DTS is an investment in your life.
The cost of the entire Discipleship Training School (lecture and outreach phase) can be overwhelming at first glance. In fact, DTS may be the most expensive investment you've ever made in your life. But we believe that DTS is a great investment in your life and your future.
We want to help you find ways to pay for your DTS, especially if you don't have savings to fall back on or financial support from your parents. As a YWAM team, we have all experienced how God provides, basically, we do it every month as our salaries are supported by donations. God can provide!
But first, what question are you really asking?
We believe that before you consider whether you have enough money, you should decide why you want to attend a DTS. If you know it's your next step (and why wouldn't investing in your relationship with God and learning more about your place in missions be a good next step?), we believe God wants to provide for you for your DTS.
After your yes to DTS, make an overview of how much money you already have available for DTS or can set aside from now until you start DTS. You can easily get this overview by taking a piece of paper and writing down your (expected) income.
Do you have a regular income from which you can set aside some? Even if what you set aside is nowhere near covering the cost of the school, we believe that giving what we're able makes a difference. Why should your church or individual supporters invest in your DTS if you don't want to contribute anything yourself?
At the end of this step, you should have a rough idea of how much finances you need to start the DTS.
Do you have a birthday before DTS starts? Or is Christmas still before DTS? Maybe you would want money for DTS as a gift.
Do you have clothes that you haven't worn in a while but are still in good condition? Do you have books, technology, old toys or games lying around that you haven't used for a long time? Then see if you can sell something on Facebook Marketplace. Or how about organizing a garage sale with some friends?
Do you have some time before your DTS and the opportunity to pick up a summer or part-time job to help pay for your DTS? During DTS this won't be possible, as your days are too full to work on the side.
Often churches like to invest in something like a DTS. Just ask around. You can, of course, reach out to individual church members or other people directly. We've put together a separate Fundraising Guide that you can check out. An important note here, YWAM Nuremberg, is unable to issue donation receipts for DTS fundraising.
Your budgeting from Tip #2 should help you become aware of your spending. We want to be responsible with the money we have. Maybe you can forgo a coffee or other regular expenses and put the money aside for DTS instead. Don't underestimate the small amounts, they really do add up.
Talk to God about your finances. You may even get a new thought or idea while praying.
And you can always write us if you have more questions or need help.