Workcamps • Helpful Resources

Tips from a Pro!

Budget & Fundraising & Planning

  1. Know what the cost of the trip is going to be.
    1. Registration Fees
    2. Vehicle Rental (reserve vehicles asap)
    3. Gas
    4. Travel Meals
    5. Free Night Meal
    6. Community Donation
    7. Hotels (if needed)
    8. Activities
    9. Water, Ice, Snacks
    10. T-Shirts
  2. Clearly communicate the cost of the trip to your students and how affordable it can be.
    1. What is the actual cost per person to attend this trip
    2. What you are “charging” each person to attend
    3. Give them an idea about how much they can raise through personal fundraising.
  3. Be strategic in your fundraising. Don’t “nickel and dime” your congregation and community. Get ideas and recommendations from Group Mission Trip’s fundraising eBook, other youth leaders via the Facebook page, etc.

A few that worked well for some groups in the past:

    1. Winter Team Trivia Night with Meal & Raffle/Auction
    2. Thanksgiving Dinner w/ Silent Auction
    3. Envelope Rack at fundraiser (build a Care Card Rack and write $1, $2, etc. all the way up to $200). People take envelopes with $ amounts on them to fill (1-100 = $5050 / 1-200 = $20,100)
    4. Consider a straightforward ask for a special offering from your congregation. There’s no overhead, you have no expenses, no shopping, no work to put in, and 100% of the offering go towards it
    5. Invite students to personally fundraise with support letters to family and friends.
  2. Find someone who is good with details to help plan if you are not! This will make the planning process much easier if you have someone who is able to keep up with money, find the best route to the location you are serving, etc.

Activities

  1. Do your research ahead of time. Discover what’s on the way and in the area so you can make plans for activities and free days.
  2. Consider your fun activity on the way there instead of on the way home. At the end of the trip, leaders and students are usually ready to just go home.

Meals and Snacks

  1. Find clusters of restaurants for your meal stops. If you can find a good place to stop that has a sandwich place, chicken, burgers, and the ability to gas up your vehicles, you’re in good shape.
  2. Ask students to list their favorite snacks. Then make a trip to the grocery store to buy in bulk. (Chocolate does not do well in vehicles due to heat!)
    1. Option 1 - On your bag drop off night, have students go through the snacks and fill their own plastic bags of snacks.
    2. Option 2 – Divide the snacks into tubs and put them in each of your travel vehicles so students can access them while traveling.
    3. Put coolers of water bottles in each vehicle.
    4. This all helps to cut back on kids dropping $10-15 on energy drinks and snacks at every gas station.

Travel

  1. Stop every 1:30-2:00 hours no matter what. (Food, Restrooms only, Gas & Restrooms, etc.)
  2. Backwards plan your travel. Aim for traveling through populated areas with lots of restaurant options for mealtimes.
  3. Identify large gas stations, (Loves, Flying J) where multiple vehicles can gas up at the same time and restrooms will have multiple, clean stalls.
  4. If you’re traveling long distances, get a hotel for the trip back if you can budget it. You’ll be super thankful to have a real bed to sleep on while traveling home. And your kids will be so happy they don’t have to set up air mattresses one more time.
  5. Try to arrive at the lodging facility as close to the early time as possible. If you’re coming in hot or towards the end of the posted arrival time, you will feel rushed and won’t have time to get settled in your rooms, shower, or get your tools (if attending Workcamps) and supplies organized.
  6. Estimate your travel time for the entire day at 55 mph (this will take into consideration bathroom breaks, gas stops, etc.).

Tools & Materials

  1. Buy & bring your supplies as a group, not as individuals (put this in your budget for the trip if you can). You can get more when purchasing in bulk, and once you have your supplies, you only need to resupply things that you use up or lose each year. Long term, it’s a budget saver.
  2. If you’re looking for bulk purchases, check out www.mbsomaha.com. They sell bulk tools and paint supplies at amazing prices. (If attending Workcamps)
  3. Don’t forget coolers and water jugs. Veteran youth leaders love ones with wheels!

Before You Leave

  1. Have an inventory day to take inventory of your supplies. This helps you remember where everything is and order supplies for the upcoming trip.
  2. Take advantage of the pre-trip devotions to get your group together 3-4 times. Use these opportunities to build community with your students prior to traveling. This is especially important if you have a large group.
  3. Bag Drop Off Day– If you’re planning to leave early in the morning, have a day 1-2 days before you leave where students drop off their luggage, sleeping bags, and air mattresses and they all get loaded into your travel trailer.
  4. Make a T-Shirt for your group and make it a good one! – Don’t make it Red (red is the staff color)
    1. Everyone in your group could be wearing this shirt when they arrive at camp on Sunday if you choose to do this!
  5. Make a Student/Parent Information Packet (it should include)
    1. Travel Plans
    2. Hotel / Church Locations (where you are sleeping)
    3. Contact information for you and all your leaders
    4. Expectations of conduct for students and send home policies if applicable
    5. Packing Lists (luggage, bedding, backpack for vans)
    6. Contact information for the lodging facility or Group Mission Trips

Be Flexible!

This should really be the first thing on the list. You can 100% guarantee that everything isn’t going to go 100% according to plan. Be willing to adapt, change, be inconvenienced, and at times uncomfortable.