How Capacity Yield Management Helps Camps Serve More Guests, Increase Revenue, and Maximize Existing Resources

Most camp leaders spend a lot of time thinking about growth. They look for ways to attract more guests, improve marketing, and increase registrations. When weekends aren’t booking as quickly as they’d like, the instinct is often to assume there’s a sales problem.

But what if the real opportunity isn’t bringing in more inquiries? What if it’s making better use of the guests and facilities you already have?

That’s the question Carl Lefever explores with co-host Mark P. Fisher in this episode of the Grow Your Camp Podcast. Drawing on years of experience helping camps optimize their guest group calendars, Mark introduces the concept of Capacity Yield Management—a practical approach to serving more guests, increasing revenue, and becoming a better steward of the resources God has already entrusted to a camp.

Along the way, the conversation touches on everything from marketing and storytelling to occupancy, exclusive use policies, meeting room limitations, and the systems that help camps grow without sacrificing the guest experience.

Quick Camp Marketing Tip: Share Benefits, Not Features

Before diving into the main discussion, Mark shares a marketing principle that every camp can put into practice immediately: stop promoting your camp’s features and start sharing the transformation those features make possible.

It’s easy to fill social media with pictures of climbing walls, zip lines, dining halls, and beautiful sunsets. Those things certainly help tell the story of camp, but by themselves they rarely answer the question prospective guests are actually asking.

How will camp change me?

Instead of creating endless new marketing content, Mark encourages camps to pay closer attention to the stories already unfolding around them. Borrowing from Gary Vaynerchuk’s advice to “document, don’t create,” he reminds listeners that life-changing moments are happening every week. Campers overcome fears. Families reconnect. Pastors find rest. Volunteers discover purpose. Those stories already exist—they simply need to be noticed and shared.

One interaction at Sandy Cove has stayed with him for years. While talking with a family visiting from New York City, he learned they were balancing demanding medical careers while raising three children. When he asked what Sandy Cove meant to them, their answer wasn’t about the accommodations or activities.

It was simply their “rest stop.”

That response perfectly captured what marketing often misses. The value wasn’t the room they stayed in or the meals they ate. It was the rest, renewal, and encouragement they experienced while they were there. That’s the story future guests need to hear.

Mark suggests a simple framework for capturing these moments:

• What problem did the guest bring with them?
• What happened while they were at camp?
• What changed because of the experience?

Those stories become powerful because they demonstrate the impact of camp rather than simply describing it.

“People don’t just want more information. They want evidence. Evidence through story that your camp is changing lives.”

Carl adds that most camps are already hearing these stories during conversations with guests. The challenge isn’t finding them—it’s taking the extra step to document and share them.

A Different Way to Think About Capacity

As the conversation shifts to the main topic, Carl explains why Capacity Yield Management immediately caught his attention.

Before entering the camping industry, he spent nearly twenty years helping manufacturing facilities improve efficiency and quality. Capacity management was a familiar concept in that world, but after moving into camping, he rarely heard anyone use the same language.

Most camps, he observes, naturally focus on increasing bookings. When registrations lag, the assumption is that more marketing or stronger sales efforts are needed. Yet after spending time with Mark, he began realizing that many camps face a different challenge altogether.

They’re turning away business while still leaving capacity unused.

To help define the idea, Carl asks Mark to explain Capacity Yield Management in the simplest terms possible.

Mark’s answer is surprisingly straightforward.

It’s like playing Tetris.

Every reservation, guest group, cabin assignment, and calendar date is another piece that needs to fit together. Without someone intentionally managing those pieces, empty beds and unused facilities become inevitable. The goal isn’t simply to have bookings on the calendar. It’s to arrange those bookings in a way that maximizes the camp’s ability to serve people.

That distinction changes how a camp thinks about growth. Instead of asking, “Are we booked?” the better question becomes, “Are we making the best possible use of the capacity we have?”

Why “Full” Isn’t Always Full

Mark’s perspective on capacity didn’t come from theory alone. It developed while serving as Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Forest Home in California, where he was responsible for helping fill multiple camp centers. Over time, he noticed a pattern that still exists at many camps today.

