AI Tools for Camp Professionals: Fathom and NotebookLM

Camp directors spend a surprising amount of time in meetings. Board meetings, staff meetings, parent conferences, vendor calls. And after each one, there's the scramble to remember what was said, who committed to what, and where you put those notes from last month.

This week I'm looking at two AI tools that tackle information overload from different angles. Fathom records and summarizes your meetings so you can actually be present in the conversation. NotebookLM turns your documents into a searchable expert that answers questions about your own materials. Together, they represent a shift in how we capture and retrieve the information that runs our organizations.

Fathom: The Meeting Assistant That Actually Works

What It Does

Fathom joins your Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams calls as a participant, records the conversation, transcribes it, and generates a summary within seconds of the meeting ending. The key difference from competitors: the free tier is genuinely unlimited for individual users.

I've tested several meeting assistants over the years. Most offer a free trial, then push you toward paid plans quickly. Fathom takes a different approach. Individual users get unlimited recordings and transcriptions at no cost. The free plan includes five AI-generated summaries per month, which is enough for most camp professionals to see real value before deciding whether to upgrade.

The summaries aren't just transcripts chopped into paragraphs. Fathom identifies action items, key decisions, and important moments. You can share specific clips with colleagues who missed the meeting, jumping directly to the relevant 30 seconds instead of asking them to watch the whole thing.

Pricing

• Free: Unlimited recordings and transcriptions, 5 AI summaries per month

• Premium: $19/month (unlimited summaries, all features)

• Team Edition: $29/user/month (shared workspace, analytics)

• Team Edition Pro: $39/user/month (CRM integration, AI coaching scorecards)

Camp Applications

Board meetings: Record every board meeting and generate instant summaries. When a board member asks "What did we decide about the capital campaign three months ago?", you can search across all recordings and find the exact moment.

Parent conferences: Document conversations about camper needs, accommodations, or concerns. The transcript becomes a reference you can revisit before the camper arrives, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.

Staff training documentation: Record orientation sessions once, then share with late hires or use as reference material for next year's training.

Vendor negotiations: Keep a record of what was promised, what prices were quoted, and what timelines were discussed. No more "I thought you said..." conversations.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Free tier is genuinely unlimited for recordings

• Summaries generated in seconds, not hours

• Integrates with Salesforce, HubSpot, and now Asana

• #1 rated AI meeting assistant on G2

• "Ask Fathom" feature lets you query across all your recorded meetings

Cons:

• No mobile app (desktop only)

• Visible bot joins the meeting, which may feel awkward in sensitive conversations

• Free tier limits AI summaries to 5 per month

• Transcription accuracy drops with heavy accents or crosstalk

Who It's Best For

Directors who have frequent video calls and want to stop taking notes during meetings. Particularly valuable for anyone managing board relationships, parent communications, or multi-site operations where documentation matters.

NotebookLM: Your Documents Become an Expert

What It Does

NotebookLM is Google's answer to a specific problem: you have a pile of documents, and you need to understand them quickly. Unlike ChatGPT, which pulls from its general training data, NotebookLM only answers based on the sources you provide. This means fewer hallucinations and responses you can actually trust.

You upload PDFs, Google Docs, websites, YouTube videos, or pasted text. NotebookLM reads everything, then lets you ask questions like you're talking to someone who has memorized all your materials. Every answer includes citations that link directly back to the source, so you can verify what it's telling you.

The standout feature is Audio Overviews. With one click, NotebookLM generates a podcast-style conversation between two AI hosts discussing your documents. It sounds strange until you try it. I uploaded a 50-page staff manual and got a 12-minute audio summary I could listen to while driving. The "hosts" highlighted key points, asked each other clarifying questions, and made dense material surprisingly digestible.

Recent updates added Deep Research (it searches the web for additional sources), Slide Decks, and Infographics, making it even more useful for turning raw information into presentable formats.

Pricing

• Free: 100 notebooks, 50 sources each, 10 Deep Research queries per month

• Plus (via Google One AI Premium): $19.99/month (500 notebooks, 300 sources each, 20 Deep Research queries per day)

• Student discount: $9.99/month for 12 months (U.S. students 18+)

• Google Workspace: Included in Business Standard ($14/user/month) and higher tiers

The free tier is remarkably capable. Most camp professionals won't need to upgrade unless they're managing massive document libraries.

Camp Applications

Staff manual mastery: Upload your entire staff manual, emergency procedures, and policy documents. New hires can ask questions like "What's the protocol for a lost camper?" and get accurate answers with page references.

Board preparation: Upload last year's annual report, financial statements, and strategic plan. Ask NotebookLM to identify trends, summarize key metrics, or draft talking points for your next board presentation.

Program research: Researching new programming ideas? Upload articles, competitor websites, and industry reports. NotebookLM synthesizes everything and helps you build a case for (or against) new initiatives.

Parent communication: Upload your parent handbook and FAQ documents. When parents email with questions, you can quickly verify accurate answers instead of guessing or hunting through files.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Source-grounded responses dramatically reduce AI hallucinations

• Audio Overviews are genuinely useful for absorbing dense material

• Free tier is powerful enough for most users

• Citations link directly to source documents

• New Deep Research feature adds web sources to your notebook

Cons:

• Deep Research takes 3-5 minutes (not instant)

• Cannot cross-reference between different notebooks

• Requires Google account

• Some features (Slide Decks, Infographics) have usage limits on free tier

Who It's Best For

Directors who manage significant documentation: policy manuals, board materials, research reports, training content. Especially valuable during accreditation cycles, strategic planning, or any time you need to synthesize large amounts of written material quickly.

The Bottom Line

These tools solve related but distinct problems, and they work well together.

Fathom captures what happens in real-time conversations. It's your institutional memory for meetings, ensuring that decisions and commitments don't disappear into the ether.

NotebookLM makes your existing documents searchable and intelligent. It's your expert consultant who has actually read everything you've written.

If I were recommending one to start with, I'd choose based on where your pain point lives. Drowning in meetings? Start with Fathom. Drowning in documents? Start with NotebookLM. Both have genuinely useful free tiers, so there's no risk in trying them.

The combination is powerful: Fathom captures what's said, NotebookLM helps you understand what's written. Together, they ensure that the information running your camp is accessible when you need it.

About the Author

Matt Kaufman has spent 40 years in summer camp as a camper, counselor, and director, studying what makes people belong, grow, and thrive. He writes about intentional community, leadership, and the intersection of technology and human connection.

Connect with Matt:

• Instagram: @mattlovescamp

• LinkedIn: Matt Kaufman

• Website: ilove.camp

Books by Matt Kaufman:

• The Campfire Effect: How to Engineer Belonging in a Disconnected World (February 2026)

• The Summer Camp MBA: 50 Leadership Lessons from Camp to Career