Youth programs are full of fun activities that help kids learn—and those activities necessitate costly supplies. Whether you’re sourcing supplies for your whole program or you’re a teacher getting supplies for your classroom, you want to keep costs down as much as possible.
Here are five cost-saving strategies for youth program supplies:
Fundraising can help you ensure your program has what it needs without breaking the bank. Start by reviewing and assessing the budget provided by your organization to get an understanding of the funds available.
Community partnerships can help supplement grant funding from federal, state, and local governments. In fact, your community may jump at the opportunity to help support your program in a relatively affordable and tangible way. Consider making an online wish list or registry and letting people order items to send directly to you.
You can also take advantage of tried-and-true fundraising strategies such as ticketed events, bake sales, raffles, and walkathons. Try targeting community organizations that align with the project and are most likely to get excited about helping out. For example, if you’re hosting a bake sale, you might ask a local bakery to donate items.
Consider buying in bulk to get a better value and storing any extra materials for future use. If you can plan ahead or anticipate your program’s needs, you can make better long-term decisions while also saving money on supplies. Quick access to enrollment numbers and rosters can help you pinpoint how much you need of certain items to avoid overspending on bulk supplies.
When shopping, check out wholesale stores and websites to find deals on bulk supplies. Should you go this route, remember to keep track of how much you’re spending on materials. If you save your receipts, you may be able to get reimbursed or take advantage of tax deductions for additional cost savings.
Savvy shopping is another effective way to save on program supplies. Think about taking advantage of sales and promotions, such as holiday and back-to-school sales. You can also ask around to find retailers that offer discounts for teachers or nonprofits.
Bonus tip: Consider taking out a store credit card for a one-time discount and making a large purchase when you do. Some stores even offer discounts on all purchases made by cardholders. Plus, you may be able to earn cashback or other perks—just be sure to keep the credit card paid off so you don’t incur any interest!
Sometimes breathing new life into used materials is the perfect approach. In addition to recycling any existing materials that are still in good shape, opt to purchase reusable items over one-time-use supplies that will need to be discarded. For example, slide worksheets into plastic page protectors and have kids complete them in class using dry-erase markers.
You can also thrift items when it makes sense. Don’t be afraid to get creative! See if there’s a retiring teacher in your community who is willing to give away classroom materials. A drama program might find used fabric at garage sales or thrift stores to use for costumes.
Going digital is a great way to save on paper and printing costs that can be expensive over time. Youth programs that are not digital-first tend to go through a lot of paper between various forms, waivers, program information brochures, agendas, crafts, academic work, and more.
Digital-first program management offers many other advantages too. By going paperless, you can reduce manual work, eliminate data entry errors, keep curriculum at your fingertips, improve information accuracy, and create a centralized repository that’s always accessible and up-to-date. As an added bonus, going paperless is much more environmentally friendly!
As you can see, there are plenty of strategies you can implement to save money and make the most of your program’s fundraising—all while ensuring the kids in your program have the supplies they need to thrive.
The right digital tools and resources in particular can be especially transformative for youth programs. Arly provides tailored solutions for youth programs that can help you increase your efficiency, reduce costs, and make a greater impact in your community.
Request a demo to see Arly in action and find out how it can meet your youth program’s unique needs.