Friendraising
Building long-term relationships with camp supporters
By David Bragg
Photos: Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministries
The first time I went to camp as a kid was to a weekend congregational retreat of my church. Besides being struck by the beauty of the forests and lake and how much this differed from my agricultural hometown on the Canadian prairies, I spent a weekend deepening friendships. The eight-year-old version of me was hooked on having stronger connections to some of the people I went to school with. Years later, I experienced a similar feeling of welcome and belonging during my first visit to Carol Joy Holling Camp in Eastern Nebraska, the main site of Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministries (NLOM).
Connected To Roots
NLOM has had strong connections with its supporters from the beginning. Carol Joy Holling Camp was started in 1974 when George and Irene Holling gifted a half section of land near Ashland to the Nebraska Synod of the Lutheran Church in America in memory of their daughter, Carol Joy Holling. The land was to become a summer camp in five years and after much planning and hard work, the first summer programs were held in 1979. Western Nebraska became part of NLOM in 1995 when Lester and Lillian Sullivan gave a section of land near Lodgepole, Neb., for a second programming site. This beautiful prairie property would be known as Sullivan Hills Camp and began hosting summer programs in 1997. In 2005, the conference facilities at Carol Joy Holling welcomed a spectacular addition when the high-comfort Rev. Dr. Reuben T. & Darlene M. Swanson Retreat Center was completed.
Connected To Supporters
NLOM refers to its fundraising philosophy as “friendraising.” The goal of friendraising is building long-term relationships and connections with supporters of the camp. Long-term connections are the key to major gifts. NLOM’s Development staff members keep a pair of mottos in mind throughout their service: “It’s all about relationships, not money” and “If you worry about money, money knows it and won’t come play with you.” NLOM maintains an attitude of thankfulness, knowing that its ministry wouldn’t exist without the generosity of its donors.
Connected To Program And Guests
The focus of NLOM’s Development, Marketing, Buildings and Grounds, and Guest Services departments is connected to making the camp programs better. The organization exists to provide opportunities for people to be in safe, intentional community where they can grow through relationships. NLOM is committed to inclusiveness, acceptance, and friendliness. The staff wants the guests to experience the motto, “You matter to God; therefore, you matter to us.”
The organization has built a loyal base of volunteers. “Some of our volunteers have a long history with us. Others are looking for something new and come to check it out (they usually have heard of us through mutual friends). Informing and inviting volunteers is the most important thing we can do to grow that part of the ministry. We match skills and availability with needs or opportunities,” says Roger Maxon, NLOM’s Director/Buildings and Grounds for the past 30 years.
Associate Director/Development Trish Haniszewski adds, “I get so excited about the friendships being made with the many people who are passionate about making a difference within our organization. I am always inspired by the generosity of our wonderful donors and volunteers who I get to meet on personal visits and at various events.”
Connected To Community
Carol Joy Holling Center, NLOM’s summer camp and conference center, is strategically located almost exactly 30 miles from both Omaha and Lincoln. The site is three miles outside the town of Ashland. The camp has been very successful at building meaningful relationships with members of the local area. Last fall, a local business owner and his wife provided a gift of $400,000 to send 1,000 campers from the local school district to attend Carol Joy Holling over the next 10 years.
Another effective program that connects people is the Summer Ministry Team Prayer Partner Program. NLOM supporters volunteer as prayer partners for the 65-member team. Volunteers pray throughout the summer for their team member and send at least three communications to the individual.
Sullivan Hills Camp gives NLOM a special connection with the lesser populated Panhandle region of Western Nebraska. Nebraska Synod Bishop Bryan Maas of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America says, “Because NLOM is in Western Nebraska through Sullivan Hills, it has strong supporters there that have made possible low-cost opportunities for camping experiences from children throughout the Panhandle—and certainly not only just for Lutheran children.”
Connected To Parents And Safety
During the Carol Joy Holling Camp summer program, NLOM intentionally builds stronger relationships with camper families through the Parent Communicators program. Two summer-staff members are dedicated to photographing and taking video of camp activities, visiting with campers, and then emailing daily updates to parents. NLOM has developed a free app (”Carol Joy Holling Camp,” available on Android or Apple) to provide information and photos to parents.
NLOM has shown its commitment to safety by achieving virtually perfect scores on recent American Camp Association reaccreditation visits. The ACA’s industry standards provide guidelines to help camps present a well-organized and proactive environment for campers to thrive in.
Located in the heart of the Midwest, the camps must deal with summer weather that can change quickly at the NLOM sites. In addition to having storm shelters at each program site, NLOM uses software titled “Weather Defender.” This technology gives storm alerts and texts key personnel when threats reach a certain distance from the camp. The program leadership team is well trained in the event of weather emergencies.
Connected To Learning
A strong connection to learning and growth drive the fundraising success of the NLOM Development Department. The camp staff includes two certified fundraising executives with a third in training. The development staff has heavy involvement in the Association of Lutheran Development Executives (ALDE), including Director/Development Jason Gerdes, who will serve as ALDE’s incoming President. Casey Fuerst, NLOM’s Director/Marketing and Leadership Development, is the current President of Lutheran Outdoor Ministries (LOM).
There is a strong fundraising community in Nebraska that goes beyond NLOM. Heartland Chapter has won ALDE’s national Outstanding Chapter of the Year award three times in the past 15 years. ALDE Executive Director Phyllis Castens Wiederhoeft credits making connections within the chapter as a reason for Heartland’s success. “I think Heartland Chapter has been so successful because of consistently strong leadership. There are committed people who are willing to step forward and do things. The chapter has had its ups and down, but the leaders have held events and tried different things to attract members and attendance at those events,” she says.
Connected To The World
Campers at Carol Joy Holling become connected to a wider community beyond their own through the summer program’s annual service project. The first one was to supply Lutheran World Relief with 32,000 hygiene kits following the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake. Recent projects have included preparing and sending school-supply kits to Haiti, as well as packing over 100,000 meals for those in need, both at home and abroad during a partnership with Kids Against Hunger. The Development Department has helped bring these projects to life by gaining financial support from some of the camp’s donor base.
The biggest myth in the camping industry is that camp is only for children. By reaching out to its supporters in both the local area and larger community, there are few limits on the number of strong connections that a camp can build with friends of all ages.
David Bragg is the Development Director for Kinasao Lutheran Bible Camp in Christopher Lake, SK, Canada. Reach him at braggkawika@yahoo.ca.
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Camp Basics
Student to Instructor Ratio: 5 years and younger—1 staff member for each 5 overnight campers and 1 staff member for each 6 day campers
6 to 8 years, 1:6 for overnight, and 1:8 for day
9 to 14 years, 1:8 for overnight and 1:10 for day
15 to 18 years, 1:10 for overnight and 1:12 for day
Location: Carol Joy Holling Center near Ashland, Neb., and Sullivan Hills Camp near Lodgepole, Neb.
Cost: Carol Joy Holling $155-460; Sullivan Hills $50 all programs except Sr. High Backpack Trip $450
Ages: Carol Joy Holling Gr. 1-12, intergenerational programming, Adults with Special Needs; Sullivan Hills Gr.1-12 and Adults with Special Needs