Are you Pinterested? If not, you might want to consider adding Pinterest to your social media strategies. Pinterest ranks second only to Facebook for driving people to your website, according to a study from Fall 2013. Pinterest is essentially a public bulletin board where you can post anything that interests you. In the case of your camp, this could include anything from current projects to wish lists and everything in between. Pinterest allows users to organize pins into “boards.” These boards are best used to group your ideas into areas of interest to potential audiences. Don’t limit your scope to just campers and potential campers. Try to think about all the different groups that interact, or you would like to interact, with your ministry. Potential donors? Prospective summer staff? Parents? Here are a few boards you might consider setting up under your camp or retreat center’s account:
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Camp Activities To Try at Home
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Local Church “Camp Night” or “Camp Sunday” Activities
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Local Points of Interest (close to camp)
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Preparing for Camp
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Retreat Ideas
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Services and Programs
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Signs and Structures around your Site
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Staff Profiles
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Wish Lists (for volunteers or donations)
Your ministry needs its own boards, separate from your personal accounts. Make sure to use account and board headings to provide detail about who you are (as a ministry) and what you do. Updating your boards at least once a month will help them show up in Pinterest’s version of the “news feed” for potential campers and friends.
Sometimes keeping up with social media can be daunting, but it pays dividends for your camp. Keep it fun and fresh!
Heather Withrow serves as the Director of Camping and Outdoor Ministries for the West Virginia Annual Conference. When she's not working, um...she's a Camp Director, so never mind. She sometimes spends time on Pinterest, but we promise it’s for Camp, so she’s still working.
Some ideas from around Pinterest:
Program Directors may want to check out:
10 Pinterest Pins I Tried This Summer at Camp
A general summer camp board anyone can contribute to:
Camp Wightman (CT) has a great collection of boards:
Check out Camp Deerhorn, (WI)’s What People Are Saying About Our Camp board, or another one showcasing their camp’s Activities
