My 5 year old son is attending a local church VBS this week(we just went to this church for Sunday service for the first time this past weekend, so we are fairly new). It is Monday through Friday 6:30 pm - 8:45 pm. How much should I give to the daily VBS offering? I have no idea how much I should be offering so any helpful suggestions is appreciated. They sent envelopes home with the kids so I know any offering is appreciated, but I need help with a monetary amount. FYI, there is no charge from the church for VBS - they are only collecting for an offering.
I've been putting in $2 a day for the offering and I might run out at lunch and buy some requested supplies/snacks for the kids (Goldfish crackers, etc.). Thanks everyone for your suggestions!
VBSs here are ridiculously low cost, when they DO "charge" -- most do not. I've seen $1/day!
I think you should give what you can....I'd probably give $3-5/day.
$20 for the whole week, with a note of appreciation.
If you can't give anything, a note of appreciation is still nice.
It is an offering, not a charge or fee. The monies collected are usually given to the churchs' mission ministry to help those in need domestically or internationally. At our church we ask for pennies and of course we get bills also. Give what you can-it is an offering to God.
Ten to fifteen a day.
Offering is a gift from the heart, there is no set amount! What was this experience worth to your son? How much do you think it cost the church? What can you realistically afford?
Wow, I am very surprised at some of these answers. Many (ok, most) sound like it is essentially paying a daycare rate. It is not like that at ALL where we are. VBS supplies are paid for by the church. There is usually an education budget that includes money for the curriculum and some of the supplies, and the rest is donated by the congregation. The folks who put it on are volunteers. Period. They aren't getting paid. No matter how much your child brings to give. The offerings go to help a mission somewhere, typically in a 3rd world country.
Yes, our church also did the boys vs girls and weighing the money for the bragging rights. One girl's dad would always go to the bank the week before VBS and buy a few rolls of pennies just for that purpose. She'd put in a roll of pennies per day. :)
We always tried to encourage our kids to give of THEIR OWN money. And we'd match what they decided to give. It usually wasn't much. But it was to get the KIDS to GIVE. Not pay their way for a fun time at "camp". :/
My own two kids were old enough to help out this year. They ran the "games" for the younger ones. Had a blast!
Keep in mind that the offerings are not for the church. They are for a mission. My son went to 3 VBS's this summer. I'm not sure what the mission for the first one was (we were gone the one day the notes were sent home). The second one was buying bibles in different languages, and the third was buying mosquito nets for a 3rd world country.
The churches pay for VBS from their budget. I'm sure they would gladly accept a donation towards VBS for next summer.
Whatever is from your heart and believe it or not church offerings are tax deductible. Usually. Ask for a receipt if you want to declare it on your taxes.
This may sound bad but I just dug in my purse for change and sent that. Our VBS has a contest each year. This year it was between the boys & girls. Sometimes it's between age groups. It is either which group can collect the most in weight or which group can collect the most amount of money. So that also plays into what I send with my child. Our church budgets for VBS so the collection is for a mission of some sort.
I agree with Momof4, and also keep in mind, they might also have contests to see who brings in the most pennies, etc. I know they did that when my kids went to VBS. They used to team the boys against the girls and see who could bring in the most pennies and that was all they ever asked for. Hope your son has a great time!!
I work at a church that has just had VBS. Most children bring $1.00 or $2.00 per day to put in the offering basket. They love doing it themselves. The money goes to a charity. At this particular church we "adopt" needy children around the world with the VBS funds. Typically we can pay for two or three children's sponsorships for the entire year with the donated amount. The cost of the VBS is donated by church members. Thank the volunteers!
Since you're sending it with your son and he may have to hold on to it for a little while, I would limit it to a few dollars a day (even $1/day)
5 to 15 per day, do what you can.
when they do charge, they charge about $15-20 per kids for the week.
I paid $15 for one VBS for my child (three days 2 hours each day). So I'd say $20 sounds reasonable for yours.
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$3-$5 a day or one flat time of $20......def more would be appreciated as a lot of the volunteers purchase the supplies out of their own money.
Alot of churches in our area charge 30 dollars for M-f from 9-12
Any amount you give will be appreciated, whether 5.00 or 100.00. It's free, so give whatever you wish.
We attended one last year at a church , it was free and it didn't cross my mind to donate. If we did it again, I would definitely donate because it's a wonderful camp.
I almost wish they would just say, it costs 20.00 for the week to attend, because then I'm not left feeling like I'm giving too much or too little...and no one's uncomfortable or feeling like they're taking advantage of the camp by not donating.
Well I know when I was younger we had competitions on weight for change girls and boys so you might want to make sure they are not doing that. Cause that might make a difference in what you send the other days. I would not say more than a dollar or two a day.
