Back in 1989, I left the corporate world in Texas to return to outdoor ministries. I had grown up in a camping family. My parents ran Lutheran camps for over 22 years, and camp was part of my growing up and my college summers. But coming out of grad school, I really felt I needed to do the corporate thing. I worked close to eight years for Arthur Andersen doing information system consulting before I felt the tug back to outdoor ministries. It was at that time that I landed at Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp in the southern Colorado mountains.
That first year was tough. I actually thought I was going to be fired after my first summer. I had to quickly learn what was important and what could be set aside. I developed a strong philosophy of camping because I was defending it almost daily. My Dad had wise advice: “Your Board is tired from doing the hiring process twice in two years. They will put up with you another year and by then, you’ll be fine.” To my relief, he was right.
The next 37 years became an enormous journey of learning, growing, maturing, and refining my skills as we led camp, learned to fund raise, learned to work with all kinds of people, and learned how to center all my work deeply in my faith. I was part of the Lutheran Outdoor Ministries (LOM) network, and realized the incredible resource I had around me to do my ministry. I learned from those experienced leaders and mentors, and slowly became one myself for many of the new, up and coming directors. Coming out of the corporate world where everything was proprietary and you never shared information with anyone, I realized that the best thing I could do for outdoor ministry was to share my knowledge and become a support for those who were just starting their careers.
I retired as Executive Director at the end of 2025. My time at Rainbow Trail was a true blessing in every sense of the word. I am a different person today because of the place and the people that I encountered. Those treasured relationships will extend far beyond my time as Director.
I joined Gronlund, Sather, Brunkow (GSB Fundraising) in January of this year with the intent to share much of what I had learned over the previous 37 years. Sure, I wanted to help with fundraising annual funds, and even capital campaigns, but I also wanted to see if there was a way to pay it forward through teaching and mentorship. I envisioned working hand-in-hand with new Directors and Executive Directors, helping to kick start their time in their new role the way my early LOM mentors did for me.
With that in mind, I developed four different cohorts around the workings of outdoor ministries. The first cohort centers on financial management, reading financials, and developing budgets. The second cohort focuses on a different approach to summer staffing, recruiting, training, and deepening relations with your alumni. The third cohort is on camp fundraising basics – not a deep dive in any one area, but enough information to help get you started. And the final cohort centers on camp operations – site and facilities, food service, Board relations, and ACA Accreditation. If you want to know more, please contact me at jarvis@gsbfr.com or 719-429-1377. I would love to talk with you and see if there is a way we can work together to help you grow and expand your ministry!
GSB is a Business Affiliate Member of the UMCRM Association. Learn more about Business Affiliate Membership and view our other business members. Learn more about the Cohort programs and other resources at GSB's Center for Generosity.
Join Dave on Tuesday, September 15th at 12 noon PT/ 3:00 pm ET for a free roundtable, "Year-Round Approach to Summer Staffing." Learn more and register
