By Troika Brodsky, Director of Development and Alumni Engagement
Happy New Year! I’m excited to share the results of our recent Alumni Engagement Survey. Thank you to everyone who participated—your feedback is invaluable as we shape the future of alumni programming and connections at Camp Nebagamon.
Key Takeaways
- Access to Archival Materials: Alumni expressed strong interest in improved/additional access to camp archival materials such as photos, videos, cabin lists, and more.
- Volunteer Opportunities: Many alumni were excited about the possibility of expanded short-term summer volunteer opportunities at camp across a variety of roles both traditionally programmic and uniquely one-off like Trails Forward.
- The Keylog Format: Survey responses indicated a strong preference for The Keylog to remain in its current online format, but published more frequently than annually.
- Reunion Tour Preferences: Regarding this winter’s two event types—Camp Reunions (for the entire Camp Family with a focus on current campers) and Alumni Assemblies (for adult alumni, partners, and current staff)—nearly 65% of respondents favored continuing with two distinct event formats.
- Online Alumni Platform: An impressive 85% of alumni showed interest in a dedicated online platform for alumni engagement, featuring a directory, messaging, and affinity groups, similar to what many universities offer.
Facebook Alumni Group: A majority of respondents supported creating an official Camp Nebagamon Alumni Facebook Group. Thanks to your feedback we’re thrilled to announce that this Group now exists! If you’re a Camp Nebagamon alumnus on Facebook, join us here: www.facebook.com/groups/campnebagamonalumni/
Ideas and Suggestions from Our Alumni
Here are just a few of the fantastic ideas shared by our alumni for future Camp Nebagamon programming and opportunities:
- “Spending time at camp during the winter months.”
- “Smaller pre- or post-camp sessions for adults and partners (not kids) with hikes, canoe trips, outings to beaches etc. Could be off-season for retired, empty nesters.”
- “As a recent college graduate, I would find any form of ORGANIZED career networking event—or even a virtual info session about the camp alumni network and how to take advantage of it—to be quite helpful.”
- “Some of us like to enjoy nature from the comfort of a nice comfy bed. How about a group weekend at a lovely wilderness hotel like the Ahwanee at Grand Canyon, or the hotel on Madeline Island? Can enjoy group dinners, nature walks, etc.”
- “Career mentoring would be great! We all come from different vocational backgrounds, and just like frat brothers, being able to network with camp alums for the purpose of career guidance would be awesome. Both for alums fresh out of high school/college, to older alums seeking a career change.”
- “Collecting alumni memories (recordings or written) while we still can.”
- “Online current directory that alumni can update themselves.”
- “I honestly love the idea of career networking opportunities as someone who’s recently shifted into a new career and am considering other shifts in the future! I think holding ‘class reunions’ at camp after family camp would be really cool and worth exploring. Inviting guys back 5-10 years after their 9th grade summer would be a great way to keep guys who don’t come back on staff ingrained in camp in some way potentially.”
Thank you again for sharing your thoughts and ideas. While we can’t promise to implement all the incredible suggestions we received, your input is inspiring our efforts to create meaningful new engagement opportunities. We’re excited to keep the dialogue going and strengthen our alumni community. Please keep in mind that many of these initiatives will require ongoing volunteer support from our alumni to ensure their success and sustainability. Stay tuned for updates on new initiatives, events, and ways to work with our Director of Alumni Engagement and Camp Nebagamon’s leadership team to bring these projects to life throughout the new year!
Keep The Fires Burning!
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