In today’s economy it can be tough to get people to attend a retreat or camp. And despite the economy college-age people aren’t exactly known to have a ton of extra money laying around. Everything has a cost, but there are some things that can help. For instance, for the Utah winter trip we used to do we would offer different packages. We had a base package that included transportation, lodging, meals and some activities. We offered a separate package that included a one-day lift ticket, another for two days, and a third package for a three-day lift ticket. The base amount was pretty low which allowed people that couldn’t afford much to still be a part of the trip. There are all kinds of things you can do to try to keep the cost down, but offering different packages is a great and simple way to do that – and this can be with any type of trip. You can also:

• Plan your trip during weekdays if at all possible. If you are staying overnight, and especially in a hotel, weekday rates are often less money.

• Ask the hotel about complimentary rooms for leaders. Most of the time they will give you free rooms and usually suites – where multiple leaders can stay.

• Shop around. If you are checking out places to stay, make sure those places know you’re also seeking pricing from others as well. If you find a better deal at one place go back to the other and let them know what they offered you. You might be surprised at how flexible they become.

• Offer payment plans. As soon as we started promoting a trip we let people know that we could place them on a payment plan. Of course this takes some administrative work, but working out a monthly payment plan with people can be a great help. Some people, unfortunately, don’t end up paying their full amount. But this allows for a lot of teachable moments too–that are priceless. Here are a few recommendations for this approach: (1) only offer them for the base amount, not things like lift tickets or other extra’s, (2) have a minimum amount they have to pay before they go on the trip–at least the cost of the deposit, (3) develop a very short contract detailing the payment due dates and amounts between the church and the student.

• Do fundraisers. If your church allows this, these can of course help.

• Seek sponsors. If there are older adults in your church that are already involved with college-age people consider personally asking them to sponsor a student or three. You can divide these amounts any way you want, but having people donate toward this cause can really help.

• Be wise. Some things aren’t necessary to spend money on–like fliers. With all the technology you can invite people, even have sign ups, in ways that don’t cost money. Fliers aren’t the issue, the issue is just thinking through ways you can do things that don’t cost money. These small costs add up over time and many of them aren’t necessary.