Need Some Help and Some Ideas Please

I am an Elementary PTA president. Our school is very fortunate. Our volunteers log over 8000 volunteer hours a year. We had over 25 parents receive the President’s Volunteer Service Award last year. http://www.presidentialserviceawards.gov/ However, with that said, a good percentage of our moms are either ‘stay at home moms’ or work from the house or close by in the community. (YOUNGER SIBLINGS ARE WELCOME AT OUR SCHOOL!! -- of course they can’t run the halls freely and disturb classes, but are welcome to be in the workroom with their parent)

What type of volunteers are you trying to recruit? (Reading with students, copies, lunchroom, etc.)

A month or two before school ends we begin by sending out a volunteer form that has ALL the different areas in which someone may volunteer. (This is done several times until the end of year and again several times at the beginning of the next school year.) Parents check of what they are interested in and a master list of volunteers and their contact information for each area is compiled. From there, each classroom has a volunteer coordinator that will keep in direct contact with the classroom teacher – the teacher contacts this one person when she is need of particular help. Same said for monitoring lunch time (all by volunteer), Thursday folders with pertinent information from the school and PTA (sorted and stuffed by volunteers). Our school tries to accommodate everyone’s schedule. As long as a volunteer has passed their background check, they are free to come and go as they like, as long as they have signed into the office and wear their volunteer badge. Teachers place their work that needs to be copied, laminated or cut in a special area so that volunteers can check their teacher’s box at anytime they are at the school. (Teachers attach sticky notes with instructions so that class in not interrupted by volunteers. Also, if a volunteer is unable to finish they will stick another note on the project explaining what they were able to accomplish and what needs to be finished.) (We encourage parents to drop by and check their teacher’s box when they are having lunch with their child and/or only have an extra 15 minutes to spare. Every little bit of time someone can give benefits our kids.) Cafeteria monitoring and Thursday folders are done by monthly schedules, so everyone has an opportunity to say if they want to volunteer once a week or only once a month. (Always trying to accommodate our volunteers.)

Our teachers and staff do provide all volunteers with a wonder brunch towards the end of the year. The key to having return volunteers (at least at our school) is that the individual STAFF and TEACHERS acknowledge their appreciation for the help they receive. If they are genuinely appreciative and say thank you on a regular basis, that is most anyone asks for in return. It’s when you have a teacher that acts as if it is my duty to make her copies, that’s when our volunteers back away. We (most parents of our school) volunteer solely for the benefit it gives to our kids. If I am able to make copies or laminate, which in turn allows my child’s teacher extra time for planning purposes or small group tutoring, etc. No one wants to feel that they are intruding or not welcome and that their time and effort is not valuable or appreciated.

I think having the parameters laid out and well-defined would help me in this arena. I'm gun shy because last year I got constantly asked to stay later, to take home additional projects and it never seemed the time I had offered(four hour chunks) was enough. This year I decided to choose only events (hello, teacher appreciation day) so that if things spin out of control at least there will be an end-date in sight. So if I were you I'd structure things so people won't feel guilty when it's time to go. Ask for a volunteer for a set amount of time or for specific projects; I'll never pay a babysitter while I stress at school over whether spending the morning is enough to satisfy that day's volunteer requirement. Don't ask for open-ended volunteers. Set parameters. Good luck!

A

Oh, and I could care less about getting a prize or mention in a newsletter. I just want to feel that I'm doing what's expected of me. Knowing what's expected up front would have helped me last year and possibly kept the definition from shifting around so much.

I would volunteer at my son's school if it was "ok" for me to bring my 2 year old along... I don't have a babysitting resource, so anywhere I go has to be with her in tow. At my son's school, they have always frowned upon bringing younger kids. I wouldn't be swayed by prizes or recognition, but would definately volunteer if I didn't have to worry about finding a sitter. Also -- every year I check the box for volunteering with paperwork, computer work, and other stuff I could do at home, and as yet have never been called.

Hi K.,
I have the same problem Bridgette does- a younger sib at home and no babysitting.
Maybe having a babysitting co-op type thing listed as part of the PTA- you know "I'll watch yours on Tues AM if you watch mine on Thurs" type of a thing? I am trying to get that going for field trips at my kids school.
Having all of the jobs broken down into smaller jobs makes it much easier to volunteer. We did a welcome back breakfast for the teachers. There were people to help set up, to plan the food, to clean up etc... That way if time was limited you could pick and choose what you wanted to do.
Another thing both schools I am involved w/ do is offer a Yahoo e-mail group. When things are needed we parents know, plus then we can problem solve as we go- that has been a tremendous help!
Prizes, etc,,, really don't motivate me.

D.

K.,
As a past PTA President, I'd say "nothing" makes parents want to volunteer in middle-school and high-school.... except access to the administration and being "in the loop".

Elementary schools seem to have too many volunteers and I would not give them prizes. I would consider it inappropriate, but that's me. Volunterring is about serving, not being served and people should take their turn! In reality, the same 10% volunteer for everything (church, school, community etc).

Recognition in the school newsletter or on the PTA website would be nice.

Save the money for the kids, not for prizes for the volunteers.