Camp Highland

What Camp Highland does

Camp Highland is a nonprofit Christian summer camp and retreat center founded in 1993 by Bill and Betsy Chapman, operating under the umbrella of Highland Ministries in Ellijay, Georgia. The organization runs week-long overnight summer camps for rising 4th through 12th graders with specialty programs (Watersports Camp, Leadership Summit, GO Program), a day camp for K-5th graders hosted at Fellowship Bible Church in Roswell, GA, and offers family retreats, group retreats for schools and churches, corporate team-building events, and a winter camp. In 2018, Camp Highland served approximately 6,577 people across programs, including 1,000 overnight campers and 400 day campers, and maintained partnerships with 26 schools, 21 churches, and 8 corporate teams. Subsidiary programs under Highland Ministries also include Beyond (youth ministry), Highland Family, and Grace Valley Ministries.

The business operates as a non-profit and is funded through three revenue streams: camp tuition and fees ($940/week for standard overnight, $1,150/week for specialty programs), donations managed via the Kindful donor platform supporting scholarships, capital, land acquisition, and general operations, and group/corporate retreat fees. Annual fundraising events include the 26-year-old Golf Classic at The Golf Club of Georgia and the newly launched Sporting Clays Classic. The technology stack relies on standard third-party SaaS tools—CampInTouch for registration, Zoho CRM and Campaigns for communications, Kindful and Bloomerang for donor management—with no proprietary technology platform or AI/ML components.

Operationally, the organization runs with 12 full-time staff, 72 seasonal college-student counselors (33 returning from prior summers), and over 100 volunteers, executing programming that includes high ropes courses, zip lining, watersports on Carters Lake, whitewater rafting on the Ocoee/Nantahala/Cartecay rivers, and year-round retreat programming. Distribution is primarily direct-to-consumer via online registration, supplemented by embedded referral partnerships with schools and churches.

Name

Camp Highland

Legal name

Camp Highland

Website

https://camphighland.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Camp Highland is a nonprofit Christian summer camp and retreat center founded in 1993 in Ellijay, Georgia, offering overnight camps, day camps, family and group retreats, corporate events, and faith-based outdoor adventure programs for families, schools, and churches.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Summer Camps and Retreat Services

NAICS

Recreational and Vacation Camps (except Campgrounds) (721214), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Recreation Campgrounds (Amenities/Activities Focus) (THAMAJAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Group Camping & Scout Camps (THAGAOAI), Multi-Activity Enrichment Camps (Academic + Arts + Sports) (EDAMALAA)

Keywords

• Summer camp programs
• Christian youth retreats
• Family retreat center
• Corporate team building
• Outdoor adventure ministry

Headquarters

HQ city

Ellijay

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Camp Tuition and Fees: Primary revenue stream from overnight camp ($940/week for standard, $1,150/week for specialty programs like Watersports and Leadership Summit). Direct registration fees charged to families for summer camp programs.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Donor contributions through Kindful platform supporting scholarship funds, capital projects, land acquisition, and general operations. Major annual fundraising events include Golf Classic and Sporting Clays Classic.
3. Group Retreats and Corporate Events: Revenue from hosting group retreats for schools, churches, and corporate teams at the Ellijay facility. Includes overnight accommodations, activities, and programming services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Camp Highland operates a Christian summer camp and retreat center in Ellijay, Georgia, providing week-long overnight summer camps for rising 4th-12th graders, a K-5th grade day camp in Roswell, family retreats, customized group retreats for schools and churches, and corporate team-building events. Programs combine high-adventure outdoor activities (zip lining, rappelling, watersports on Carters Lake, white water rafting) with biblical leadership development and cabin-based Christian ministry. Revenue is generated through camp tuition, group retreat fees, and donor fundraising supporting a scholarship program.

