This is the Referral Rundown, the newsletter that helps camps grow through word of mouth.

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Two weekends ago, I spent 9–5 on Saturday in a one-room community center in Wilkesboro, NC.

Metal folding chair.
Boiled hotdogs for lunch.
Thirty people in the room, nobody talking.

Why was I there?

A fireworks course.

The first step toward getting my 1.3g pyrotechnic license for camp.

Our owner used to have his license – it expired.
Last year, the fire marshal got on our tail.
We were too late to book someone for our usual Fourth of July show.

We still took campers to see fireworks.

But it wasn’t the same.

It wasn’t ours.
It didn’t feel as magical.

So I raised my hand.

Drove three hours to Southeast Wilkes Community Center.

Sat in the folding chair.
Watched the slides with some good ole boys.
Took the test.

I don’t know about you, but this feels like camp to me.

A lot of invisible logistics, so that one special moment feels inevitable.

This tension shows up lots of places in camp:

When you run a smooth drop-off, it feels effortless.

It isn’t.

Cars don’t pile up.
Bags get tagged.
Families are greeted with a smile.
Campers are shown to their cabins.

Logistics, in service of magic.

The right cabin mix can make a summer unforgettable.

From the outside, it looks like luck.

From the inside, it’s spreadsheets.
Parent calls. Cabinmate request forms.
Long conversations about fit.

Invisible structure, visible experience.

When a counselor says,
“This place feels different,”

That feeling didn’t appear by accident.

It’s hiring.
Training.
Clear expectations.
Follow-through.

Magic is built.

And yes – this applies to referral programs!

Word of mouth can feel magical too.

It should.

Parents share because they love camp.

But if you want that sharing to be consistent, it needs a little structure.

Clear incentives.
Clear tracking.
Clear communication.

Not because camp is transactional.

But because logistics protect what’s special.

The fireworks don’t feel less awesome because someone filed paperwork.

They feel more magical because someone did.

Magic without logistics burns out.

Logistics without magic is a machine.

Great camps hold both.

They do the boring work so that one night in July

a camper can look up at the sky and think, this place is incredible.

And no one sees the folding chairs.

Acquired is one of my favorite podcasts.

They do multiple-hour deep dives on the world’s best businesses.

My wife and I listened to the Costco episode on a drive to the beach, and I immediately saw the connection to camp:

There are lessons for camps thinking about retention, value, and “membership” mindset vs. one-off transactions:

Until next time,

Peter “Bug Juice Bandit” Elbaum