Camp, Conference, & Retreat Centers Break-Even Budget or Better – Here’s How
/If you are feeling challenged by managing a camp, conference or retreat center budget, you are not alone. The cost of running a facility that provides meal service, lodging, and recreational opportunities are increasing, and meeting those financial constraints is not easy.
Many costs have increased, like the price of food, gas, and likely insurance as well. Though some costs are stable, and others have even decreased, some basic supplies such as paper products, paint, and disposable supplies may be costing more. All of this adds up to much higher expenses than may have been planned.
Another aspect contributing to expected income is that some groups that visit are coming back with a smaller group size than in pre-pandemic times. The smaller the group, the less the income generated to off-set the budget. It’s important to note that some camp, conference and retreat centers have seen an increase in group size which affects the budget in a positive light. We have found the reason for this increase is due to surrounding facilities closing which are then being referred to other facilities.
Recovering from the impact of the pandemic may take time and we expect the number of participants at all facilities to return to pre-pandemic levels or even better as many have already recovered.
For those camps, conferences, and retreat centers where the cost of running a camp is higher than the income received to maintain operations, UCCR can help balance the budget and take the pressure off all the to-do list items by handling almost everything for you.
Can UCCR help your camp, conference, or retreat center save money and run efficiently?
Yes.
We work with property owners to take a deep look at spending and look for ways to balance the budget and increase revenue by sharing our 52 years of experience. Most camp, conference, and retreat center property owners we work with are delightfully surprised to be able to streamline operations, save on expenses, and increase income by filling the beds through targeted marketing and advertising.
When UCCR partners with camp, conference or retreat center property owners we take over managing the facility and providing administration so you can focus on your mission.
Day In The Life Of A UCCR Managed Facility
• We Work For You •
Our Marketing Team sends a newsletter with beautiful photos of your facility to our mailing list to promote reservations for Fall and Winter and checks on the Google advertising for your facility to see how many people were brought to the website overnight.
Our Reservations Team gets a phone call asking for more information and to see if your facility has availability for a nonprofit group to stay with meal service and lodging.
Our Accounting and Finance department is working with an assigned UCCR Site Director who lives at your facility to go over expenses and pay the bills
A UCCR On-site retreat worker is doing laundry and cleaning bathrooms to get ready for guests arriving this afternoon.
Our CEO is meeting with our management team to discuss the current needs of your property to come up with any solutions to challenges that need implementation.
Our Human Resource Team is posting ads on job boards and filtering through applications to find the right candidate to work in your kitchen.
Our Reservations and Communications Director sends an email to the group that checked out yesterday, asking them whether they want to rebook for the following year and to collect any feedback from their stay.
At 2:00pm in the afternoon the UCCR on-site Site Director is working with our Marketing Director to discuss an upcoming marketing campaign and the need for new photos which the Site Director will take and send.
When UCCR takes a look at balancing the budget, we do a comparative analysis and come up with rates for overnight lodging, meals, and day use. Another essential component is to go over each expenditure and look for ways to streamline spending. Some of the items we consider are:
Food Costs
As food costs continue to rise, we review specific menu items and consider shifting slightly to more affordable options.
Staffing Needs
We review the staffing plan and look at things like: Are we properly staffed for an ideal overall operation in the kitchen? Do we have staff that can wear a variety of hats such as helping with meal preparation in the kitchen as well as lifeguarding the pool? We hire staff and distribute hours to achieve enough skilled hands to complete the work.
Spending
We evaluate all spending, such as: payroll, food products, utility, maintenance, and unplanned yet needful items that can add up fast. We make sure to adjust the budget accordingly and plan for any upcoming larger maintenance items such as pumps, resurfacing roads, etc. so funds are available when the work needs to be done.
Insurance
We shop around and get quotes from a variety of insurance companies and make sure to check out any church-related companies or companies that cater to non-profit organizations.
Day Use
We evaluate and review a day use fee for groups that come to your property just for a day to attend a meeting or enjoy a picnic. We make sure to charge a reasonable daily fee for these guests.
Lodging
UCCR reviews and examines all the aspects of time, labor, and supplies that are involved in providing lodging: Staff hours prepping and cleaning cabins, rooms, and meeting areas. We will look to see if the prices being charged are enough to cover expenses.
Meal Service
When assessing expenses associated with meal service, many camp, conference, and retreat centers charge food service fees that barely cover the cost of supplying the meals. We will examine the actual costs of buying food and shop around for suppliers that are more cost-effective.
Marketing
Most camp, conference, and retreat centers are busy during Summer but have empty beds the rest of the year. Yet those shoulder season months are the most popular for weekend retreats. Through many methods of digital advertising, we focus our marketing on promoting your facility to target audiences who will fill empty spots on the calendar.
About Us
United Camps, Conferences & Retreats (UCCR) has been providing management services to camp, conference, and retreat centers since 1970. We are experts at facility management and experts at managing budgets for break-even or better status.
We fulfil our mission by helping you achieve yours.
Action Steps
See our 5-Steps to Peace of Mind below to see how you can find out more about partnering with United Camps, Conferences & Retreats.
We visit your facility
We report on how we can help you
Onboard with UCCR
Enjoy peace of mind
Read testimonials from our clients here:
Tell us which service you are most interested in and schedule a discovery call.
