I have the feeling my response may not be popular, but here goes...
First, I suggest you read (or re-read) Tim's cover article on Family Involvement from this fall's PTOToday cover article. It emphasizes that parents might be more apt to become involved if they truly understand how much it BENEFITS their children. Involvement also comes in many forms & people should be encouraged to help in the ways that work best for them & their families.
Second, it's GREAT that some of you are delegating your work. However, a large part of delegating is following up far enough in advance to offer to assist that person in finishing, if necessary. The key word is "assist", not "take over". If someone "takes over" what I've been working on, it's not very likely that I will volunteer again. I also know that I personally have a difficult time remembering that I need to let other people run a project THEIR way, even if it differs from what I had in mind. I can tend to be pretty particular, so sometimes I have to really bite my tongue. Sometimes I even have to call someone back to apologize that I was butting in too much & that they really are doing a good job. That doesn't mean I'm afraid to let them know if I think they're going in the wrong direction, though. I just try to weigh things first and let some things slide. (the old "choose your battle" type of thing)
Haysmom, do your best to contact one of the PTO officers. Hopefully, they will embrace your help once they know you want to give it. If that approach is not successful, try going thru the principal. Do you know any other people interested in being more involved in the PTO? How is everyone's donation money being spent? Keep asking questions & hopefully you wil eventually find the right people. Even PTO's that only have meetings twice yearly usually sponsor events & try to communicate with members. Keep us informed about what you find out.
As far as a "clique" type image, communication with PTO members is SO important! Try to make sure your members know what PTO sponsors and how they can help. Also, it often helps if committee chairpeople personally call everyone on their committee to let them know about meetings & see how they can help, etc... Every parent is different, some will only help if they are asked directly. Others will charge right in... But it is very rare that any parent will be offended by being asked to help. Most, in fact, appreciate it, even if they are unable to help. If you are a comm. chair, try to take the time to speak with someone & find their strengths. Then it is often easier to match them to a task they would both enjoy & excel in.
I'm sorry that I got preachy here. But both extremes of this topic tend to get me riled up. (Side one: "Noone wants to help us with any programs, no matter how much we ask." Side two: "The same people run everything & noone is interested in my help.") What frustrates me the most is that you will find BOTH sides in the SAME organization. So obviously there is a communication problem somewhere! I guess maybe communication IS the key, which brings us back to Tim's article on family involvement.
Thanks, I guess it was my turn to vent!
Jo
[This message has been edited by MightyJo (edited 10-28-2001).]