The recent recession has reminded every organization, business, nonprofit, and cause that expecting year over year growth is a dangerous assumption to make. Every leader must constantly look for ways to find margin to ensure they are prepared moving forward. One of the most expensive aspects of any nonprofit or church is facility management. That includes building, maintenance, and utility costs.

Events are often catalysts for spiritual growth and generate a lot of interest in our work, cause, organization, or church. Even smaller causes and organizations often struggle to keep all the details together to ensure everyone understands what’s available, when, where to go, and what they will need.

The easiest way to do that is through an online scheduling system. Consider these five, often unexpected, benefits of event scheduling:

We’ve all had that experience. Within minutes of leaving the the office, we remember that we were supposed to reserve a room in the church for an onsite ministry event. It’s Wednesday, so it’s highly likely that someone will find whatever open room they can and “set up shop” for the evening. There is only one choice to make. Turn around and go back to the office. Unlock the office door. Boot up the computer again. And then log in to the basic calendaring system and reserve the room.

Church leaders often underestimate the potential the average person in the pew has to promote their next event. Social media has changed the game when it comes to event promotion. Instead of your church being limited by the number of dollars you can put into printed materials and mailers, consider leveraging the assets of the social influence each of your members has within their own circles.

Let’s do a little math. (Just stick with me. I promise not to lose you.)