Creating With Limitations

by Carol Bond

• It is tempting when creating a new program to want to make it an over-the-top, once in a lifetime experience—if the program is going to be repeatable, it must be sustainable within the limits of our established ratios for staff; the labor of setting up and putting away the program must also be considered.
• If a program is to be sustainable, it must not be solely dependent on the skills or passion of any one staff member—it may be developed and launched because of one staff member, but it must be passed on to several who are capable of owning all or parts of the program.
• To be sustainable the target audience must be able to enjoy a repeat of the program—it must have some element of new each time, but the framework cannot be a one-time event; they need to become the core audience and help us develop and promote the program.
• If the program is to be sustainable, we must have the support of the rest of the camp staff—even if they don’t fit the target audience, we need to help them embrace the program as they see the eternal value of the work they will do; if the program team creates extra work for other teams or severely impacts their time or budget outside of the actual days of camp, the program may suffer sustainability.
• To be sustainable the program must be able to be promoted to churches—if a program is independent of local church ministries, it may flourish for a time; but it will not be sustainable for promotion or spiritual impact.

Closing Thoughts

• If the first group of campers to come to a new program buy in, we will exponentially grow in our resource network and promotion team. We should consciously develop relationships with those who trust us enough to invest time and energy in an untried program.
• We may choose to run several programs that do involve extra set up and tear down days. In order for these programs to be sustainable, the effort should be made to find ways to simplify or streamline the process.
• We may choose to run several programs that involve extra activity areas or props.
  We should work to find ways to use the props in our other camps. This will help with