Full Of Heart
The financial logistics of running Camp Odayin
By Kris Lukkarila
Photos Courtesy Of Camp Odayin
Besides being the only non-profit camp in the Midwest for children with heart disease, Camp Odayin asks families to pay only $25 for their children to attend a week of residential camp. For some families, even this fee is difficult, so we provide the option for a camper to attend for free. We provide complimentary bus transportation from local hotels to camp, and also offer a $300 travel stipend to families who need financial assistance. Costs for supplies, medications, camp rentals, marketing, and administrative overhead total $900 per camper for a week of residential camp.
Why do we have low registration fees that do not cover the programing budget? We have decided that money will not be a barrier to attending Camp Odayin. We know the families we serve, and they typically face financial struggles in raising a medically complex child. The cost for surgeries and medications is significant. Families may relocate to be close to a hospital, and guardians often take time from work during their child’s extended hospital stays.
This summer, when asked what families think about the $25 fee, they told us:
• “Amazing! It makes it a no-brainer to send our child to camp. This is the most wonderful gift to a heart family that still maxes out our insurance deductible ever year. Thank you!”
• “It is a true gift. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity for my daughter.”
• “I feel it is amazing to have such a low fee, and it makes this camp very inclusive!”
How Is This Possible?
How do we afford to provide a special week away from home in a medically safe and emotionally supportive way? We are able to provide camp experiences because of the behind-the-scenes work of building and maintaining relationships, as well as the willingness to try something new. Camp Odayin has proven to be resilient, and our programs grow each year because of volunteers, donors, and fundraising events.
Camp counselors, nurses, and cardiologists volunteer their time to be with us at camp. They share their time before camp in completing online and in-person training sessions. These engaged, amazing people are the reason for our success as a camp, and they contribute to why we are able to charge less than many camps. We demonstrate our appreciation to them directly as well as on social media and at our events. They are part of the Odayin family, and we want them to return each year.
What Are Our Volunteer Challenges?
We are exploring new organizations to partner with so our volunteer base (especially potential male camp counselors) can continue to grow along with the campers. We know that nurses and cardiologists need campers’ acceptance early, so we started a rolling acceptance early last spring. We updated training this year to be respectful of volunteer time and to highlight the important pieces of information at the right times. We added a new section on mental health and how volunteers can better support campers who are going through tough situations. We want to give volunteers the tools they need to have a positive week at camp.
Funds from donors, grants, and foundations are actively encouraged throughout the year, and they provide over 50 percent of our income. We collect quantitative data from each program to show the impact. Our anecdotal stories, quotes, and cheerful photos create a feeling of pride; donors are connected to an organization that is mission-driven and focuses on improving the childhood experience.
What Are The Challenges With Donations?
We are close to implementing an automatic, monthly donation program that will include perks like camp gifts and discounts to upcoming events. We simplified our annual report this past year and moved the list of donors online where it is updated more often. We tried a quick and successful marketing campaign around our Amazon wish list to purchase summer camp supplies. We signed up to be a non-profit that can receive Facebook fundraising donations. We have started to be more open with our families on the cost to send a child to camp; we now provide a sliding scale from which families can choose to pay more than the $25 registration fee if they wish. About 45 percent of families paid more than $25 for the 2019 residential programs.
Between activities for volunteer and donor recruitment and programming for camp activities, a large amount of energy is focused on fundraising events. Historically, Camp Odayin has held three major fundraising events, and the funds comprised over 30 percent of our income. These events included a spring gala, a summer golf tournament, and a kid-friendly 5K run/walk event in the fall.
What Are The Challenges With Fundraising Events?
We want fundraising events to be fresh and fun—this is hard to do year after year! We are trying new events beyond our historic ones. This fall we are hosting the second annual social event in Milwaukee, growing our donor base in a new region. In Minneapolis, instead of holding a 5K run/walk this year, we are hosting a happy-hour event. At this event we will be trying a new hashtag, social media campaign, as well as trying a new software program to improve the user experience with silent auctions and live asks. We are searching for new partnerships with local businesses, and we want to provide better sponsorship perks.
Our behind-the-scenes activities keep a staff of five employees busy throughout the year. They know Camp Odayin is an organization full of heart, and we would not be able to provide camp experiences without incredible volunteers, generous donors, and fantastic fundraising events. Our heart families and their brave campers return each year because we provide life-changing experiences, and the cost to attend is not a barrier for them.
While Camp Odayin is unique, you might argue that we provide the same camp experience that many other camp organizations provide: we all bring children together to build confidence, expand horizons, and provide time to just be a kid.
Kris Lukkarila is the office manager of Camp Odayin, whose administrative office is near St. Paul, Minn. Reach her at info@campodayin.org. Did you know that congenital heart defects are the most common birth defect, affecting 1 in 100 children? Read more at cdc.gov/ncbddd/heartdefects/facts.html.
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Camp Basics:
Location: We do not own a camp facility. We partner with camps in Minnesota and Wisconsin, including Camp Knutson in Crosslake, Minn.; Lake Wapogasset Lutheran Bible Camp in Amery, Wis.; Camp Lutherdale in Elkhorn, Wis.; and The Salvation Army Wonderland Camp and Conference Center in Camp Lake, Wis.
Cost: $25 per session
Ages: six to 17 (kindergarten through 11th grade)
Camper to counselor/nurse ratio: 1:3
Founded in 2001, Camp Odayin is the only camp in the Midwest that provides medically safe and emotionally supportive camp experiences and community-building opportunities for young people with heart disease and their families. Camp Odayin offers residential, day, winter, family, and mom camps throughout the year. In 2018, Camp Odayin served 825 individuals, which included 323 summer campers in five weeks of residential and day camp. In 2019, we served 344 summer campers!