GODDARD YOUTH CAMP CASE STUDY
Situated within a national park, Goddard Youth Camp has been a cornerstone of outdoor education for nearly six decades, offering hands-on learning experiences to students across Oklahoma and North Texas. With a mission to make environmental education accessible, the camp provides multi-day immersive programs that allow students to explore and learn beyond the walls of a traditional classroom.
For years, the camp sustained itself primarily through earned revenue, serving thousands of students annually. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread school closures, enrollment dropped, reserves dwindled, and the camp faced an uncertain future. Goddard Youth Camp partnered with Write On Fundraising to build a grants program from scratch with a first-year goal of $40,000. After just 12 months, Write On pulled in almost $150,000 in private foundation wins.
Interview with Clayton Edgar, Executive Director of Goddard Youth Camp
The
Challenges
The pandemic caused a sudden loss of income, forcing the camp to operate with reduced staff and limited resources, putting its long-term sustainability at risk.
While the camp had a strong reputation and deep community impact, it had never formally pursued grant funding, missing key opportunities to diversify revenue.
With financial constraints already in place, leadership was hesitant to allocate funds to external fundraising support without clear proof of return.
Our Approach
Using our innovative “emerging grant” strategies, Write On Fundraising conducted extensive research to identify funders aligned with the camp’s mission and created tailored grant proposals to maximize funding opportunities.
We also provided data-driven insights and a strong case for support, pairing generational storytelling with measurable outcomes.
Write On staff serves as an extension of the Goddard Youth Camp team, managing grant writing and donor outreach while training an internal staff member to sustain these efforts.
The Results
Met client’s initial fundraising goal of $40,000 and surpassed it to raise a total of $147,000 in 12 months - more than 300% of the original goal.
Transitioned from reliance on earned revenue to a more diverse funding model, with foundation grants representing 43% of total organizational revenue after just one year.
Successfully trained an internal staff member to manage grant writing and fundraising, allowing the camp to maintain momentum beyond its partnership with Write On Fundraising.
