Budgeting is a crucial part of sustaining your women’s ministry. After all, you need reliable funding to plan and execute all of the activities you’ll use to reach women in your church and community.

Whether you lead a women’s ministry that doesn’t have a treasurer or you’re in a financial role and looking for budgeting tips, this guide can help. In it, we’ll explore four key steps your women’s ministry should take to budget its finances effectively and make the most of its resources.

1. Understand your ministry’s financial needs.

Every women’s ministry has unique financial needs based on the group’s size, availability of funds, and overall goals. For example, a nationwide women’s ministry may minister to thousands of women across various states via virtual meetings. This operation will have different budgetary needs than that of a local women’s ministry, which may focus on reaching women in the community through activities that mostly take place in person.

Make a list of your ministry’s financial needs based on your unique structure and operations. This list may include:

  • Administrative costs: What costs do you absolutely have to cover to run your women’s ministry day to day? Do you need funding for office supplies, marketing efforts, or technology?
  • Regular meetings and Bible studies: Where does your ministry meet and how do members of your group obtain the materials needed to participate, like Bible study books? Do you offer refreshments at these meetings?
  • Retreats and conferences: Does your group host or attend Christian women’s conferences throughout the year? Which expenses associated with these events (registration fees, accommodations, meals, etc.) do you cover, and which ones do you expect members to cover themselves?
  • Social events: How often does your women’s ministry host social events, such as picnics or luncheons? Are there decorations? Entertainment?
  • Outreach and community service projects: Does your women’s ministry provide transportation and materials for members to participate in service projects?

To ensure your list accounts for your ministry’s needs—rather than wants—carefully consider the priority each cost should receive. Evaluate your ministry’s overall mission and determine which costs or operations are absolutely essential to fulfilling that mission. For example, a small, local ministry mentioned above might prioritize volunteer opportunities because of the impact of volunteerism on faith and the group’s strong ties to their community.

2. Set financial goals for your women’s ministry.

Think about your financial goals like a search for the perfect Bible study. According to Esther Press, the best Bible studies should have a strong, Biblical foundation, help women understand Scripture more easily, and explain how the lessons can be applied to real situations. There are several different types of Bible studies and they span many different topics—there are a lot of boxes to check off to ensure you’ve chosen the right one!

In the same way, your financial goals should be thoroughly researched and planned to help break down your needs into manageable milestones. This provides direction for achieving your financial goals and can help you evaluate your progress over time.

To make your goals actionable, follow the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) goal framework. Here is an example of how to use this model—let’s say your goal is to facilitate service opportunities for moms and their children to participate in together throughout the year:

  • Specific: Be clear about what you want to achieve. In this case, your ministry must raise funds to host a volunteer day in which the women in your ministry and their kids can volunteer with a local nonprofit.
  • Measurable: Set metrics that can help you measure your progress toward your goals. Your goal might be $1,500 for supplies and transportation, with the objective of raising $375 per week over the next month. Any additional funds can be donated directly to your nonprofit partner.
  • Achievable: Make sure your goals are realistic by considering your ministry’s past fundraising achievements. If you raised $2,000 in one month for a previous service project, your $1,500 goal for this one should be feasible.
  • Relevant: Set goals that align with your ministry’s overall mission. Your goal to raise funds for a volunteer day supports your mission to foster spiritual growth among women (and their families) by making it easy for moms and their kids to support charitable causes and serve others.
  • Time-bound: Provide a clear deadline for your financial goals. You might plan to raise the needed funds by the end of the month if the volunteer day is set for six weeks in the future.

Remember to account for both short and long-term goals. Short-term financial goals are immediate or near-future objectives that allow you to maintain day-to-day operations, such as administrative costs. Long-term goals, in contrast, can span several years and relate to your ministry’s strategic growth.

3. Create a detailed budget.

With actionable goals in mind, all you have left to do is to start allocating your funds appropriately. Craft a monthly budget that accounts for your ministry’s income and expenses to plan how you’ll assign available funds to each of your goals.

Your budget should include all:

  • Income: This could include donations, grants, or membership fees that women pay to be a part of the group. Don’t leave any source of income out, even if it isn’t monetary. For example, if someone donates gently used Christian books to your women’s ministry, record them in your bookkeeping system as income.
  • Expenses: This includes all of the financial needs you listed earlier, such as administrative costs or the cost of hosting social events. Assign a special color or symbol to your high-priority expenses to ensure you pay special attention to them when planning your spending.

Keep up with bookkeeping best practices to ensure you keep accurate and thorough financial records. Then, use this information to plan where your funding will go and how you’ll achieve your financial goals.

To make this process even easier, consider using financial management software designed for nonprofits. While some ministries can track their finances on spreadsheets, dedicated software can provide easy-to-use tools and automated reports that simplify the budgeting process.

4. Try out faith-based fundraisers.

After developing your budget, fill any gaps in financial needs by planning faith-based fundraisers for your ministry. You can browse a list of ideas, like Double the Donation’s list of church fundraisers, to get started, or simply craft donation letters asking for contributions from members of your church. Just be sure to keep your fundraising efforts considerate and transparent so that potential donors know exactly what their contributions are being used for.

Fundraising not only supports the goals of your women’s ministry—it encourages generosity and helps the women in your group feel supported in their spiritual walks. The right fundraiser can also help strengthen the sense of community among members of your women’s ministry by having members work together, like in managing a bake sale or crafting fundraising letters.

While money isn’t the focus of your women’s ministry, it’s a necessary tool for driving your mission forward and making a difference in the lives of those you hope to reach. When used wisely, your financial resources can make a significant impact on the women in your group, their churches, and the community surrounding them.