I am a new volunteer this school year. I was asked to be the treasurer and accepted b/c I was there to volunteer and I thought it the right thing to do. Knowing nothing about how things work in the PTO I do feel sometimes that it is difficult to break in to the few that are long time volunteers. You know, some people get so use to doing everything that it becomes easier just to do it yourself. They have mentioned that volunteers or, actually, parents attending meetings are few and far between. We have had about 10 at the meetings so far this year. That includes the officers and a school official. So actually about 3 or 4 parents are there. The mtgs are after school at 3 thirty. The President has mentioned a later time, like 6 or so in the evening but no one votes for that, and I am not that crazy about the idea. However, it is not about us but about parents and volunteers, etc., which I am one, but you know what I mean.
There is so much I need to know as a Treasurer and just as a volunteer. A volunteer for teachers and not just volunteering for Turkey Trot Day or something like that. Is it normal to be at the school everyday or as much as you want to volunteer. I am a stay at home mom.
Thanks for any input.
I recently found that when a classroom teacher reached out to her parents, it resulted in two volunteers who otherwise would not have volunteered for this particular event.
Ask for you teachers' help. They are getting to know their parents, by late Fall, and the parents are getting to know them. I, then, took time to acknowledge their help and get a feel for whether or not the teacher's request made the difference. It did!
I agree that groups need to keep trying and it needs to be at school. Our group is at the high school level; we wear name tags and I am consistent to introduce each officer/committee chairman each month when they give their report.
I also give very small attendance prizes at each meeting..hokey, yes, but a good ice-breaker and a little bit of fun for all. We also have an ongoing contest for the school year--each meeting someone attends they fill out a chance to win a $50 iTunes card at our May meeting. If they attend all 9 meetings that year, they have 9 chances to win! Doesn't cost the group much, and it is another way that new people can get involved with the group.
Our officers/committee chairmen sit scattered throughout the meeting, not all clustered at the head table. That way, we can interact with new members and not look "clique-ish".
What may seem easier for the small group in the short term becomes harder in the long term if the small group has to do everything! Make an effort to include everyone who shows interest and the burden gets spread around!
We only have 14 families to pool from for our small school. Volunteers are few and far between! But our PTA has kept consistent, meeting at the school every other week, even though they are all friends and/or family outside of school! You never know what is going on in a family that might keep them from volunteering, so our PTA keeps asking! We have one mother and father who were skeptical about their son's first year at our school. As the school year has progressed and they have watched their son blossom, they have just now begun to get involved in the PTA. If we had slipped into the "clique" as described, I am pretty sure this family would have felt "left out" and would not have joined our list of active volunteers! Give parents time. Some of them have to "warm up" to the idea of being involved. But if you keep in touch with them, keep them informed, and keep inviting them, who knows what can happen!!
To Lisa's specific question, I have encountered this too. What I did was email the volunteers for that activity, stressing the chairperson's great leadership/experience and copy the chairperson. Basically I got the ball rolling and shamed the chairperson with kindness. If that chairperson has the best interest of the kids and PTA they will go with that flow!
