I told you this subject was a biggie.

The parish budget often cannot meet all your ministry’s needs. Here’s where ingenuity comes into play.

Sometimes supportive donors (anonymous or named) will be willing to provide money for new octavos for the choir. Again, quantify and communicate (remember, prospective donors may not know what an octavo is). Put the ministry’s needs in the bulletin or on the music ministry page of the parish website.

The music ministry would like to purchase new music to enhance the community’s worship. An average piece of sheet music costs about $1.50 these days, and we have x number of singers and instrumentalists. Your contribution is completely tax-deductible. See the Director for details.

Collect hymnals—not just Catholic ones—and learn to use the metrical and tune indexes in the back. It’s a good way to expand the ministry’s repertoire with good new texts on familiar tunes.

The major liturgical publishers (OCP, GIA, WLP) offer subscriptions for choral music that you can review and choose from; the cost is reasonable, but the expense should be borne by the parish.

If you know a local composer whose work meets your standards, it’s perfectly okay to ask if they have a song for a particular occasion of feast, or a psalm setting for a Sunday next month. They may refuse, for various legitimate reasons, but many will find this a happy way to get their music into community use—and receive valuable feedback.

Ask your colleagues in other parishes about their financial strategies! (Oh, yes, they will have them. Trust me.)