos and plan and organize their pre-camp communications. As a result of the program, camps have succeeded in things like moving their community to enroll earlier, crafting a new ‘who are we’ statement to share their unique value, and creating a fridge magnet with a clear summer communication schedule to respond to feedback from families.
This year, we are bringing day camps together in person for the Enrollment sprint at the Fall Day Camp Conference run by the Jewish Day Camp Network. I look forward to seeing how the room will buzz with shared ideas as they use the time to plan for Summer 2027.
How has being a full-time camp professional informed your work at JCamp 180?
I was the Community Care Director at Camp Laurelwood for 3 years. The experience of working year-round at a camp, and particularly post-COVID, has continued to inform my ability to work with camps. I can put myself in the shoes of a camp professional, while being able to leverage the knowledge of the field that I have gained over the past few years. My own experience helps me to ask the right questions and get to the root of underlying issues.
I also spent significant time at day camps run by JCC Greater Boston, including Camp Grossman and Camp Kaleidoscope, during my time as a year-round JCC professional. So many of our day and overnight camps are JCC camps, and having my own personal experience as a JCC employee helps me connect with and understand the needs of the organizations.
What are your reflections from your summer site visits?
I visited 14 day and overnight camps this summer, and a consistent theme was engagement. Campers and staff were happy doing activities, and I observed fewer kids sitting on the side than in the previous few summers. I imagine that it’s a combination of both their increased ability and willingness to participate (post COVID years), but also of the enormous effort in the field to include and accommodate each individual person.
A more difficult reflection was the impact of the changing climate. Every camp I went to had a story of adjustment due to heat, rain, or smoke – which is particularly impactful for the camps who have older infrastructure.
I walk away from most camp visits in awe of the passion and commitment of the relatively small number of people who make a camp happen. They have learned and and mastered skills and content that they never knew they would need – water and sewer systems, climbing equipment, solar panel permitting – you name it, we have a camp professional or lay leader who is now an expert.
Camps should come to you for…?
As a co-lead of both the Enrollment GSD and Camp GPS Programs, I am well poised to support camps who are working through enrollment goals and camps who are thinking about strategic planning. I can also serve as a peer-to-peer connector, leveraging my own network as a camp and Jewish nonprofit professional. As a former camp professional, I also have expertise in both governance and camp business services.
Tell us about your home camp?
My home camp is URJ Camp Kalsman, where I was hired as a seasonal staff member (garden educator) in 2012. I had never been to Jewish overnight camp. I assumed that it would be a fun 10 weeks and that I would move on and appreciate the memories. Looking back, that summer was a pivotal moment in my professional career and in the development of my identity as a Jew. I connected instantly and deeply with the place, the people, and the program. I returned to camp for multiple summers over the next decade in different roles, each of which helped me develop lifelong skills. I met my husband minutes after I arrived that first summer, and we now go back with our kids each summer to spend time on Educational Faculty. It’s beautiful to see them experience the joy of camp.One of the things I love most about working with camps is that so many of you have a story just like mine. Camp has built each of us a community that shows up in the most celebratory and challenging of times. It’s such a privilege to support this work.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I live in New Haven, CT with my husband (David) and two kids (Solly, 5 and Nate, 2). Most of our off time is spent together as a family – we live in a tight-knit community, so we are often with friends or at community events. We love to be outside and are just starting to get the kids into hiking and camping. I personally love jigsaw puzzles, board games, and crafts of all kinds. I’m also on the board of the New Haven JCC, a member of the family-teacher organization at Solly’s school, and an active volunteer in our Federation’s Women’s Engagement and Philanthropy work.
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Who we are: JCamp 180 is a program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF). JCamp 180 invests in the long-term organizational effectiveness of nonprofit Jewish camps to ensure our community’s future and connection to Judaism. We partner with professional staff, lay leadership, movements, and allied organizations to inspire a culture that promotes philanthropic support by focusing on strategic planning, governance, and fundraising, and providing matching grants, consulting services, professional development, and research. Find more at www.jcamp180.org