Staff members would regularly tell him a particular weekend was “full.”

Instead of accepting that answer, he started asking a follow-up question.

“What do you mean by full?”

The response was almost always the same. A guest group had reserved the property for exclusive use, so everyone assumed there was no more space available. But when Mark looked more closely, the numbers often told a different story.

On one occasion, a group had reserved a camp with 500 beds but was only bringing around 325 guests. The calendar showed the weekend as unavailable, yet more than 170 beds sat empty. From Mark’s perspective, the camp wasn’t full at all. It was operating at roughly 65 percent occupancy while turning away additional ministry opportunities.

That realization fundamentally changed how he began looking at capacity.

Rather than viewing each weekend as either “booked” or “available,” he started measuring how much of the camp’s actual capacity was being used. Every empty bed represented an opportunity that would disappear once that day passed. Unlike inventory sitting in a warehouse, an unused night at camp can never be recovered.

To illustrate the point, Mark points to Southwest Airlines, whose founder inspired much of his thinking about Capacity Yield Management. Every airplane has a fixed number of seats. Once a flight departs, any empty seat represents revenue that can never be earned. That’s why airlines constantly adjust pricing, routes, and schedules to maximize occupancy.

Camp leaders face a remarkably similar challenge.

Every night an empty bed goes unused is another opportunity for ministry—and revenue—that is permanently lost.

Measuring Capacity the Right Way

As the discussion continues, Carl raises an important question. Camps measure capacity in many different ways.

Some count how many weekends have reservations. Others count cabins in use. Some think in terms of programs scheduled throughout the year, while others focus on the number of guests who attend during the summer.

Mark believes those measurements can all be useful, but none of them answer the most important question.

How many beds do you have available, and how many of those beds are actually occupied?

He recommends starting with the simplest possible calculation. Determine how many beds your camp can realistically use during each season. Some camps may have additional lodging available during the summer but close facilities during the winter. That’s perfectly reasonable, as long as the available capacity is measured accurately for each season.

From there, multiply the number of available beds by the number of operating days. That gives a clear picture of the camp’s total annual capacity. Once that number is established, it’s much easier to see what percentage of those available bed nights are actually being filled.

Carl notes that this approach often surprises camp leaders because it reveals just how much room remains for growth. A camp that feels busy throughout the year may discover it is operating at a relatively low overall occupancy rate once every available bed night is taken into account.

That doesn’t mean every camp should strive for 100 percent occupancy every day of the year. In fact, both Carl and Mark acknowledge that such a goal would likely be unrealistic and unhealthy.

Instead, the objective is continual improvement.

Occupancy Is More Than a Percentage

When camp leaders ask what occupancy rate they should be targeting, Mark resists giving a universal benchmark.

While the hospitality industry often points to occupancy rates somewhere around 60 to 70 percent as healthy, every camp operates under different financial realities. Rather than comparing one camp to another, he encourages leaders to understand their own numbers first.

The better question is this:

At what occupancy level does your camp cover its costs?

Once leaders know what it costs to house guests, serve meals, maintain facilities, and staff the property, they can determine their break-even occupancy. From there, every improvement creates additional margin that can be reinvested into the ministry through facility improvements, staff development, insurance, maintenance, marketing, and future growth.

Carl appreciates that approach because it shifts the conversation away from chasing someone else’s benchmark.

Rather than worrying about whether another camp is operating at 70 percent occupancy, leaders should understand where they are today, identify where they need to be financially, and steadily work toward improving their own stewardship of the resources they’ve been given.

Managing Reservation Holds Without Losing Opportunities

After establishing how to measure capacity, Carl turns to one of the challenges nearly every camp faces: holding space for groups that aren’t ready to commit.

The situation is familiar. A church finishes its retreat and says they plan to come back next year, but leadership changes or budgeting conversations mean they won’t be ready to sign a contract for several months. Or a new group requests a proposal, explains they’re comparing several camps, and asks if the dates can be held while they make a decision.

