Make Camp Count

 

Summer looks different on every independent school campus. For some, it brings a welcome change of pace in a quiet building. For others, it’s one of the busiest seasons, filled with camps, programs and new faces. Whatever the case may be at your school, summer presents a natural opportunity to rethink familiar offerings and the role they can play beyond the school year.

Maximizing auxiliary opportunities has been a career-long mission for Weston Outlaw, chief financial and operations officer at Columbus Academy in Ohio. A proud and grateful graduate of independent schools himself, Outlaw brings both a personal perspective and practical insights to rethinking auxiliary programming. For Outlaw, these offerings are not merely seasonal add-ons, but drivers of financial sustainability and community engagement.

In this episode, Outlaw and I explore what it looks like to step into a leadership role with a fresh perspective, how schools can approach non-tuition revenue with intention, and why auxiliary programs may be one of the most underutilized opportunities in independent schools today.

Jeff Shields: When most people look at auxiliary programs at independent schools, they probably think of it as a “nice to have” thing for the community, right? But [auxiliary programs] are still 5 or 6% of a school's operating budget, which most people might not really understand. That's 5 or 6% that you don't have to get from tuition or you don't have to get from a donor. When did it really click for you, the financial impact that a healthy auxiliary program has for a school?

More on Weston

Weston Outlaw is chief financial and operations officer at Columbus Academy in Ohio. Weston came to Columbus Academy from the University School of Milwaukee, where he served as the CFO 2023-2025. Prior to that, Weston was at Cranbrook Schools in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where he served as the director of business services as well as the director of special and summer programs.

Weston Outlaw: It goes back to Culver Academies [in Indiana], where they have a huge summer program and where I attended as a student. I got to see how much a summer program could be involved in a revenue situation with schools. Today, [they take in] 1,400 kids every summer from 40 countries, compared to only 800 students in the academic year. It is a large part of their revenue — not anywhere near tuition, of course — but if you look at their income statement, it’s [a significant addition].

Shields: What do you think separates an okay auxiliary program from a really outstanding one?

Outlaw: I look at the name itself, “auxiliary programs.” It's other programs. And if you have that thinking, your other programs will provide the [5-6%] percentage that you mentioned. It will be fine. But if you really want to grow, you're going to want to make [auxiliary programs] a pillar of your institution. It can't just be that when school is out, we run these cute little programs that give us a little money. Instead we want to say, whether you go to school on campus or you go to camp here, everyone can have a Columbus Academy experience in their own way.

Shields: What makes Columbus Academy ripe for delivering that kind of auxiliary program experience?

We also thought further about the size of our campus, which is 231 acres, and the fact that we have 1,160 students here during the school year. Why couldn’t we have 1,160 campers in the summer?

Outlaw: When I first came to the school, we had a great program, but we didn’t get a lot from it financially. If that was the same for tuition, the school would not be running.

I've been working with our special programs director, who has been here for a long while and is absolutely amazing. I said, “Let’s be partners. Let's keep your program the same as much as possible but clean up the back end a bit.” We worked together on spreadsheets and put up guardrails up that practically guaranteed a better financial outcome. We also thought further about the size of our campus, which is 231 acres, and the fact that we have 1,160 students here during the school year. Why couldn’t we have 1,160 campers in the summer?

We’re launching a more traditional program this year alongside our more specialized camps, and the registrations are great. We need to grow the school’s total revenue to be sustainable and follow our strategic vision, and that's what we're doing with the camp. The board and head and my fellow senior leaders all understand this.

Shields: It sounds like what you've created is more holistic, more about developing community and connection among the participants. Is that what you're going for?

Number one for families is our ability to cater to them for the entire time that kids are out of school. So are we looking at our own calendar and the public school calendar, and we're trying to align as much as we can.

Outlaw: Absolutely right. The new program is centered on building relationships, and we wanted the pricing strategy to reflect that goal. To support this, we structured it so participants receive a significant discount when they commit to the full 10-week experience. I've been training our special programs director and her staff that the length matters.

We want new families. Number one for families is our ability to cater to them for the entire time that kids are out of school. So are we looking at our own calendar and the public school calendar, and we're trying to align as much as we can.

Shields: What is your advice for other business officers in terms of how engaged they should be in their auxiliary programs?

Outlaw: First, you need to look at your special programs person (if you have one) and look at yourself. Then align the skills. Also think about your marketing and communications department. They should be involved in this. And your admissions office. And eventually, If you grow the program enough and there's some length to it where kids start feeling that they're connected to the summer program over a longer period of time, you can get your development office involved because now you have created a new affinity group for them to eventually solicit and engage with in the future.

Shields: What do you say about the relationship between a successful auxiliary program and enrollment?

You could send an email to those prospective parents saying, 'Hey, look at our school.' Or you could create a long-term, lasting relationship with them in the summer.

Outlaw: It is so important, Jeff. Let’s say we have 500 kids on campus for summer, and 300 of them are not our students. You could send an email to those prospective parents saying, “Hey, look at our school.” Or you could create a long-term, lasting relationship with them in the summer. In our case, we're talking about 10 weeks of camp, 10 weeks of continuous engagement that demonstrates a reason to come back.

Shields: You've made me a believer. That's all I can say with your passion and your energy around this topic. I think other people listening are going to be believers too.

Listen to the full episode.

Jeffrey Shields, FASAE, CAE
NBOA President and CEO
Follow NBOA President and CEO Jeff Shields on LinkedIn.