Note: blog post updated September 2019
We are looking forward to seeing 400+ professionals and board members working to ensure the long-term vitality of nonprofit Jewish camp at the JCamp 180 Annual Conference soon!
One of the ways that JCamp 180 (and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation) supports your Jewish Camp to thrive is to offer a free annual conference to advance your learning in our core areas of Governance, Strategic Planning, Fundraising, Legacy Fundraising, Outreach/Communications, and Enrollment.
Each year we offer workshops and speakers on a range of topics of interest to both lay leaders and camp staff as well as plenty of opportunities for networking.
So...how can YOU get the most out of your conference attendance? Here are our recommendations:
Before the Conference: Prepare
- Write down 2 or 3 specific things you want to learn from sessions or peers at the conference.
- Plan on connecting with 2 or 3 people who you can learn from as well. Not sure who to speak with? Contact your camp’s JCamp 180 Mentor for recommendations of people you should network with while you are at the conference.
During the Conference: Be Present
- Yes, you have work to do and emails to respond to. But try to put down your phone and close your laptop and connect with your peers while in Springfield. Take advantage of networking opportunities - longer breaks, Sunday night JCamp After Dark, Monday night dinner at the Basketball Hall of Fame, and less formal Grab ‘n Gab sessions - to implement your pre-conference networking plan!
After the Conference: Follow-up
- Review the tips and ideas you gathered during the conference and plan how to use that information over the next year.
- Reach out to your new connections via email or online to build on those relationships.
- Arrange a time at the next staff meeting or Camp Committee/Board meeting to share and reflect on questions raised at the conference, and to encourage others to attend in the future.
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Written by Julia Riseman. Julia is a Mentor with JCamp 180. Julia leads Data2Donors, a program to advance Alumni Outreach, improve camp databases, and raise more major gifts, and Fundraising Fundamentals. Julia has also sparked the creation of many JCamp 180 programs and offerings, including this blog.
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Who we are: JCamp 180 is a program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF). Our goal is to significantly enhance the long-term effectiveness of nonprofit Jewish camps in North America. To meet this goal, we provide affiliated Jewish camps with consulting services, annual conferences, shared resources, professional development, and matching grant opportunities. Find more at www.jcamp180.org.