Overnight Camp Merch Affiliate Program for Directors

The camp director community is a tight network. Directors swap notes on summer staffing, parent management, food service vendors, and increasingly on apparel and merch programs. The affiliate program built into the Bear Grips Pro Shops platform turns that network into a recurring revenue stream for directors who refer other camps. Below is how the program works, what it pays, and what the math looks like for a typical director who refers three to ten other camps.

How the affiliate program works

Every camp that signs up (free or paid) gets both a camp shop and an affiliate link. The affiliate link is unique and customizable. When another camp signs up through the link, the original camp is credited for the referral. The original camp earns ongoing commissions on the referred camp activity for the lifetime of that camp on the platform.

• 10 percent of the referred camp monthly subscription (paid by the platform, not by the referred camp)
• $1 per unit on every piece the referred camp sells (paid by the platform, not by the referred camp)
• Payouts bi-weekly through the platform
• Unique affiliate code that can be updated (changing the code also updates the URL)
• 10 percent discount code for prospects, attached to the affiliate link

Sample earnings for a director referring 5 camps

Referred camp activity	Per camp monthly	5 camps total
VIP subscription commission (10% of $59)	$5.90	$29.50
Per-unit commission ($1 x avg 80 units/month)	$80	$400
Monthly affiliate income	$85.90	$429.50
Annual	$1,030.80	$5,154

The math scales linearly. Ten referred camps double the monthly take. Twenty camps put a director north of $20,000 in annual recurring affiliate income with zero ongoing work after the initial referral.

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Where camp directors refer naturally

• American Camp Association regional meetings and conferences
• Director Facebook groups and Slack channels by region
• Cross-camp visit days where directors tour each other facilities
• Staff alumni who go on to start or direct their own camps
• Sister camps within the same ownership group or denomination
• Specialty camp networks (faith camps, sports camps, arts camps)

What sets this affiliate program apart

• Built into the platform: no third-party affiliate tool like Refersion or Tapfiliate, no separate login, no separate payout cycle
• Bi-weekly payouts: not 60 to 90 day delays common in third-party affiliate programs
• Recurring forever: not a one-time bounty, not capped at 12 months
• Customizable code: change the code and the link updates, useful when the affiliate brand evolves
• Tied to actual usage: $1 per unit means the affiliate earns proportional to how well the referred camp does, not just on the signup moment

How to start as a referring director

Sign up for any plan (free or VIP) and the affiliate link comes with the account. The link sits in the dashboard with click and earnings tracking. Share the link in the channels above. Most directors who refer five camps within the first 90 days do it through one regional ACA meeting plus one staff-alumni LinkedIn post.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to be on a paid plan to earn affiliate commissions?

No. The affiliate program is available on every plan, including the free tier.

Does the referred camp pay extra because of the affiliate commission?

No. The platform pays the commission, not the referred camp. Referred camps pay the same subscription rate they would otherwise.

When do affiliate payouts arrive?

Bi-weekly through the platform. Tracked in the shop dashboard with full visibility into clicks, signups, and earnings.

How long does the commission continue?

For the lifetime of the referred camp on the platform. There is no 12-month cap or one-time bounty.