Three Ways to Save on Gear
Right now, we’re all being asked to do more with less. Budgets are tight, shrinking … maybe even non-existent. How can a small church maintain a quality standard without spending a lot of money? We asked Cherry Hills Community Church Production Manager Scott Nelson for his ideas.
First, consider whether an item of need should be purchased or rented. If the usage is recurring I use the following rule of thumb. If the item can be purchased now for the amount that would be spent in rental over a three year period or less, then it makes sense to purchase. In “times of plenty” it’s easy to decide to purchase something that ends up sitting around. This is similar to the discussion on purchase versus repair.
Second, we have been working with other churches and organizations in sharing our technical resources. The readers should consider partnering with other ministries that are like-minded. Many items can’t be shared as they are used too frequently. Items such a staging, production equipment, and excess stock of equipment are perfect candidates to be able to share. This Christmas we worked with another church and used some additional trusses that they weren’t using for our show: in return, we supplied microphones for their orchestra production. It’s important to work within existing contacts. Cold-calling another organization to ask to borrow something probably isn’t going to get you very far if you don’t have an established, trusted relationship.
Better stewardship of existing items is important. Do you know where everything is located? Is it properly stored? Are the users handling the gear in such a way as to maximize its useful life? These are all valuable questions to consider. Our church is large and just like any other organization, it’s easy for items to get misplaced or ‘borrowed’ by another department.
We have posted an equipment loaner log in our equipment rooms for approved loans. This provides a simple way of tracking equipment and accountability. If an item is missing, we can check the log to see if it has been borrowed before running out to buy the replacement. Labeling gear is an often-overlooked task. Having an item labeled increases the possibility that it will not be taken, or will find its proper home.
Download a copy of the form here.
SCOTT NELSON
Scott is Production Manager at Cherry Hills Community Church and Vice President of Clarion Productions and Eagles Nest Studio. He has spent the last 20 years balancing his time between live sound, studio work, consulting and contracting. When not working, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Heather and their three kids.
