Budgeting and fundraising. Yeah, we know. It’s not our favorite part of VBS either. But having a well-planned budget is one of the keys to a successful VBS and the first step to VBS fundraising.
VBS Budgeting Tips
First, determine your starting budget.
If you haven’t been given a budget by your church leadership, take a look at what you spent last year (or the year before), and use that as your starting point.
Next, add up what VBS will cost.
To keep it simple, you can break VBS into four basic buckets:
- Decorating—such as backdrops, paint, hanging supplies.
- Per-kid resources—these are items that you want to send home with each kid.
- Volunteer resources—this includes things like staff t-shirts and volunteer appreciation items.
- Program resources—such as station resources, registration resources, and game materials.
To determine your overall program costs, look for a Master Supply List in your VBS kit.
Compare your starting budget and estimated cost to determine the amount of funds you need to raise.
Creative VBS Fundraising Tips
Here are our creative tips to make VBS fundraising successful…and maybe even a little fun!
VBS fundraising (and tips) for awesome decorations:
- VBS decorating is all about thinking outside the box—and then using the box as your prop! Keep things like boxes, packing paper, and poster tubes on hand to become masterpieces on your set!
- Ask your congregation members to donate or lend items that match your theme. For example, for a Rainforest Falls VBS, have people lend you some house plants to create a lush rainforest
- Check with your local hardware store to see if they offer discounted rates or supplies. Be sure to recognize them for their generosity!
Raising funds for your per-kid VBS resources:
- Invite congregation members to “sponsor” children by contributing a per-child amount.
- Charge a per-child registration fee for VBS. Give discounts to families who register more than one child.
- Invite other church groups to “sponsor” a crew or resource. For example, if you have a prayer ministry, they could sponsor the Watch for God Wristbands that kids receive.
Fundraising for VBS program & volunteer resources:
- Collect a VBS dedicated offering to cover expenses.
- Ask your congregation members to donate or lend items for your VBS stations.
- Reach out to local grocery and office supply stores who might offer discounted rates and supplies.
- Invite congregation members or groups to sponsor snacks for one day.
Group’s all-new Gift Registry tool is another great option to raise funds for all of your VBS supplies. Simply create an account and start a VBS gift list. Then add all of the VBS items you will need for your program. Once your list is complete you can share your registry with your congregation so they can help donate towards any of the supplies.
