The Key to Kingswood’s Future Viability: Friends

An Important Message from Cheryl Winship

– Kingswood Director

Finances are not a topic that brings about fun images of summer on Hathaway Pond but, without solid finances, the fun melts away like a snowball on a summer day. Kingswood is subsidized by our parent organization, the New York Annual Conference (NYAC) of the United Methodist Church. This year that amount will be $13,000.  This money is used to pay for salaries, particularly our Administrator position. The Administrator plays a central role in communicating with all of you, with our sister camp, Quinipet, located on Shelter Island, and with the NYAC headquarters located in White Plains. Financial strains across the NYAC have put this subsidy on shaky ground. While the NYAC Camping and Retreat Ministry has committed to keep Kingswood’s subsidy at the $13,000 level for 2023, both Kingswood and Quinipet are targeting to raise funds outside of the Conference subsidy to ensure our collective future in serving our communities. We are asking for your help.  

Kingswood’s capital expenses are covered using funds raised from logging. The last logging was in 2011 and we have been frugal with this money. It continues to fund our larger projects. Our campsite income and donations cover our operating expenses, including ever increasing insurance. If you have any ideas for ways to increase revenue please reach out to Lynn, myself or any of the volunteers that you may know…

We promote Kingswood on social media, advertise our sites using various listing companies, but word of mouth is by far the best advertising. Please pass along your endorsement of the Kingswood camping experience, share our posts on social media, pass the link to our website to friends via e-mail and consider a donation, if you have not done so already. With your help this is attainable.

Two more seasonal RV rentals, 4 new full-week reservations, and 10 new weekend reservations would get us well on our way toward our goal for 2024. Once campers experience the difference of camping at Kingswood they return year after year. So, bring friends, book an additional site and let’s see if we can get a 10% increase in our occupancy!