Getting parents to volunteer

[Macey78]

I'm a parent rep for the team my daughter plays football on. On match days we need parents to volunteer to act as lines person and at home matches to help set up.

On the group what's app no one ever volunteers for this or help set up. There are 1 or 2 parents who accidentally arrive early on match days and if they see there's Help needed with setting up will do this.

I need to say in a nice but firm way that as parents of your players you need to support the team by helping set up and acting as lines person. My husband has done this quite a few times. When I've spoken to other parent reps they have said they don't seem to have a problem there's always someone ready to volunteer for lines-person and help with setting up at a home game. Any advice with wording greatly appreciated.

From the original post I believe op is just asking how she gets a group of patients to set up goals and run the line at a children's football match . I attend many a football match , putting goals out is not a huge huge ask . Tell all parents they need to arrive at a match X amount of time before KO . Those able to push / carry a goal do so . Those with younger children can walk the pitch looking for hazards. Someone grab the corner flags and resect line . I've seen pitches set up and put away in less than 10 Min . Make it clear if your daughter plays parents are excited to set up for the match . Running the line is slightly different , it does help if you have a vague idea of the rules and be able to run . Lines people don't need to be perfect your match official enforces the laws of the game not the lino.

Parkrun works because the roles are defined and standardised. Rosters don't fill themselves, but saying mid-week that to run on Saturday you need 2 barcode scanners, 3 marshals and a timekeeper is specific and people tend to come forwards.
Generically asking for help in a vague way is rarely forthcoming.

Linesman is pretty niche in terms of fitness/ knowledge. Trying to get DoE students or in touch with colleges/ unis could be one strategy.

The set up is easier. Generally the parents have to be there to get the kids there so an extra 10-15 mins in advance is generally workable for the majority. Our Beavers dies a termly parent roster then it's up to the parents to swap/ arrange substitutes. There is a small number "exempt" but there's enough with the means to make it work. I ended up being a colony assistant when there was suddenly a leader crisis and TBH it was simpler staying there with the 3yo than lugging him in and out all evening.

Brownies had a phase with an awkward, demanding, unobliging set of parents who seriously believed that £30 for a 15 week term was actually paying salaries for 5 leaders, and accordingly expected Ofsted rated Outstanding childcare for the price! In the next newsletter we did a brief biography of the leaders including jobs and family commitments (none actually parents of brownies at that point) and an outline of the budget of rent/ census/ activity costs per term. The parent culture suddenly became far less entitled. Some weren't magically cured, but there was a shift to being more understanding.

Ironically I'm not the best at football as it clashes with my existing commitments with two volunteering roles and the coach was aware of potential difficulties when we joined. I am at least appreciative though!

@Missmissmiiiiiiiiisss

Being really honest I’d rather spend more and the team hire an assistant to do these jobs. I just really don’t have the time or headspace.

Snap.

@Couldhavebeenme3

Ex pta and playgroup chair here - I hear you op!

It got to the point once where we told all our Tuesday parents/carers that after weeks of requests for volunteers to help set up/wash up/tidy up etc, that we would be closing the session due to lack of support (it was a minimal contribution place, to cover rent, insurance and tea/coffee, very well attended by lots of regulars - parents, grandparents, carers, child minders). By the end of the session we had a full rota.

Grass roots sports are renowned for the same small group turning up to support every week whilst the rest of the parents just stand by and let it all happen around them as if by magic. Maybe it is time to send out a group text making a final call for volunteers to fill the rota, or the team will be withdrawing from the league due to the existing members stepping down. Harsh but I bet it works.

@Couldhavebeenme3

Can I please ask if you work full-time? If you're ex PTA and play group chair, did you also volunteer at weekend clubs too?

Some people are lazy arses and should definitely volunteer. But some work full-time and/or help out on other committees/clubs and don't have the time or mental capacity.

I work full time and also help on 2 PTAs, I'm happy to help with cones and bibs at weekend clubs, but I won't be volunteering on a weekly basis as I have enough on with everything else. Maybe others feel the same.

