Helping Families Afford Camp
The challenges
The current payment options create problems for camps, which Camp Lender fixes.
Families send their kids for less time or not at all due to short payment schedules
Camp Lender allows parents to spread the cost of camp over 12 months with low-cost ethical financing.
Families spend less on camp because their finances are strained by large payments
Financing can increase enrolment by 32% and amount spent per camper by 75%.
Camp staff spend time chasing payments
With financing, your camp receives the full fee up front and the lender collects payments from the families. This means your staff can focus on providing exceptional service.
What is Camp Lender?
Camp lender helps families afford camp by providing access to low-cost ethical financing.
We help camps by increasing affordability, extending the signup window and smoothing out your cash flow.
How it Works
You get paid upfront and in full, while your customers get the option to pay later.
1
Contact Us
Contact us and we will show you the impact Camp Lender could have based on your camp’s unique characteristics.
2
Train your staff
We integrate Camp Lender with your existing workflow and train your staff.
3
Launch the program
We provide marketing expertise to successfully launch the program.
Customer Experience
The Customer selects Camp Lender Financing from the payment options in your existing system (Camp Brain, Campminder)
The customer receives an email with a link to a form that takes one minute to fill out.
The customer receives the confirmation they have been approved instantly.
- Step 1
- Step 2
- Step 3
Our Mission
The camp experience is more important than ever before. Our young people need the opportunity to develop their social skills in a safe and inclusive environment.
Our mission is to help more campers attend camp and help camps thrive financially through the 21st century. We wholeheartedly believe that can be accomplished by fixing the broken camp payments model.
Case Studies
Finance makes it easier for customers to pay through spreading the purchase cost over time. This means more customers buy and they spend more when they do. In other industries, it can increase customer volume by 35% and double the amount customers spend.
Orders paid for with financing are over 100% higher in value versus orders paid by credit card or other payment methods, so we double the order size.
The uplift we’ve from financing is incredible. It allows shoppers to feel in control of their purchasing, without paying the full price up front. Smashing this barrier has undoubtedly helped to boost our buyers’ confidence, leading to greater sales.
This is ultimately the goal of any business – to increase business. The numbers have shown a significant increase in sales since September, and financing has definitely played a significant role in that growth.
Our Team
Trevor Emig
Co-Founder & President
Trevor has 16 years of camp experience as a camper, cabin leader, and waterfront director. He met his future wife at camp, moving to England with her to begin his career in finance.
Trevor's passion for Camp Lender was ignited by a conversation with his Mom. She described the stress large irregular camp payments for two children had on our middle class family. He wants to make it easier for people like his mom to pay for camp.
Tim McKendrick
Co-Founder & CEO
Tim has 19 years of camp experience as a camper, cabin leader, staff member, and Camp Director/CEO. Camp gave Tim many valuable lessons on leadership and integrity. In 2018 Tim left the world of software product management to run his childhood camp in Michigan. In 2021 Tim made Camp Lender his main focus.
Tim hopes that Camp Lender can allow more kids to experience the joys of resident summer camp.
Keith VanDerzee
Director of Business Development
Keith has more than 25 years of experience in camp in Executive leadership and CEO roles. Keith met his future wife at camp, and credits camp for virtually everything good that has happened in his life. Prior to camp, Keith worked as a broker and financial analyst in Washington, DC and Manhattan, and understands the important role that finances play in the decision for parents and guardians to send their children to camp.
Keith's hope is that Camp Lender can make the important, impactful camp experience possible for more children.
Contact Us
Would you like to learn more about how Camp Lender can help your Camp? If so, fill out the form below and one of the team will arrange a conversation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q.
Does Camp Lender work with my existing camp management software?
A.
Yes, Camp Lender requires no special technical integrations. It fits right into your existing workflow.
Q.
Do we need to sign a long term contract?
A.
No, Camp Lender requires no long term contracts. You can cancel anytime without penalty.
Q.
I have an existing relationship with my local bank. Can I just work with them to offer financing instead?
A.
Camp Lender was created to fill a niche in the market. The camp industry is a new market for financing and the total amount per camp is too low to make it a worthwhile investment for your local bank.
Q.
How much is Camp Lender?
A.
Camp Lender charges a small transaction fee similar to the credit card transaction fees you are already use to. Offering financing to your camp families couldn’t be easier.
Q.
What if someone finances camp but can’t pay?
A.
All customers go through a fast approval process that makes sure they have exceptional credit before lending. In the unlikely event of a default the financial institution bares the burden of collections and missed payments. Your camp is not impacted.
Q.
How do we handle refunds?
A.
When a camp family pays with Camp Lender you receive the full fee minus the transaction fee. In a refund scenario you can simply send the customer a check or offer store credit. It works with any refund policy you currently have.