Product overview

Camp Highland is a Christian summer camp and retreat center located in Ellijay, Georgia, offering a portfolio of experiential programs centered on outdoor adventure and faith-based ministry. The core offerings include Overnight Summer Camp for rising 4th-12th graders (featuring high ropes, zip lining, tubing, white water rafting, and more), specialized programs for high schoolers (Watersports Camp, Leadership Summit, and GO Program), Highland Day Camp for K-5th graders, Family Retreats, Group Retreats for schools and churches, and Corporate Events for team building. The organization also hosts annual fundraising events including the Golf Classic and Sporting Clays Classic, operates a semester-long Internship Program, and maintains a Scholarship Program to ensure financial accessibility. Camp Highland is part of Highland Ministries, which includes related branches: Beyond, Highland Family, and Grace Valley Ministries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 6,577 people served annually across all programs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Watersports CentralcoreTechnology or Integration · 22 May 2019Watersports Central partnered with Camp Highland to provide watersports programming featuring Nautique boats (GS24 and G21 models) for wakeboarding, wakesurfing, skiing, and tubing. This partnership enabled the launch of the all-new Watersports Camp for rising 10th-12th graders, with campers on the water almost every day. The partnership provides access to world-class boats for the specialty program.
• Thread HCMminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 May 2019Thread HCM, a human capital management company, volunteered their team of 20 employees for a day to help prepare Highland Day Camp for summer. They focused on beautifying trails by laying mulch along paths leading to outdoor team building activities. This corporate volunteer partnership demonstrates community involvement while helping camp prepare facilities.
• KindfulcoreTechnology or Integration · 22 April 2019Kindful is the donor platform used for managing donations, printing tax receipts, viewing transaction history, updating donor profiles, and managing recurring donations. Donors can give to specific funds including Scholarship, Capital, Land, and General Operations. This platform replaced an older system and provides improved donor management capabilities.
• Fellowship Bible Church (Roswell, GA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 December 2018Fellowship Bible Church partnered with Camp Highland to host Highland Day Camp at their Roswell, GA facility. This provides a permanent home for the day camp program serving rising K-5th graders in the Alpharetta and Crabapple areas. The church stopped hosting their own summer outreach and sought to partner with an organization whose mission aligned with theirs. The property offers safe surroundings away from major roads and opportunities for new community relationships.
• Garland Mountain Sporting ClaysminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGarland Mountain Sporting Clays in Waleska, GA serves as the venue for the 1st Annual Highland Ministries Sporting Clays Classic on August 26, 2026. The venue offers a professionally designed 100-target sporting clays course with scenic stations.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sky Ranch: Faith-based youth camp and retreat organization in Texas and Colorado offering summer camps, winter retreats, and family retreats; comparable in its mix of camp sessions, retreat programming, and multi-age Christian ministry focus.
• WinShape Foundation: Christian-based youth camp and retreat center in Georgia founded on the Chick-fil-A legacy; offers overnight summer camps, day camps, retreats, and conferences — directly comparable to Camp Highland's faith-based outdoor programming in the same regional market.
• Lifeway CentriKid: Baptist-affiliated summer camp programs for elementary and middle schoolers with overnight format, faith-based programming, and church-partner recruitment model; overlaps Camp Highland on youth camp curriculum and church partnership channels.
• Eagle's Landing Camp: Christian youth camp in Georgia offering summer overnight camp and year-round retreats; directly comparable in geography, faith-based programming, and target market of Christian families with K-12 children.
• Kanakuk Kamps: Network of Christian summer camps in Branson, Missouri serving K-12 campers with adventure, sports, and leadership programs; comparable to Camp Highland in target audience, faith-based programming model, and week-long premium pricing structure.
• Pine Cove: Network of Christian summer camps across Texas serving elementary through high schoolers with overnight and day programs plus family retreats; comparable faith-based outdoor ministry model with similar family retreat vertical.

Broad incumbents

• Young Life: National Christian youth ministry organization operating summer camps, retreats, and year-round programming; broader incumbent whose summer camp portfolio competes for the same faith-based family segment nationally.

Regional players

• Lakepoint Retreat Center: Georgia-based retreat and event venue serving churches, schools, and corporate groups; overlaps directly with Camp Highland's group retreats and corporate events vertical in the same regional market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/camphighland
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/camp-highland
• Instagraminstagram.com/camphighland

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Camp Highland