Since I have no ideas to address the staff issue, I'll talk about delegating and finding volunteers to delegate to. (Besides I love plw's "speech"... I'm going to memorize it.)
Mykidsmom, I hope you are passing items from your "to-do" list to the appropriate committee chair. I feel like your other posts have mentioned a problem with volunteers. If recruiting volunteers is not one of your personal strengths, find someone who IS good at it. I am not personally doing a lot of the activities that many of you seem to be doing (soliciting donations, membership drive, etc...). I am trying very hard to pass those on to the committee chair and then keep in touch with them. (This is very hard for me, I'm afraid I like things a certain way and often do them myself. But I am learning to trust other people!!) However, matching people's strengths to PTO's needs IS one of MY strengths, so I've been spending a lot of time on the phone recruiting people. I've learned not to take "no"'s personally. I can usually turn a "no" to my first offer into a "yes" for something else.
I would often have teachers approach me in the hall for things like this and all I would tell them is that "If you can come to our next meeting I will put you on the agenda and you can pitch your needs there. Membership will need to make a motion to move forward and vote on it and then probably a committee formed for this project. So... it will depend on who or how many people step up to the plate to do it." Keep this on the tip of your tongue.... always! It makes the staff realize that they are dealing with an organization not just a few moms who come to the school. The sooner they realize that the better off everyone is. This has helped us a great deal. Besides the membership always appreciates the staff making their own requests and are more likely to volunteer.
Friday, I spent most of my morning in a meeting with our event planner at school. Eventhough our meeting was long we did get ALOT talked about and planned both of us leaving with long to do lists!! (Imagine that!!) My concern is during this meeting another staff member joined us (she was putting off going to her office to work) and started asking us on how do get more for the library. I gave her several ideas, none which she wrote down, as did the other gal only to have this staff member ask who soon we could have this done! All these calls she expected us to make for her! We were already noticing how much we have to do with a new building to move to, the huge open house/ribbon cutting the principal wants, and everything else in between! The staff member even had the nerve to say as long as your doing donation letters can you get me a NEW sofa for the new library? I had to roll my eyes I'm sorry, that was just too much.
I know I should go to the Principal and inform her of this......I don't know.
Why can't these people understand I can only do so much! I have learned not to offer help but wait till I'm asked! That has really helped my marrage HAHAHA! The sad thing is it's ONLY AUGUST!!!! As the tin man said to the lion in The Wizard of Oz "I hope your tail holds out!"
Thanks for listening .........