I learned many moons ago when running a playgroup with other parents
ROTA.
I will help at anything as long as it's fair. Eg brownies and guides. I am happy to put myself on a rota. Happy to volunteer or swap if another parent genuinely can't do it.
Otherwise it ends up as a few harassed parents doing it all which ruins their experience.
I your circs, I would do a blank rota, ask people to put them in for any slots they can do each term. Then focus on the blank ones, we need someone for these dates.
One people expect to have to do it regularly it will be easier. And you will always get those who do chuff all. Ignore. If you can get about 60 percent on board, you will be fine.

@PiousPenelope I was part-time with playgroup plus I ran 3 of the sessions a week, and full time (with a very flexible employer) with PTA. Whilst full time I also did the football stuff on Saturdays on a rota with my ds, and helped out at Brownies and scouts too, even went to scout camp once!

I wanted my kids to benefit from all the enrichment of clubs and groups, and that required me to put my name down to supervise, or make tea, or sweep up, or run tuck shop occasionally, on top of paying the subs.

If its made very clear from the beginning that not only the group's success, but the individual child's place is dependent on parents taking their turn, then there can be no uproar if little Johnny isn't selected to play because his parents won't spend 10 minutes per half term setting goals up, or doing dog poo patrol.

I've absolutely encountered the very entitled mindset of folk who think that a Halloween disco just appears out of nowhere, or that a Christmas fair pops up with a special room for Santa's grotto is set up by the elves rather than literal hours of prep away from school and then in the building days beforehand. I've overheard people slagging the committee off for asking folk to wash up their own cups, or take soiled nappies home, whilst also moaning that we're putting the session fee up by 20p to £2 for 2 hours of entertainment, play, shelter, craft, storytime and refreshments, but absolutely refuse to come a few minutes early and leave 10 minutes before to end to avoid putting the equipment away.

Anything not-for-profit is only there because of a few folk who put in 95% of the work behind the scenes, and if parents/carers aren't prepared to contribute a tiny bit of their time over the course of a half term to make it happen for the whole group, then maybe their kid should be participating.

Well you would have discriminated against me then. That’s nice

A lot of parents can't afford higher fees, that is why football clubs are run by volunteers and fees are low to keep it accessible to most. The idea is it is a community club for all kids, not a for profit making club and every one chips in by helping.

Paying £25/month for two training nights, weekend matches, strips, tournaments and other the associated costs of running a club and thinking you can just drop and run is ridiculous and shows a lack of understanding about what these clubs are about.

We had some parents that just couldn't get there early enough to help set up so they volunteered to do the taking down/clearing up after instead, or supported the club in other ways such as buying warm jackets for the subs, finding sponsorship to buy the team strips, running fund raising for tournament costs and extra equipment (gazebo for kids to get some shade between games, cool boxes for water), give other players lifts to tournaments if their parents didn't have transport, organise buffet for team nights out, washing game strips, provide water bottles and take home/wash/refill for every training session/match, making up buffet sandwiches for visiting teams etc.

We had a couple of parents who couldn't afford the monthly fees and transport so asked what they could do, they got there early on the bus to help setup pitches in return for their club fees being reduced (dh used go 30 mins out his way to give them a lift home after as it was a long day for them).

Parents are as much a part of volunteer run clubs as the kids are, if anyone can't help taking a turn getting there a little earlier to set up or spend 20 minutes helping to clear away then tell them and offer/ask what you can do to contribute instead.

I’m another one who would have assumed that a paid activity was staffed by paid staff, not by volunteers.

I think, as others have suggested, just make it clear that this isn’t the case and that you need volunteers.

I also think the idea of linking to DoE volunteering is genius.

@yourFinestPantaloons

How does this work in terms of DBS checks?

A huge majority of occasional volunteering does not require a DBS check. Dog poo patrol/cones and bibs/refreshments does not require DBS. Putting toys away at playgroup does not require DBS as you're there with your baby anyway. Supervising glitter and gluesticks at brownies once a term does not require DBS because you will NEVER be on your own with a child.

