Last year we had about 6-10 members of a local high school's ROTC volunteer to help us during our Spring Festival. I don't know how we would have done it without them. Hopefully they will be willing to help us again this year.
However, I still cannot understand the lack of parent help. What can I do to make them more interested in helping?

good point " unregistered" in seeking outside groups. Another great place to look is the high school. most national honor society kids have to do community service hours as well. Other adult groups that may help are Rotary Clubs, and Junior League.

Finding parent volunteers can be difficult. When they run short, I often turn to one of the local churches. The older students are required to put in community service hours through the Catholic church. I submit any dates that I may need some help with and the administration puts it out to all their students. I get the list and make the phone calls to confirm that it's okay with the parents and I have instant volunteers.
Good luck!

volunteermomo3 - I feel your pain as well. Being involved in the PTO can be a wonderful experience, but it can also be very stressful. I have only been at the school a few times during the month of January because I am completely burned out. Our school got over 150 new students this year due to school closings, and the PTO was sure that we would get at least 10-20 steady volunteers for this school year. Boy, were we wrong! We had to cancel our Santa Shop this year because no one cares, and we might end up having to cancel Field Day at the end of the year. Both of those events have been traditions at our school for over 10 years, but what can we do? We can't force parents to volunteer. We had our annual Teacher and Staff Appreciation Luncheon right before Christmas. We ask parents to donate side dishes and desserts. The turn out was pathetic! The PTO had to go out and buy food. What happened to the good old days when parents cared? Just remember that you are not alone. This sort of thing is happening at schools all over the country.

I also feel as though the "teflon" has over time been scratched away. I should be planning the Teacher Appreciation and activiites for the end of this school year, but my balloon is deflated so to speak. We had a family night planned in which the chair and co-chairs did not plan anything or attend the final details meeting. Three of the parents who came to the meeting decided to "rescue" the night, I being on even though I was in the midst of planning another PTO function. We had the night all ready and then weather cancelled us out. The event has been permanently "Postponed" since I don't have anyone interested in re-planning it. Half of my volunteers no showed for shifts at the Christmas store. Our school shirt sale sold less than 100 shirts, in which only a few teachers orderd one. At the beginning of the year I sent out the teacher survey forms and only received a handful back, and one stated that the PTO should do more to show our appreciation to the teachers through out the year, not just one week of the year. Last year we asked for r.s.v.p.'s for the Teacher dinner and only half of the ones who replied "yes" came due to a conflict with the principal. Half the teachers never even r.s.v.p'd at all. Thus, leaving us to assume that they were coming "just in case". So now I wonder just how much effort I want to put into this dinner. I currently have a grant out for one of our departments since our PTO is so small that we can not financially make a nice donation to this department. I have asked that the teachers, PTO parents to go to this web site and comment on the impact that this grant willl have on our school. Needless to say, you can count the teachers and PTO parents who responded on one hand. Parents don't attend the meetings, teachers don't attend the meetings. I am currently at the "throw in the towel" point because I feel that if no one else cares, why should I?

Afreil, I feel your pain. The same 3 mothers keep doing all of the work at my son's school, and I'm one of them. As PTO President, I find it hard to believe that people just seem to have better things to do than to support their child and the school. We never have enough volunteers to break up into committees or sub committees. All I can say is keep trying. Your school is lucky to have you onboard.