For most children's ministries, it is also time to decide how you are going to spend your budget money for the new year.
This is not about how large or small your budget is. It's about what percentage of your budget you will invest where.
Whether you have a large budget or a small budget, you must decide how you are going to allocate the budget money you have been entrusted with.
What will you spend your ministry budget on this coming year? Programs? Events? Outreach? Milestones?
Here's what I believe about this and what I do with the budget I have been given.
I spend a large percent of my budget on volunteers. I believe the wisest investment you can make with your budget is in your volunteers.
Here's why.
Without volunteers, you have no children's ministry. The success of your children's ministry rises and falls on the strength of your volunteer team. Plain and simple. That's a fact.
If volunteers are a high priority for you, then your budget should reflect this.
A couple of weeks ago, I gave all of our volunteers a handwritten Christmas card with a Starbucks gift card in it. It ended up costing several hundred dollars. But it made a statement to my volunteers. I value you. I honor you. I care about you as a person. I believe you are a difference maker. I thought of you.
It was the best ministry investment I could make during the Christmas season.
Remember this...where you spend your budget money reveals what you think is valuable and important.
Spend your budget money getting ministry shirts for your volunteers.
Spend your budget money giving your volunteers small gifts at strategic times in your ministry calendar.
Spend your budget money feeding your volunteers well at training meetings.
Spend your budget money giving your volunteers a small gift on their birthday.
Spend your budget money having coffee with your volunteers.
One of best team members I ever had was one of our nursery coordinators. Every time I went to the nursery to check on things, I saw smiling, happy volunteers. Every room always had volunteers in place. I asked the coordinator what her secret was. How was she building such a strong volunteer team?
Her answer? She saw herself as an airlines stewardess. She went room to room encouraging and checking on each of her volunteers while they were serving. She brought them drinks and snacks. And not just any snacks. She had a list of her volunteers favorite snacks and she cooked these and brought it to them. She also gave her cell phone to all of her volunteers and told them to always feel free to call her if they needed anything.
Of course, I was thrilled with how she was spending her budget money.
Any money you spend on volunteers is a win.
What will you be spending your budget money on this coming year?
