"There has to be a better way!"
Administrator Samantha Haines manages all traveling and camp logistics for 2-3 college events every year and 5-9 high school camps per season (except winter) in different states.
MindBody, the previous solution she'd used, was oriented more for classes than the types of camps they have. Before Camp & Class Manager, she followed a 5-step process to manually enter all registrations and payments into a spreadsheet, chasing down data from three sources. It was inconvenient for parents too; they had to enroll for all sessions individually, providing all the same information every time. She spent a lot of time fielding complaints about glitches.
Communications were also a challenge due to rapid growth, a customer database of thousands that included duplications, and an email base of nearly 10,000 parents, students, coaches and athletic directors, with no way to target any one segment.
While registering herself for a Fun Run, Samantha discovered the ease of ACTIVE Network's registration platform. Exploration of solutions led her to Camp & Class Manager. She had found her better way.
Immediate Benefits
The transition to the software was easy, Samantha says. While they haven't had time yet to compare YOY numbers, they've already seen month over month increases, which she credits to the ease of registration.
"Visibility into transactions lets us see patterns and plan our next year's schedule and early registration deadlines, which has pushed people to urgency. That helps with cash flow, too."
Parental Approval
In order to eliminate repeated input of information, parents have been quick to use the self-serve account feature in Camp & Class Manager to set up active accounts and store card information on file. They enjoy being able to review and research their history on the mobile-friendly system, which, Samantha says, "makes so much more sense. We receive very few calls and they're about prices, not difficulties." "ACTIVE gives us more credibility. Most people have heard of it."
The Biggest Advantages
For Samantha, a one-person operations manager juggling two separate organizations, ACTIVE has "changed my life! Information syncs automatically, promo codes are easy. I have access to who attended and can quickly reach out with mass email marketing blasts after camps, sending out thank yous and future information to the right people. With the dynamic list management tool, the time savings is unbelievable!"
Registrants receive an automated receipt email that includes all the camp information they'll need, reducing calls.
Her absolute favorite feature, however, is the tracking of financials.
"It's so easy to manually change a price or the flexibility of multiple payments (such as when mom and dad both pay half), configure coupon codes, and set up automated discounting."
Then she has visibility into all transactions, filtered by registrations, discounts, refunds, customers, season, session or year.Samantha's biggest adjustment? "Having everything in one place. The numbers are right there!"
Peace of Mind
Like all youth camps, Rubio Long Snapping and Chris Sailer Kicking maintain sensitive information on minors and their families. Samantha has confidence and peace of mind, knowing that ACTIVE protects their data. This is one of the selling points she would prioritize to others. The organization is so happy with Camp & Class Manager that they've sent two of their instructors who are branching out on their own with virtual private lessons to ACTIVE.
NCSA Integration
Rubio Long Snapping and Chris Sailer Kicking have taken advantage of ACTIVE's partnership with NCSA. As part of their registration flow, parents now have the opportunity to opt-in to NCSA, the leading college recruiting service. Looking ForwardSamantha's next goal is to strategically use discounts to drive registrations and, hopefully, bring on additional staff. In the meantime, Camp & Class Manager provides the tools she needs to manage on her own.
