The well-being of the members of your team or ministry can benefit greatly from a retreat. You are allowing the members of your youth ministry to reconnect and form closer bonds by taking them out of their usual environment and placing them in a new setting. You should therefore ensure that the retreat center's setting is ideal for your retreat's objectives.
A youth retreat experience may be exactly what your team needs; however, if you do not have the funding, then the retreat you wish for may only be a dream. It is imperative that you create a budget for your youth retreat with the church and individual budgets in mind. It does no good to plan the perfect youth retreat and then fail to create a budget, resulting in so high a cost that no one can afford to attend.
The youth retreat center you pick will have a big impact on the success of your retreat as well as the overall budget, so be sure to do your research and ask the proper questions. If you are interested in finding out if Tekoa Retreats is the perfect place for your next retreat, contact us or visit our website.
Youth Retreat Budget Creation
It is very important that you first consider the economic status of the families within your youth ministry before you decide on where to go for the retreat and what activities you are planning to do. If your end budget cost per person is higher than you think families can afford, then you should look into opportunities for fundraising and sponsorships.
Creating a budget for your youth retreat ahead of time will show that you have considered all the options and have attempted to plan a retreat that meets your ministry’s needs in the most affordable manner. You can then utilize this budget to solicit funding to assist families with costs through fundraising projects and scholarships.
Five Ideas To Assist in Creating a Youth Retreat Budget
Here are five ideas that can assist you in creating your youth retreat budget.
- Create your own registration forms and promotional flyers. If someone on your planning team has the know-how, see if they’ll volunteer to create the promotional items you’ll need.
- Provide buffet style, home cooking for meals rather than restaurant meals. Many venues provide a cook for events for an additional charge. This would be less expensive than having a restaurant cater or having take-out. For an even more frugal option, have several of your leadership team volunteers cook meals for the retreat.
- Choose your location wisely. While it’s lots of fun to hold a retreat at a fancy venue, you can save costs by staying local. Many churches allow their members to use facilities free of charge. If you wish to save money by utilizing a retreat center that handles all aspects of the youth retreat, check out Tekoa Retreats to see what we can do to fit within your overall budget.
- Plan activities that don’t require expensive things. Keep activities simple. Easy crafts, nature walks, and sing-a-longs don’t cost much and are meaningful and fun.
- Adjust the length of your retreat if needed. If your budget isn’t very big, rather than a full week, try just overnight or a one-day retreat to keep costs down.
Creating a youth retreat budget requires forethought and proper planning; however, even if you have worked all the kinks out and know exactly what to charge to ensure that all expenses are covered, you should always add a bit to cover unexpected expenses.
Four Unexpected Youth Retreat Costs
- Costs related to unexpected events, such as vehicle breakdown
- Your time and expense in planning the event
- A la carte costs of retreat centers
- Travel costs related to advance scouting of locations
Tekoa Retreats Can Tailor Your Retreat To Accommodate Your Budget
Western North Carolina is a magical place of high mountain peaks and deep, hidden valleys filled with rushing rivers and streams full of trout and cascading waterfalls. The Blue Ridge Parkway travels through the area. Great portions of the landscape are within protected government lands in the form of national forests, state and local parks, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The region is the perfect location to go to for your youth retreat because of all of the natural wonders to explore, as well as the many exciting attractions located throughout the region. There are many youth camps in the region; however, Tekoa Retreats in Hendersonville has all you need for your next youth retreat.
Camp Tekoa is a summer camp and conference center located in the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina, near Hendersonville. Tekoa is owned and operated by the Western NC Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Tekoa offers a wide variety of summer overnight, adventure, and day camps for boys and girls. These include elementary day camps, mini camps, and overnight camps for elementary, middle school, and high school students. Tekoa also offers adventure camps for middle and high school students.
Our mission is "Touching hearts, changing lives, sharing the light of Christ." and our camps encompass that mission statement in all that we do.
Tekoa Retreats Accommodations and Adventures in Western North Carolina
Tekoa Retreats offers a beautiful, forested campus surrounding a three-acre lake. The accommodations include secluded cabins, lodges, and a dining hall with a capacity of 350 people.
The property is loaded with fun outdoor adventures, including the high ropes course, bouldering wall, lake zipline, disc golf course, basketball courts, and hiking trails.
There's no better place for a retreat than in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Tekoa Retreats is the place for Touching Hearts, Changing Lives, and Sharing the Light of Christ! Let us host your next group retreat, picnic, school or community function, college or youth retreat.
Tekoa Retreats is located at 211 Thomas Rd. Hendersonville, NC 287139. Our phone number is 828-692-6516. If you are interested in finding out if Tekoa Retreats is the perfect place for your next retreat, contact us or visit our website.