To wonder why more people don't help at PTA events ... and what would encourage more people to do so ...

[onthebus]

In common with many other schools, our PTA had its annual summer fayre a couple of weeks ago. The school has quite a small PTA (about 6 people) and every year for this event they send out a note asking for volunteers for people to help set up/run stalls/clear away. Every year about 2 people volunteer and the PTA then run themselves ragged trying to do everything (and generally failing).

I'm not on the PTA by the way, though I do offer to help, and it strikes me that this really can't be the best way for anyone.

I understand that some people don't help because they are looking after small children/are at work/think the PTA are too scary/just don't want to but I'm really surprised that so few do. I did suggest to PTA members that if they actually asked people rather than sending out a note they might get more helpers but they are loathe to do this.

So ... I think most people appreciate that funds raised by the PTA are worthwhile. If you do/don't help out at PTA events, why is that, and what do you think would encourage you/other people to do so?

Wow I never realised that there was so much hatred for the PTA.

I'm sure there is the odd person that does it for the wrong reasons, but I suspect 99% just want to assist the school, provide the extras for the children and hold events that add a nice element to the school.

Ours is very small as its a village school and bar the odd person the majority on the PTA work. So the theory that its all SAHM's is a myth - we dont have a single SAHM that helps that I can think of.

The argument over tax is pointless anyway, paying more tax than somebody else doesnt mean the school benefits in any way shape or form as its gets the same regardless of the parents earnings.

The PTA can never win, if its small its a clique. If it holds meetings in the day it only applies to SAHM, holds meetings at night and its excluding those with children.

Could it not do both? Meetings in the day for the SAHM's and then evening meetings for those who work? Given what the PTA does I am sure people don't need to be at every meeting and could just read the minutes?

Thanks Natters I'd only seen the first page of that thread.
I can't believe the PTA woman stole it!
I'm sure there are some perfectly reasonable PTA members about is just that I personally haven't met any.

I don't have school age kids but all the mums in the PTA when I was at school were a little.. overbearing.. shall we say.

i can see both sides. I used to help on the pta, but then i realised, they're not just the pta, they aRE the uber clique of queen bees. and after the meetings they'd go to the pub and not invite me! there were others who weren't invited either. I know ti's not about that, but i lost interest the second i discoverd that.

ps, i also once spent about two days blagging prizes for a raffle, and then at the do itself, everybody from her husband to the dad on the door with the easy job taking the money was thanked, but I wasn't thanked!!!!

I know it's not all about me though, but still, has put me off going back on the pta. I won't again. And with younger child I'll be on the scene for a good few more years.

morebeta @10.17,top post she has it nailed
its not the revenue raised its the busy bum syndrome of conspicuously doing something and seeking big recognition for it

We call the uberclique the "Mumfia" - even the dcs say it now.

I have always liked the term "Muffia" :)

I work full time. Most days I do not make it to the school gates to pick up my own kids, and therefore I struggle to commit any time during school time. However, I do help in any activity during WE and I take several morning/afternoons free during the year to attend school events and give a hand if I can.

Maybe criticism here are partially true. But I believe that the main reason for persons not committing their time is that, in general, people tend not to do more than what is required, and only if they see a clear benefit. This is truth everywhere, not only in schools. Everybody finds a excuse when it comes to volunteer time and effort.

I do what I can and I try to do it with pleasure and enjoying it. I believe schoosl do better, raise more money, etc. when parents are involved. A good PTA makes a huge difference (i.e. a group of very committed human beings whatever their reasons) and I respect that.

Persons commiting time and effort (because they chose to) for the PTA should not be resentful about other parents not doing it. The parents who cannot be arsed to commit any extra time to school events should stop blaming the PTA for their own lack of commitment.

Our PTA does an iffy job of advertising what they have bought & what they are raising funds for. They could do so much better; also, advertising when next meeting is and what current projects are.

They call themselves the "Friends" -- I now get it, but for years I couldn't understand what "Friends" were supposed to be. I just hate that name.

I don't know who is on the PTA; I don't want to turn up & find only bitchy people in the room. I'd be willing to talk to the friendlier ones in the school yard, but I mostly don't know who they are (or if they exist).

We had a woman on preschool committee who frequently loudly bitched about how more people should help; she was so bitchy that people resigned; I know she later was quite active in the Friends, and once pointedly told me that my help wasn't needed when I offered to put stuff away for the Tombola.

I have turned up for PTA events, offered to help (having told them in advance that I would come help), been completely ignored, tried to do some little thing to help, told I was doing it wrong (not surprising since no instructions were forthcoming). Gave up.

I guess that's my thought, our PTA could be so much friendlier.

Oh... and. When I first tried to go to PTA meetings they were right after school and I had toddlers in tow & I had no free childcare; impossible to participate. I couldn't pay attention to the meeting; I even offered to run a creche (I was preschool Chair so CRBed up to the eyeballs) so that parents like me could attend, but no one was interested in the idea.

I don't perceive that the PTA parents are Queen Bees, though, or uber-elite. Then again, I am pretty out of the loop; gossip has to be BAD for me to hear any of it nowadays.

catgirl1976 - PTA is not a job you know. It's 12 people doing a series of fundraising activities to raise money. 10k a year is brilliant - god knows why you would think that amount of money is not important to a school. If 12 people were working at it full-time then, yes, you would expect more but PTA is a part-time as & when thing. There's not an event every week or even month, let alone every day .

I could never understand why half a dozen women should want to expend so much energy organising things that raised very little money when most of the parents would have been far happier to pay, say, £5 per month for an agreement never ever to be contacted about cake sales, fetes, school discos etc.

lol appreciatively at higgle.

I used to do it a bit but always dropped the cakes/put the chairs in the wrong place. then I started going in to school teaching music to kids from a disadvantaged background instead.

guess which one has made a difference?

The thing with say £5 per month and ditch the pta is that the voluntary contribution is just that and you'll find that after the first month very few bother to make it.

Someone said earlier in the thread - it's not all about raising money - it's also about the community of the school.

Those that complain about communication from the PTA - facebook, email (addresses given voluntarily by those wanting to hear), newsletters, reminders via children - and still the message often doesn't get there!

It is hard work, and i didn't do it for nothing - i did it for the sense of achievement of helping to raise money/helping to plan a fun event, and for the fact that my children were proud of me taking on the role of chair. (I've also helped out at events pre and post being chair).

I sometimes think that the view of "clique" happens when there are so few who continually volunteer that they get to know each other. I would certainly have been upset however, if people felt they couldn't come along and join in and be welcomed.

They still raised less than £1k each, across a whole year in which they apparantly worked very hard. I didn't say they worked full time but the poster I was refering to went to great pains to point out it WAS the whole year "not just christmas and summer" and there was loads of work and very hard work at that.

Given that - I still think the results are pretty poor. If someone tried to tell me that was a good return on investment, even if they had only put in 2 hours each a week I'd fire them.

In answer to the actual question posed and going on what has been said on this thread from PTA and non PTA poster, the PTAs need to address the fact that they are seen as cliques and do something about it rather than just denying what people are telling them. Listen to what people are saying!

BTW if most people I know raised £10k I would think they had done great. It would only be when they started making a massive point about all the time, effort and slog that had gone it it that I would have to re-think that position.

You sound like a nice, sensible PTA beertricks. It was only one or two posters that put my back up

That sounds more than reasonable :)