It may be time to reevaluate the current budget and make some changes. That means you need to articulate the philosophy of financial management for both the youth ministry and the larger organization. Your budget should reflect the philosophies, not drive them.
Allocation of ministry money is directly linked to your values and goals. When you develop the budget, you and your team determine where to allocate money by answering questions like the following.
Hope I help!!
gw
1. What does the church value?
• Where does the church invest its resources? (Find out by browsing the last few annual reports.)
• What is the church’s spending philosophy? Do they buy the best of a particular item knowing that it will last a long time, or do they get the cheapest possible item that will do the job because they don’t have a lot of cash on hand? Is youth ministry spending in line with the philosophy of the larger organization?
• Is youth ministry a critical part of the church or is it a small part? (Find out by examining the percent of the total budget dedicated to youth ministry. If it’s less than the funeral flower fund, you’re likely to be in for a struggle if you wish to increase your budget.)
• What has the financial committee approved in the past for youth ministry programs and equipment? You’ll get an idea of how flexible they are—how open to ideas new to the church.
2. What does the youth ministry value?
• Of all the good things on which we can spend ministry money, which things, programs, and people do we value most? How will our spending reflect those values?
• How important is "atmosphere" to your ministry? Do you need to appropriate funds to make your ministry area more student-friendly and inviting?
• How important is staff and staff development?
• Do you have experienced staff, or do they need a lot of training and development?
• Do your staff members need a lot of encouragement? A lot of resources?
3. What is the financial history of the youth ministry?
• What was the annual budget last year?
• Where does that money come from?
• Where has the majority of money gone (outreach events, small group materials, van rentals, retreats, fun times, fundraising)?
•What brought in the most money (fundraisers, mission trips, service or work projects)?
• Are there any annual events you need to finance—denominational gatherings, the annual junior high/senior citizen putt-putt golf tournament?
4. What are the mechanics of the financial process?
• Does your church tell you to get what you need when you need it, or does it require you to work the purchase into next year’s budget and to make do with what you have for this year?
• Are there predetermined vendors for curriculum, sound equipment, retreat sites? Or do you determine from whom to purchase?
• Do you get parental financial support, or are you solely dependent on money allocated from the church general budget? What role do your ministry fundraisers play?
• When do you need to turn in your budget proposal to the administration?
5. When is the budget decided, and are midyear changes allowed? If so, what’s the procedure?
• Can you raise additional funds if needed? Do you need approval for that?
6. What financial standards are in harmony with your community?
• In what socioeconomic area is the church located and in what way is that population reflected in your group? (If your church is primarily populated by upper middle-class members, you can probably request a bigger budget. If your congregation is financially strapped, you will have less available financing resources. Study how your church’s socioeconomic makeup affects your ministry finances.)
• Do you have transportation available to you for ministry outings, or do you have to rent vehicles?
7. What needs upgrading over the course of the next year for student safety?
• What do you need to make the ministry student-friendly?
• What items need to be purchased in order for you to continue the development of your ministry? List in order of priority and find out the approximate cost of each item.
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