The natural response is to say yes.

After all, camps want to be accommodating, especially when working with long-time guests. But Mark warns that indefinite holds often create unintended consequences. While a calendar may appear booked, those dates aren’t truly secured until there’s a signed contract and deposit. Meanwhile, other groups who are ready to commit may be turned away.

Rather than choosing between protecting the relationship or protecting the calendar, Mark recommends a process that accomplishes both.

If a returning group needs additional time, he suggests giving them the first right to the dates instead of placing the weekend on an open-ended hold. If another qualified group requests those dates, the returning guest receives a phone call and a defined window—perhaps twenty-four hours—to decide whether they want to move forward.

That approach respects loyal guests while still allowing the camp to steward its calendar responsibly. It also creates clarity for everyone involved. Returning groups understand the expectations from the beginning, and camp staff avoid the difficult conversations that happen when months of uncertainty suddenly end with a group deciding not to return after all.

Mark shares one example where a camp held a significant retreat date for more than six months while waiting for a long-time guest to make a decision. During that time, other inquiries were redirected elsewhere. Eventually, the returning group chose another venue altogether, leaving the camp with an expensive hole in its calendar that could have been avoided with a clearer reservation process.

Carl appreciates that this approach balances stewardship with relationships. Rather than creating conflict, both parties understand the process ahead of time, allowing expectations to be managed before problems arise.

Mark adds one final thought. A process like this only works if someone is paying attention. Camps need systems that remind staff to follow up, check in with groups, and revisit pending reservations. Good stewardship depends on more than good intentions—it requires consistent follow-through.

Rethinking Exclusive Use

The conversation naturally leads to another practice that has a significant impact on occupancy: exclusive use.

Many camps offer groups the option to reserve the entire property, but the requirements vary widely. Some base exclusivity on the number of guests attending. Others establish a minimum dollar amount. Carl asks Mark how he approaches those decisions when working with camps.

Mark begins with the same question that has guided the entire conversation.

What is the best stewardship of the resources you’ve been given?

If a camp has 300 beds and three meeting rooms, allowing a group of 150 guests to reserve the entire property means half of the available lodging—and potentially additional meeting space—sits unused all weekend. Unless there’s a compelling reason, that rarely represents the best use of the camp’s capacity.

Instead of viewing exclusive use as a simple yes-or-no decision, Mark encourages camps to recognize that exclusivity has value.

If a group wants the privacy and flexibility that comes with having the property to themselves, the pricing should reflect the revenue the camp is giving up by declining other groups. Rather than refusing the request outright, camps can offer exclusive use at a price that accounts for the unused capacity.

Interestingly, Mark says many groups are willing to pay that premium because exclusivity genuinely matters to their event.

As a general guideline, he recommends allowing some room for a group’s attendance to fluctuate while still protecting the camp’s ability to maximize occupancy. On a 300-bed property, for example, a group bringing roughly 270 guests is approaching true exclusive-use territory. That remaining flexibility allows attendance to grow while keeping the property financially healthy.

Carl points out that this mindset changes the conversation entirely. Exclusive use isn’t something groups automatically deserve simply because they ask for it. It’s a valuable option that carries an equally valuable opportunity cost for the camp.

Mark takes the idea one step further by encouraging camp leaders to determine the maximum revenue a typical weekend could realistically generate. Once that target is understood, every reservation decision can be evaluated against it. If accepting one event means turning away opportunities that would better fulfill the camp’s mission and financial goals, leaders can make those decisions with greater confidence instead of relying on instinct alone.

Capacity Is About More Than Beds

By this point in the conversation, it’s clear that simply counting beds doesn’t tell the whole story.

Carl asks whether a camp can really maximize occupancy by filling every available bed, or whether other constraints eventually come into play.

Mark doesn’t hesitate.

Meeting rooms often become the next limiting factor.

A camp may have 300 beds, but if it only has one large meeting space, it’s effectively designed to host one group at a time. Since the average church retreat group is much smaller than 300 people, that means much of the camp’s lodging capacity sits unused. To host multiple groups successfully, camps need enough appropriately sized meeting spaces to serve them independently. Otherwise, meeting rooms—not lodging—become the bottleneck.