There are so few barriers to volunteering, especially at a group you are already taking your kid to. It's really not impossible to arrange childcare once a term or two for siblings who don't attend. Believe me I've been on the end of both sides, younger kids at home but also the leader who is despairing for support but watching the same parents float in and out, week after week, ter after term.

I find it staggering that parents feel a £25 per month fee means there’ll be people employed for 2xper week practices and 1x per week match!
I’d Imagine you also have to chase up payments and get loads of moans etc too. People are so outrageously entitled - who d’you think runs the club (for free l!!) if not for other, equally busy parents?

Next time invoices are sent out, include a direct statement: “our monthly fee works out at £1.50 per hour (or whatever), easily the cheapest childcare any of us will ever find! But this is why we expect all parents to help out occasionally. We understand all too well how short of time everyone is, but acting as linesman is really simple and enjoyable as well as being hugely appreciated. Please can everyone volunteer for one match a term? Thanks!”

If no improvement then at the AGM pass a change to say ALL parents must cover at least 2 matches a year unless they’re class rep or on the Committee, and send it out as a condition of membership.

Our club try this but they can piss right off. I pay £20 a month for training and £30 a year for his passport, I take him every week to training in the week and spend 2 cold hours on a Sunday watching the warm up and match. I don't give a flying fuck about football, I have no interest in learning the offside rule, I know enough to support my son in his interest without needing to be pressured into a voluntary role I want nothing to do with. It's completely unreasonable to expect parents to do that if they don't want to.

@Saz12

I find it staggering that parents feel a £25 per month fee means there’ll be people employed for 2xper week practices and 1x per week match! I’d Imagine you also have to chase up payments and get loads of moans etc too. People are so outrageously entitled - who d’you think runs the club (for free l!!) if not for other, equally busy parents?

Next time invoices are sent out, include a direct statement: “our monthly fee works out at £1.50 per hour (or whatever), easily the cheapest childcare any of us will ever find! But this is why we expect all parents to help out occasionally. We understand all too well how short of time everyone is, but acting as linesman is really simple and enjoyable as well as being hugely appreciated. Please can everyone volunteer for one match a term? Thanks!”

If no improvement then at the AGM pass a change to say ALL parents must cover at least 2 matches a year unless they’re class rep or on the Committee, and send it out as a condition of membership.

What’s so hard to understand?

I pay £25 a month for my son’s gym membership, and £30 a month for his judo. Both involve paid members of staff, not volunteers.

@Saz12 parents are entitled?! Listen to yourself! Why on Earth should parents have to volunteer for an activity?! So my son should be excluded from football because I don't have the time to learn the fucking offside rule? I work full time, my husband is military away months at a time, I'm a school governor and 3 nights a week I'm driving my kids to activities not including football matches on weekends. It's a ball ache, I'd pay more but they don't offer that, but I'm NOT volunteering for an activity I've no interest or time to, I ensure my children are at every session, every game, on time, with the right equipment with subs paid on time and that's all that should be expected of me.

Is this a good opportunity for some youth(s) doing DoE to get their volunteering in?

OP: if subs were increased to £30, could you afford to pay a nice youth to help you out for the match time?

I think you just have to say it like it is:

"In order for us to provide these activities for your child, we need parents to volunteer for X, Y and Z. I think it's really unfair that this always falls to A, B and C and so I am asking for 3 families to step up and help this weekend".

Alternatively, one of my children's clubs volunteers you on your behalf, working through the list of kids in alphabetical order each week. Very few people refuse and if they genuinely can't help on the week that it's their turn, they will swap with someone else so that the job gets done:

"This week it's Alfie Avery's family's turn to wash the match kit and Bertie Brown's family's turn to help with set-up for training please".

[quote user512]@Saz12 parents are entitled?! Listen to yourself! Why on Earth should parents have to volunteer for an activity?! So my son should be excluded from football because I don't have the time to learn the fucking offside rule? I work full time, my husband is military away months at a time, I'm a school governor and 3 nights a week I'm driving my kids to activities not including football matches on weekends. It's a ball ache, I'd pay more but they don't offer that, but I'm NOT volunteering for an activity I've no interest or time to, I ensure my children are at every session, every game, on time, with the right equipment with subs paid on time and that's all that should be expected of me.[/quote]
I have different shit on my list but that's what i think. I also think that there can be, not necessarily here, a real self virtuousness about 'volunteering'.

