Determining the price for events is one of the least favorite parts of my job. Trying to find that balance between busting your budget or scaring off students is stressful, and the countless variables that impact the bottom line can seem impossible to anticipate. It can become quite the headache, but the ministry value of these events is unparalleled. The growth that a teenagers can experience in just a day or two away is amazing, and that’s why we keep having events each year.
Since setting the price for events is something we must do, figuring out the best way to do it is something we must do as well. In the long run, it’ll make it much easier. Here are some tips on setting the price for youth events.
Have A Method
We use a formula for all of our events. Here is what it looks like:
It’s a fairly simple formula. We take the various expenses, multiply them by the number of people on the trip, and divide that by the number of students we expect to attend. Of course, it isn’t an exact science. There can be a considerable difference on the per/person cost based on all kinds of variables, such as:
- Is the lodging cost per room (hotels) or per person (some camps and retreat centers)
- What size of vehicles are you bringing (one extra student might mean you need an additional vehicle)
- Additional activities (i.e. High Ropes Course)
The biggest challenge is trying to guess how many people will be at the event. This is where keeping attendance records can come in handy. If you’ve done the event before, or something similar, it can give you a good jumping off point. This formula gives our ministry a good starting point when trying to determine what to charge for a retreat.
But perhaps it’s greatest strength is that it is a clear answer to the age-old question, “How do you set the price for events?” Parents will ask this question each year, and I can’t say I blame them. Our retreats don’t cost an exorbitant amount, but it isn’t exactly pocket change either. We all want to make sure we’re getting the greatest value we can, and being able to show a formula like this goes a long way toward explaining what exactly is included in the trip cost.
Find Your Range
Because of all those variables, you won’t be able to nail down an exact per-person cost for any trip. To make sure you don’t lose your shirt (or your job!) it’s important to figure out the best-case and worst-case scenarios for sign-ups. You want to make sure that if you sign-ups are particularly low you can still afford the event. It can also give you an idea of the minimum number of students you’d need before the event can pay for itself. Likewise, it’s important to know what happens to the price if everyone brings 5 friends to the retreat.
Our parent church goes to the same convention we do each spring, but they charge much less than we do. I assumed it was just because they have a larger budget and could afford to subsidize it more. Out of curiosity, I plugged in their numbers to my formula (they bring about 5 times as many students) and was amazed to find that the price plummeted for a group that big. Sometimes the per-person costs don’t work how you’d think.
Don’t Apologize for the Price
It can be tempting to apologize when an expensive event comes up. While it may feel like you’re winning points by sharing in the sticker-shock, ultimately you’re devaluing your own event. You should be confident that the trip or retreat your planning is worth every penny it costs (and more)! To be honest, most youth trips are a bargain, and planning a similar event for your family or school group would cost even more. When you apologize for the price you convey that it maybe isn’t worth that much to go to the event. People are willing to pay if they are confident they are getting a good value for a fair price. Don’t undermine it by insinuating maybe the event costs too much.
Offer Assistance
While you shouldn’t apologize for the price, you also shouldn’t let the price get in the way. The reality of trips is they cost money. The reality of life is that sometimes money is tight. If your church does fundraisers, that can help offset some of the cost. Our church has a few reasons
why we don’t do fundraising. But we still say, over and over, that
money should not be the only reason a student can’t attend an event. That’s right, if the only thing keeping a student from signing up is the cost, we take away that obstacle. We ask if they can afford part of the fee, and the church covers whatever is leftover.
If we are going to tell students to that God provides if we trust in him, then we better put our money where our mouth is. This has been our policy for years and it’s provided many opportunities to see God come through in powerful ways. One of my favorite sayings is, “If it’s God’s will, then it’s God’s bill,” and he’s picked up the tab (and created some great stories) more than once.
Take Good Notes
At the end of the trip, it can help to look back and see where the money went. Aside from being a good accounting practice, it can also help you figure out what your budget should be for the next year. Maybe you spent more on gas than expected, or perhaps food wasn’t as expensive as you expected. If you take notes, it makes planning the next year even easier.
While you shouldn’t apologize for the price, you also shouldn’t let the price get in the way. The reality of trips is they cost money. The reality of life is that sometimes money is tight. If your church does fundraisers, that can help offset some of the cost. Our church has a few reasons why we don’t do fundraising. But we still say, over and over, that money should not be the only reason a student can’t attend an event. That’s right, if the only thing keeping a student from signing up is the cost, we take away that obstacle. We ask if they can afford part of the fee, and the church covers whatever is leftover.
![bad-fund-raising[4]](http://luketrouten.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/bad-fund-raising4-52x52.jpg "bad-fund-raising[4]")
