Dear Friends of Clearwater Camp,
Happy New Year!!
With the challenges of 2013 behind us, and as we move into 2014, I’d like to give you an update on the developing plans and projects for this new year.
First of all, the response to the Executive Director (ED) Survey was very strong and provided an invaluable education for the ED Search Committee. On behalf of the committee, thank you for sharing your opinions. We will do all we can to shepherd our camp into the future while preserving its important traditions; this point being a clear takeaway from the survey. While it’s important to maintain our assurance of data and respondent confidentiality, I’d like to share with you the following:
- Of the over 200 survey respondents, nearly 60% were past campers, over half were past staff members and half were past donors to the Clearwater Camp Foundation. The 41-60 year old age group was the largest contingent, accounting for 39% of the total.
- Management, communication and leadership skills ranked “most important” as desired behaviors/core competencies of an ED. Additionally, you spoke loudly that building relationships is what the ED should focus on first. Finally, optimism and the resilience of our community was a common theme among the nearly 80 thoughtful open-ended comments written at the end of the survey.
- All of us on the Search Committee thank you for your dedication to Clearwater and we assure you that we will use your voices to guide us through the journey of selecting the next Executive Director.
Second, we will officially launch our ED Search on Saturday, Feb 1st, 2014. At that point, we will post the job description and job application on our website, on Facebook and to our email list. If we do not have your email, please send it to the camp office or to us at edsearch@clearwatercamp.org. Our search will conclude after many of us have had a chance to meet them in person, visit with them at camp while it’s in session and interview the finalists directly. By the July 19th Clearwater Camp Foundation board meeting we hope to be in a position to make a final selection. As we move through this process, please keep Clearwater in your thoughts and prayers. We all hope that a leader will be raised up and that she will find a clear path into all of our lives.
Third, we are not a camp without campers. As a result, alumna Marty Jorgenson has been hired to spearhead our camper recruiting efforts for the year. Her full bio is on our website. She has been at work for over a month and is taking a multipronged approach; she’s focusing on camp fairs, individual gatherings, the website, search engine optimizing and social media. I know Marty would welcome any of your suggestions or leads; She can be reached at marty@clearwatercamp.org.
Fourth, Camp belongs to all of us now. As a result, a large group of volunteers helped make year-end fundraising calls. These calls were successful and I’m happy to report that we’ve reached several goals, one of which is to have enough money to fix the fireplaces in the Dining room and Deck in time for next summer. We also raised more than $10,000 for camperships, which is an important part of our mission. Thank you to everyone who made calls or contributions. We are each responsible for the future success of our camp.
In an effort to improve communication within our community, please know that we want to keep in touch with you – and hope you will keep in touch with us. To that end, please send in your news and updates for the upcoming Voyageur newsletter. You can do so via our website; the deadline is March 1st.
In closing, I am thankful to be part of the Clearwater Family, especially at this interesting and exciting juncture. I hope you feel the same way and I look forward to working with you in 2014. As always, feel free to reach out to me personally (at SBolesCT@gmail.com) or to anyone at the camp office.
My best,
Sarah Boles
President of Clearwater Camp Foundation board
By Sheila Ferguson, CFRE