@saz12 first off I was a single parent and I’m disabled. Yes that was a lot of money for me.

Second. I worked full time. Their dad did fuck all squared and I didn’t get maintenance either.

Third. I already volunteered to keep a guide troop and a PTA going. As well as the playgroup in my time.

How much more do you expect of me?

Anyone saying being a linesman is simple and enjoyable. I completely disagree. This is a whole other level from helping out the goals out etc. I shouldn’t have to participate in sport simply because my children do. That’s simply too much to ask from me and a lot of parents on here it seems.
I’ve also just had a rather stroppy letter from Cubs saying that if at least 2 parents don’t become leaders then the group will have to close. Now I would be very sorry about that and I appreciate the time and effort that the
Leaders put in but being a cub leader is simply not in everyone’s skill set, it’s like being a teacher - vocational surely. I do not have the skills, personality or patience to lead a group of kids and it shouldn’t be assumed that I do just because I have a child.

@dannydyerismydad

Team manager's wife. I have to poo pick the entire pitch before kick off.

Strangely enough the other parents are falling over themselves to put up the goal nets to avoid dealing with dogshit.

Omg. I am appalled Do dog owners not pick up? Sorry you have to do this

@lljkk

Is this a good opportunity for some youth(s) doing DoE to get their volunteering in?

OP: if subs were increased to £30, could you afford to pay a nice youth to help you out for the match time?

It is a volunteer run club, you can't pick and choose who to pay and who not to pay.

Plus what admin is there to pay someone? Is there additional insurance issues? Additional responsibilities around paying a young person? Is there health and safety training or PPE required as it is employment? Who is going to work this out and do this admin - the already stretched volunteers?

I volunteer for an organisation my dd is involved in. It's on a rota basis and in no way onerous. And everyone is welcoming. I tried volunteering for the PTA but they were really unpleasant and ignored my offers of help, only for them to bleat in the playground that no one volunteered. Then they sent out a letter blaming lack of volunteers for lack of funds and it would be our fault if y6 couldn't go to Alton Towers (dc1 was in yr1 at the time). The one time they accepted my help they put me on the BBQ in the pissing rain. I told them I couldn't do the BBQ as I had toddler dc2 with me.

After that, and after they deliberately excluded my friend from a meeting (refused to speak to her and left her name odd the minutes) I have refused to join in all PTA-led activities including Christmas/summer fairs etc. It's the same lot of parents (younger dcs still in school).

My point is that they annoyed me and I've disengaged. If you told me I had to volunteer I may well disengage my dc and you'd lose my subs.

I think what you need to do is make it explicit when they join that acceptance into the club is on condition of £25 we per month plus however many volunteer sessions. Then do a rota. Existing members maybe notify them of the change starting from next year. The only fair way is a rota. The linesman thing sounds tricky as it appears they need to be involved with the whole game, physically active and understand the rules of football? Could you advertise for a regular person? Would it be suitable for someone retired?

Am pretty sure a volunteer run club can pay for services -- if the PTA run a school disco, we pay the DJ for his services. I imagine a youth wanting to get their coaching certificate could be available for pay, possibly as volunteer.

There are so few barriers to volunteering especially at a group you are already taking your kid to
I think that is true for the majority Couldhavebeenme3 but it isn't universal. There are a small number of people who genuinely can't do anything and for that reason the clubs I help run have decided not to have a "you must volunteer or you're child can't participate" policy. However, I do think the vast majority of families could contribute something and if everyone did a little bit these problems wouldn't exist.
Not everyone is cut out to be a coach, or club Treasurer etc, but seriously, how many people genuinely never have the capacity to stay 15 minutes late to put the equipment away, make the coffee or take the shirts home to wash?
We're lucky at the moment in that our clubs have built up quite a nice group of willing helpers but it's not always the case and the entitlement of some parents is spectacular.