Dreaming Big, Together
As Fiver looks toward its next chapter, we wanted to hear from the people who know our community best.
Earlier this year, more than 100 members of the Fiver community—including current participants, families, alumni, staff, volunteers, board members, donors, and community partners—shared their hopes for Fiver's future through our Dream Big Survey. Their perspectives are helping shape our next strategic plan and ensuring that as we grow, we remain grounded in the values that have defined Fiver for more than 25 years.
At the heart of this process is a simple but important question: How can Fiver expand our impact while preserving what makes us unique? It's a question without a single right answer, but one that deserves thoughtful reflection from the community that has built Fiver together.
The feedback painted a clear picture of both opportunity and responsibility. Community members imagined bold possibilities—from reaching more young people through our existing programs, to strengthening the depth of support we provide, to extending our commitment even further into young adulthood with expanded career and postsecondary guidance. Others emphasized the importance of investing in our staff, camp facilities, and organizational capacity so that any future growth is built on a strong foundation.
What was perhaps most inspiring was not where opinions differed, but where they aligned. Across every stakeholder group, respondents overwhelmingly agreed that growth should never come at the expense of the relationships, culture, and sense of belonging that define the Fiver experience. They reaffirmed the importance of our 10-year commitment, the traditions of Camp Fiver, and our promise that every child can participate regardless of their family's ability to pay. Those values are not simply part of our history—they are the foundation for whatever comes next.
The survey also highlighted the challenges facing today's young people. Participants pointed to growing concerns around youth mental health, social media, and the need for continued support as young adults navigate college, careers, and early adulthood. At the same time, they identified one of Fiver's greatest strengths: helping young people build the confidence and agency to believe they can shape their own futures. Those insights will help guide our priorities in the years ahead.
This summer, our Board of Directors will bring these community insights to Camp Fiver for our annual Board Retreat, where they'll continue exploring how Fiver can best grow its impact while staying true to its mission. We look forward to sharing more in the months ahead as our next strategic plan takes shape—one built not only on research and data, but on the voices, experiences, and aspirations of the community that has helped make Fiver what it is today.
We are especially grateful to The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and the incredible team of MBA students—Mrigank Shah, Cecilia Dolan, Janvi Mehta, Naitik Reshamwala, Zach Lamb, and Deebas Dhar—who partnered with Fiver to provide pro bono analysis of the survey results, along with thoughtful research and recommendations on program growth and fundraising strategy as we envision Fiver's future.