Dining facilities create similar challenges. A dining room that seats 250 people limits how many guests can comfortably eat at one time, even if there are hundreds of additional beds available. Some camps solve that problem by introducing multiple meal shifts, while others expand dining facilities over time. Either way, it’s another reminder that capacity is determined by the entire guest experience, not just the number of mattresses on the property.

Carl also shares an observation from a camp he recently visited. Although the camp wanted to attract more guest groups during the off-season, they had discovered that not every type of group used their facilities equally well.

Most of their lodging consisted of bunk-style cabins. Youth groups had no problem filling every bunk, making them an excellent fit for the facility. Adult retreats were different. Many guests preferred lower bunks or private sleeping arrangements, effectively reducing the camp’s usable capacity even though the same number of beds technically existed.

Rather than seeing that as a limitation, Mark views it as another opportunity to think creatively.

He describes one camp that converted traditional bunk rooms into family-friendly accommodations during the Christmas season by adding Murphy beds and redesigning the experience for families. The room still generated comparable revenue, but it served a completely different audience.

That’s one of the themes running throughout the conversation. Capacity Yield Management isn’t simply about squeezing more people into existing space. It’s about understanding how different guests use that space and adapting accordingly.

The Four C’s of Capacity Yield Management

As the discussion turns toward practical application, Mark introduces a framework his team has used for years to help camps think more strategically about occupancy.

He calls them the Four C’s of Capacity Yield Management.

The first is Combine.

Many camps naturally separate their own programs from guest groups. Summer camps occupy certain weeks, retreat groups occupy others, and the two rarely overlap. But when programs consistently use only a portion of the available beds, there may be opportunities to host compatible guest groups at the same time. A youth camp with room to spare, for example, might successfully share the property with another youth group while maintaining a positive experience for both.

The goal isn’t simply to add more people. It’s to thoughtfully combine compatible groups so the camp’s facilities are used more effectively.

The second C is Cancel.

This can be the most difficult one.

Every camp has traditions it loves. Some events have existed for decades and hold deep sentimental value. But if an event consistently serves only a small number of guests while occupying one of the camp’s most valuable weekends, leaders have to ask difficult questions.

Stewardship sometimes requires pruning.

Cancelling a long-running event isn’t about abandoning tradition. It’s about making room for opportunities that better serve the camp’s mission today. As painful as those conversations can be, Mark believes they are sometimes necessary if a camp hopes to grow.

The third C is Create.

Here, Mark encourages camps to resist the temptation to invent programs simply because they sound interesting. Instead, begin by listening.

What are churches asking for?

What needs continue surfacing in conversations with pastors and ministry leaders?

Rather than creating events in isolation, camps can build new programs around real demand. When a church expresses a need for a family retreat or another specialized experience, that church may even become the anchor group that helps launch the event successfully.

For Mark, creativity begins with curiosity, not assumptions.

Finally comes Cram.

The word is intentionally provocative, but Mark is quick to explain what he means.

Filling more beds should never come at the expense of the guest experience. If camps increase occupancy without adding staff or improving operations, guests will encounter long lines, crowded activities, and frustrated employees. Simply adding people isn’t success.

Instead, camps should gradually build the systems, staffing, and operational capacity needed to serve larger numbers well. When that preparation happens, higher occupancy becomes an opportunity rather than a burden.

Carl appreciates that perspective because it reinforces an important principle. Every improvement reveals the next constraint. Solving one bottleneck often exposes another, giving camp leaders a clear direction for continual improvement instead of chasing an impossible finish line.

Making Capacity Yield Management Part of Your Culture

By now, it’s obvious that Capacity Yield Management isn’t something a camp director can manage alone. It requires ongoing communication between departments, regular evaluation, and a willingness to adjust plans as new opportunities emerge.

Mark explains that at Forest Home this wasn’t an occasional conversation. It was a weekly discipline.

