Let me guess.
You work at camp because you love answering emails. It’s your favorite pastime. A hobby even!
Oh, it’s not?
You got into camp because you want to spend your days mentoring staff and watching campers grow? I suppose that makes sense. So what’s one way to get there and skip answering the “what should my kid pack?” question for the twelfth time?
You’ve got a few options, and one of them is using artificial intelligence. NO, AI is not a blanket answer for every single aspect of camp and is not to be used as a people replacement, but it can help your team by removing some of the repetitive tasks. The human touch is still required in all things, but when AI is used in a thoughtful way, camp leaders get something incredibly valuable back. They get more time.
What would you do with 10 more hours a week? My guess? Paperwork isn’t the top of that list. Many camp leaders would answer with things like mentoring staff, improving programs and facilities, building camper relationships, and getting a little better work-life balance. Let’s take a look at how to get you there.
Create a Clear Camp AI Policy
Talking about AI tools can be exciting, but before we get there, you need to have a clear AI policy. Without guidance, staff are left to make their own decisions about AI, which leads to uneven results. One person is saving time using AI, while someone else is avoiding it entirely out of fear of doing it wrong, and in some cases, sensitive information is shared with an audience it was never meant to see.
Whether your organization has discussed using AI or not, staff are already using AI tools. Researchers refer to this as “shadow AI.” Studies suggest that 80% of employees use AI tools that their employer hasn’t officially approved, and many never mention it to supervisors. This means that valuable ideas are not shared, and it increases the chance that information is shared in ways it shouldn’t be.
A clear policy prevents confusion and helps confidently move your team forward. The good news is that a strong AI policy can be created by answering these four questions. What can AI be used for? What should AI never be used for? Who is in charge of reviewing AI-generated content? What is your level of transparency?
The Four Questions That Shape Your Camp’s AI Policy
Use the following questions to create a one-page AI policy. If you want to have a team discussion on this topic, we’ve got a free worksheet to help guide that process. Download the AI Policy Builder Worksheet
1. What can AI be used for?
Think of this as your green-light list. AI works best for repetitive, behind-the-scenes tasks like:
- Drafting email responses
- Creating newsletters
- Writing first drafts of social posts
- Internal staff communication
- Meeting agendas and summaries
If the task is routine and low-risk, it’s often a good candidate for AI support.
2. What should never go into AI tools?
A helpful test is simple: If this information leaked, would it create a crisis? If the answer is yes, it should never be entered into an AI system.
Examples include:
- Camper’s medical information
- Payment or financial data
- Incident or discipline reports
- Sensitive personal information
This protects both families and your organization.
3. Who reviews AI-generated content?
One rule works well here: AI makes drafts. Humans press send. AI can generate ideas and first drafts quickly, but the final message should always be reviewed and approved by a real person. Your team still owns every message that goes out.
4. How transparent should your camp be?
Imagine a parent discovering that AI helped write a newsletter or email. Would they feel surprised? Curious? Completely fine with it? There isn’t one correct answer for every organization. What matters is having one consistent answer at your camp, rather than leaving it up to individual staff members.
The Easiest Places to Start Using AI
First, focus on tasks that are low risk and high return. These are the places where AI can quickly make a difference.
Email Drafting
If you’ve written the same email response dozens of times, AI can help. AI can draft responses in seconds. You simply edit, personalize, and send. Common questions like:
- What should my camper pack?
- What time is drop-off?
- What does a typical day look like?
Parent Communications
Instead of spending an hour writing, you spend a few minutes refining, letting AI assist with parent communications like:
- Newsletters
- Reminder emails
- Session updates
- Event recaps
Marketing Content
Creating consistent content for social media and registration campaigns can take a lot of time. The keyword here is draft. Your team still shapes the voice and message. AI is especially useful for generating first drafts of:
- social media posts
- blog outlines
- promotional messages
- content calendars
Documenting Camp Knowledge
Every camp has someone who knows how everything works. When that person leaves, valuable knowledge often disappears with them. AI can help capture and organize that knowledge by turning transcripts, notes, or recorded walkthroughs into step-by-step documentation. This makes training new staff much easier.
How Camp Leaders Can Shape Healthy AI Use
Staff hide their use of AI for a variety of reasons. Usually, it’s based on common concerns about becoming replaceable, worries about being perceived as “less authentic”, and uncertainty about whether AI is even allowed. Many are concerned that becoming more efficient will just lead to a heavier workload. Creating a healthy AI culture starts with realizing and acknowledging these concerns.
Recognizing these concerns leads to a broader conversation and invites speaking about AI openly. Let your staff know that the goal is to explore tools that help people work more effectively, and not as a way to replace them or their ideas.
Share how you have been using AI and where you plan to implement it. This shows your staff that experimentation is welcome. Just like any other aspect of leadership, you want to model the behavior that you want to see.
Now that you’ve modeled experimentation, celebrate when someone actually experiments. If someone discovers a shortcut that saves time, congratulate them and highlight it. These accomplishments energize the team to discover more.
Encourage people to share their discoveries so that the whole team can benefit from them. If the team doesn’t know, they can’t move forward with you. This also creates a space where people can improve on each other’s ideas.
The Bottom Line
You can use AI as a tool to handle repetitive tasks so that your team has more time to focus on what camp is made for: connecting with people. Something technology can never replace.
