Are you getting ready to plan an event for your church? Perhaps you are hosting a potluck, conducting an Easter celebration, or putting on a Vacation Bible School. Whether your event is focused on outreach, worship, building community, strengthening relationships, or something else, here are a few tips to keep in mind.

Budgeting

It’s important to know your budget and plan for it. Are you serving food? Do you need to rent A/V equipment? Do you need to rent any chairs or tables? Will you need to arrange for special janitorial services afterward? If you’re hosting an event offsite, that could involve additional expenses or permit fees.

Do you have money allotted for the event or are you going to charge a fee to cover the costs? Regardless of the route you choose, all your expected costs and any potential income need to be factored into your budget.

Invitations and Communication

There are some events where everyone in your church might be invited, such as a potluck after the service. In other cases, you would want to segment your contacts to invite specific groups of people to an event. For example, you may be hosting a women’s retreat, a men’s conference, or a game night for young adults. Whatever the event may be, having the ability to filter the audience you are looking for in your database is important.

If you are using a database such as Aplos, you can filter out the group you are looking for and then send them an email, mail them an invitation, or even text the invite using the Bulk Texting feature. You can then send event reminders or follow-ups, if applicable.

Tickets and Reservations

Using Event Registration software can help make reservations and ticketing simple. Depending on the software you use, you could offer individual tickets, full tables, early bird pricing, and more. When using Aplos registration forms, people can pay with a credit or debit card, make a payment through their bank using ACH, or you can let them pay at the door. All payments made through the online form will automatically be tracked in your accounting.

Fundraisers

If you’re using Aplos, you can allow people purchasing a ticket the option to add a donation on top of the ticket price. This is extremely useful in situations such as a mission trip or youth group fundraiser, where someone can make an additional tax-deductible donation toward the fundraiser when purchasing their ticket to the event.

During the fundraising event, Text to Give is a great way for people to be able to give in the moment straight from their phones. Text to Give in Aplos is simple for your church to set up and simple for someone to donate to the ministry.

What Would You Add?

The right software can help simplify your next church event. Let the software do some of the work for you so you can focus on the purpose of your event. Curious about Aplos? Try it free for 15 days.

What are some tips you’ve learned for church events? Share your suggestions in the comments below.