Every week, the Yield Management Team gathered around a status report that tracked each program, its budget, current registrations, and how bookings compared to projections months into the future. If a camp-owned program was falling behind while demand for those dates was increasing from guest groups, the team could make informed decisions before the opportunity disappeared.

Those meetings weren’t simply about filling holes in the calendar. They created a space where program leaders and guest services staff could solve problems together.

Carl points out that many camps unintentionally build walls between those departments. Program staff think about camp-owned events. Guest services focuses on outside groups. When each team only protects its own calendar, opportunities are easily missed.

Mark agrees.

When everyone is looking at the same calendar together, entirely new possibilities begin to emerge. A guest group looking for a winter retreat might inspire the camp to add another weekend of its own winter camp. A struggling program might free up dates that allow a large retreat group to book. Rather than competing for calendar space, both teams begin working toward the same objective: maximizing ministry through better stewardship of the camp’s resources.

To keep those meetings positive, Mark also built celebration into the process.

Whenever the team reached its occupancy goals, everyone celebrated together. If they missed the target, the conversation shifted to learning instead of blame. The goal wasn’t simply to fill more beds—it was to continually improve how the camp served its guests.

Don’t Be Afraid to Get Creative

One of the more unexpected moments in the conversation comes when Mark offers a piece of advice that initially catches Carl off guard.

“Don’t be afraid of the bribe.”

He isn’t suggesting camps break agreements or pressure guests into changing plans. Instead, he’s encouraging leaders to recognize that flexibility has value.

Imagine a group of seventy guests has already booked a weekend when a much larger group later requests exclusive use of the property. Rather than immediately saying no, the camp can approach the first group and ask whether they’d be willing to move to another available weekend in exchange for a discount or another meaningful incentive.

Sometimes they’ll decline.

But sometimes they’ll happily accept.

When that happens, everyone benefits. The first group receives added value, the larger group secures the dates they need, and the camp makes better use of its available capacity. It’s another example of thinking creatively rather than assuming the calendar is fixed once the first reservation is made.

Curiosity Leads to Better Stewardship

As the episode draws to a close, Carl asks perhaps the simplest question of the day.

Why invest all this effort?

Why spend time measuring occupancy, refining reservation policies, coordinating departments, and continually adjusting the calendar?

For Mark, the answer comes back to stewardship.

Every empty bed represents someone who could have experienced camp but didn’t. Every improvement in occupancy creates additional resources that can be reinvested into facilities, staff, programs, and future ministry. Capacity Yield Management isn’t primarily about increasing revenue. Revenue is simply what makes greater ministry possible.

When Carl asks what he hopes listeners remember most, Mark doesn’t return to percentages or spreadsheets.

Instead, he offers three simple reminders:

Pay attention.

Be curious.

Measure what you have.

Those ideas bookend the entire conversation. The episode began with curiosity learned through travel and ends by applying that same mindset to camp leadership. Leaders who remain curious ask better questions. They notice opportunities others overlook. And instead of accepting “that’s how we’ve always done it,” they begin looking for better ways to serve more guests with the resources already entrusted to them.

Where to Go From Here

Before signing off, Carl encourages listeners to avoid feeling overwhelmed by everything discussed in the episode.

Capacity Yield Management isn’t something a camp masters overnight. The goal isn’t to implement every idea immediately but to take an honest look at where the camp stands today and begin making steady improvements. Maybe that means measuring occupancy differently. Maybe it’s reviewing an exclusive use policy, evaluating how long reservation holds should last, or bringing program and guest services leaders together for regular planning meetings.

Small improvements, repeated over time, can have a remarkable impact.

As Mark reminds listeners elsewhere in the conversation, you can’t minister to an empty bed. Every step toward better stewardship creates new opportunities for more guests to experience what camp has to offer.

If you’d like to explore more episodes, read additional resources, or connect with the Grow Your Camp team, visit GrowYourCampPodcast.com. There you’ll find past episodes, companion blog articles, and information about working with the team if you’re looking for additional support in growing your camp. And as always, Carl closes with the same encouragement that has become the podcast’s signature:

Let’s grow camp together.