Bonus Opportunities for Summer Staff
In addition to the regular wages summer staff earn while they are serving at Highland, summer staff can also receive financial rewards for committing to serve early, or for acting as a Highland ambassador and helping us recruit additional amazing summer staff. Learn more about these incentives below!
If you missed the information about summer staff wages, paychecks, the staff referral program, and the Bless the Staff program, hop back over to the Financial Information page.
Early Commitment Bonuses
We want to strengthen staff recruitment and retention by encouraging early, full-season commitments among salaried summer staff. The sooner we know who our summer staff are, the better we can plan and prepare for the coming summer! The Early Commitment Bonus program offers tiered bonuses that give financial rewards for committing early, and for being available for more weeks of camp.
What are the rewards for early commitment?
Salaried summer staff who commit to serving at least 4 weeks at Highland by November 30, January 30, or March 30 will receive some "Highland swag" (ex. a sweatshirt) upon commitment AND a tiered bonus that will be distributed at the start of summer camp. The bonus is based on eight weeks of service (the full summer) and will be prorated for staff who will be working fewer weeks. (See this chart for the prorated amounts.)
- Commit by November 30, max bonus of $400
- Commit by January 30, max bonus of $250
- Commit by March 30, max bonus of $100
How do I qualify for this bonus?
These Early Commitment bonuses are available to all new or returning salaried summer staff who commit to serve at least 4 weeks of the summer season by one of the commitment dates listed above.
You "commit" by completing and submitting your staff application by the appropriate date. Then, once all the follow-up steps are complete (references, interviews, etc.) and you are sent a staff agreement, you must sign and return that staff agreement within 10 days.
Ambassador Program: Presentations
Former staff members make great ambassadors for Highland Summer Camps, because you can share stories about your own experiences. Even better when you can confirm your enthusiasm for the job by applying to work again! If you, as a returning staff member, have an audience (such as at your church or college) where you can tell about your Highland experiences and encourage other young people to apply, we want to reward your efforts.
What kind of requirements does my presentation have to meet?
This is a new element for 2026, so the detailed requirements are still being finalized. The idea is to assign a $100 bonus to returning staff who give a recruitment presentation. Talk to Dean Williams for more information, or check back here once we get those details ironed out.
Ambassador Program: Staff Referrals
We are always looking for qualified staff members for seasonal positions, and often the best leads come from current or former staff members who know someone who would be a wonderful part of our staff team. When you act as a Highland ambassador and make referrals that bring us excellent new staff, we want to say thank you with a small monetary gift!
How do I make a referral? How many referrals can I make?
If you are a current or former staff member who knows someone who would be a good fit for a seasonal position at Highland, you should encourage those individuals to apply for a summer job. When they mention you as someone who referred them on their application, the referral is complete. You may refer as many people as you like, but you're only eligible to receive the bonus for successfully referring up to 2 (two) new employees in any given year.
What are the qualifications of a successful referral?
In one sense, any time you suggest to someone that they should work at Highland and they end up doing so, that's success, and we genuinely appreciate you! But for the sake of our budget, we do have some requirements that must be met in order to qualify for the referral bonus: The new applicant must be someone who has never worked at Highland, never previously applied to work at Highland, and never served in the LIT program. Also, they must be hired to serve in their role for at least half of the summer season. No bonus will be given for new staff who are only available to serve for a small part of the summer, nor for staff who resign or are terminated for any reason.
How much is the referral bonus, and when do I get it?
For each qualified new staff member, two bonuses are available: $200 for the new employee themselves, and $100 for the person who referred them. If multiple people referred the same new employee, that $100 will be split among them (an even split, unless those involved agree otherwise). If you're a past employee who has referred someone, we'll send you a gift card to say thanks! For anyone currently on Highland's payroll, referral bonuses will be issued in one of your paychecks toward the end of the summer; bonuses to employees are considered taxable income and are subject to withholding, just like your regular pay.