It’s that time of year again. With VBS just around the corner for many of us, it’s ALL HANDS ON DECK. As the parents of our VBS kids are counting down the days to free summer daycare, some of us are gradually slipping into a state of complete freakout as there is still so much to do.

Whether your theme for this year is dinosaurs, the Wild West, or Mars... we all have one thing in common:

Those pool noodles, colorful stage props, teaching curriculum, little Debbie snacks, and craft supplies all cost money. Unless you have money trees growing behind your church, we’re running on some tight budgets!

To help you avoid breaking the bank, we’ve pulled together our children’s ministry knowledge to help you put on an amazing VBS on a small budget.

Here’s our spectacular and amazing list of 8 ways to do VBS on a small budget.

How to do VBS on a budget

Here’s our spectacular and amazing list of 8 ways to do VBS on a small budget:

1. Partner with another church that’s having VBS before you

By partnering with another church, you can reuse their props and materials. Since VBS is only a few days, these props and materials go a long way and can ultimately be passed along to another church after you too!

I once saw a group of churches in my area band together and pass their VBS curriculum and supplies around to each other every summer. It worked amazingly well because it took the stress off their volunteers to have to create decorations every year!

2. Ask grocery store managers for donations

Grocery stores are more willing than you think to offer up free food and even gift cards to church organizations. The earlier you ask, the more likely they are to help you. Donations are a tax write-off for them, so they're likely to pitch in.

3. Food from bakeries

A few years back, we got in touch with the manager from a local Panera. As it turns out, they give away their baked goods on almost a daily basis. We ended up having multiple loaves of bread and dozens of bagels given away to us for free.

Restaurants and bakeries may just be one of the best places to check because of the limited shelf life.

4. Go with an older theme

You don’t have to do this year's latest VBS theme. Since there are multiple themes every year, there’s a good chance you can find a theme that’s a year or two old from another church that your children haven’t done. This will save you $$ on the curriculum.

5. Go with no theme

Themes are great, but they’re not necessary. If you have the creativity and talent, you can save the money you would spend on curriculum and props.

This is especially true for churches doing an evening VBS with a limited amount of time each day.

6. Partner with a business

If you don’t already have a good relationship with the businesses near your church/ministry, do it ASAP.

Make sure local businesses know about your ministry and what you’re about. Show the value of your VBS to the community and let the business know that you are still accepting sponsorship opportunities too. Even if they don’t want to sponsor it, they may let you leave some flyers out. It’s a win-win!

7. Shorten the length of VBS

You don’t necessarily have to do a week-long VBS. In fact, a week in many cases can put a great deal of strain on your volunteers who may have full-time jobs. Limiting the number of days of your VBS limits the number of resources needed. Kind of a "duh" moment, but my church wished we had thought of this sooner!

8. Pinterest Pinterest Pinterest

We can’t overemphasize how great Pinterest is for getting amazing DIY ideas that will save you lots of TIME and MONEY. If you can think it, there’s a good chance someone has pinned it.

Use Pinterest for craft ideas, teaching, food, props, and everything else in between.

We made a Pinterest board filled with VBS ideas for this very reason. Check it out and give our account a follow for more ideas!

BONUS IDEA: Swag 4 Sponsors

Get some cool mugs or t-shirts made with your church logo and sell them. Your people get to represent your church with some cool swag while you put the profit toward VBS. People might be less likely to give cash gifts...but offer them a cool mug and they'll pay $15 knowing it's going to a good cause.

VBS on a Budget is Easy

Regardless of the size of our VBS budget, we're blessed with the opportunity to make a positive impact in the lives of the children and parents who participate. From all of us at the ChurchTrac family, we're praying that God moves in mighty ways at your VBS to let the Gospel shine!

Wes Church Engagement