To ask how you encourage people to help at school events?

[JohnCusacksWife]

Just that really....we have a school roll of just under 250 but can only ever muster the same 10 or so helpers for fundraising events. How do we engage and enthuse other parents to help, even for an hour or two? We've tried everything we can think of but to no avail. At this rate our fundraising will diminish which means no food/gifts at Christmas parties, no leavers do, no IT purchases or major sports kit for the school. All advice is much appreciated!

But I have never heard such an awful suggestion as the one where the child gets a reward if the parent volunteers!

Let's just think heylilbunny- how could that possibly go wrong?

oh and think about what you are raising money for, things like food for the leavers party - why are you do a time consuming event for that? Why not just do a sign up sheet (emailed round to get the parents who don't do drop off/pick up themselves) and get each parent of a child going to the party to bring one thing and/or charge a voluntary amount to attend the party? Same for the christmas party, bring the food between the DCs - for parents who don't have lots of spare time, adding something to their food order and sending it in with their DCs is a lot easier to commit to than giving up a saturday morning. (Particularly if they don't have childcare for other DCs).

Our school does'nt give out gifts to the DCs at Christmas, the staff ones are just funded via an email round from each class rep collecting in money.

For IT purchases, if the school can't fund it themselves, can you try doing a letter round saying "we need to raise £X for Y, that works out as £Z per family, we will be holding some fundraising events, but if you would like to just donate £Z or any other sum towards it, here are the details for a bank transfer." make it easier for yourself and everyone else.

If you are in a school where the parents don't have lots of spare time, then stop trying to raise money in a way that takes up lots of their time.

I would quite happily chuck in £20 a term if it meant I could exempt myself from the constant asks and guilt trips when I say I can't do it. I'm sure many others would as well. You might even raise more than the actual event

I'm happy to donate to the school but helping out in my free time is my idea of hell. My son spends enough time at school/after school club and I work long hours. I like to spend our free time doing family things, not spend more time at school! I don't expect any parents to volunteer and wouldn't complain at events being cancelled. There is more to life than school. I'd prefer a request for a one off donation every year and a list of where the money is going.

oh yes and this "we're all busy, but we manage to help out" suggests that you do have another parent or helpful family around to look after the DCs while you're volunteering at the school - other people don't. If DH is working, then I'm not going to pay out £20 to a babysitter to help the school raise £20 from another parent.

Give me a chance to just hand over £20, I would do.

I agree Dinosaurs, sometimes, the kind of event is more time consuming, less financially productive, and just more bloody hard work, than slipping a tenner in an envelope.

Another issue is timings.
A lot of pta things are held during school hours and often at odd times. Like 11 in the morning. Who really wants to do the school run, find something to do, go back for 11 and then again at the end of the day.

It's not always about laziness just parents/carers often have other commitments during the day and cannot drop everything.

Another issue I have come across is giving parents notice. Some are dire at this and it has been known for texts to go out an hour before whatever is happening.. Then pta complain because of the lack of interest and it's always them doing things.

I don't join because the chair is just unbearable. I'm sure they are a nice person but they come across as patronising, know it all and can't leave a difference of opinion alone.

My kids are at a new school after the summer. After reading this thread I remembered I had received an email regarding volunteer job sign - ups (a requirement at the new school which is not in the UK).

Turned out it included a link to signupgenius (as mentioned up thread) and I am very impressed. Very easy to use and showed all the jobs with descriptions and time requirements. It was easy to see what was still available. This is a great tool and also fair. It was advertised when the link would open so if you were very keen on a particular job as long as you checked the link at 7am the morning it opened it would be first come, first served. Cuts out favouritism if that is an issue. I was late to the party but still found a job I am very happy with.

JohnCusack - when my DC were at our village school the top class (years 5 & 6) ran several sideshows at Christmas fairs and Summer fetes every year. The sideshows were planned and prepared under supervision in class or at lunchtime - nothing complicated, usually 'Bash the Rat', 'Treasure Hunt on a map', 'Name the Teddy', 'How Many sweets in the Jar'.

Each group of children was headed by a couple of the more responsible children and other parents or staff on adjacent stalls kept an eye. They all felt part of the event and proud to be helping their school - and brought the families along to support the event!

But the point of the pta isn't just fundraising. The events are meant to also support the curriculum and be enjoyable for the children. The children very much enjoy the events that are organised.

Sorry if an above idea was offensive - that's all it was, an idea. It worked it one school I knew of. Also they would reward the class that raised the most money for an event with ice - cream sundaes or no uniform for a day, hope that doesn't offend anyone either! This thread is just a brainstorm - take it or leave it.

At our school each class has a couple of reps. They liase with teachers, pass on messages and attend a couple of PTA meetings a year. They are volunteers and change each year.

When there is a school fair, each class is given a stall to run and then the reps fill the time slots, parents manning the stalls in 2's or 3's for half hour slots.

Dads are very welcome too. Often they are left out of these things...but DH loves getting involved with it all (he's the sociable one!!)

Some people are not able to help man a stall on the day, but are perfectly willing to do preparations the day before.

All the school is issued with a paper plate for example and asked if they can supply a cake for the cake stall (one per family) ...there is a "prize" for the "best" one.....

The actual time requirement for individual parents is quite small.

Many years ago, when pfb entered reception I joined the PTA. At the second meeting a couple of the PTA parents were complaining about the amount of work they did sending out letters. I volunteered to take over this job. Big mistake. They didn't want assistance. They wanted plaudits for all their hard work. I was knocked back in no uncertain terms. I never went back to the PTA again.

This sort of situation is fairly common - I know a lot of other parents who came up against similar PTA mafia types.

Your PTA may be nothing like this - but I would certainly say, if you want support in the long term don't reject assistance. I was actually upset when my offer of help was turned down (as I said, it was my pfb).

What time are your pta meetings. I've never been to one as they are before school when I am enroute to work - 8.45am. I do help by baking lots for fayres as that can be done in my own time.

We have a few of ours in the local pub.
We are in a village, so l know thst helps a bit.
New faces are getting involved in ours.
What helped was new faces asking other new faces. :)

Our meetings l mean.

It's very simple:

Make people feel welcome and that their contribution is valued.

I have stopped helping our PTA. I used to help, but prior to the Christmas fair, there was a call for volunteers via book bags and their FB page. I responded via the latter and someone replied "Great, I'm working on the schedule now and let you know". That same afternoon, the PTA mafia were holding forth in a rather passive aggressive manner how no one ever volunteers. They never actually got back to me.

I have a friend who has been hounded by the PTA on the grounds she doesn't work and must help more.

I support the PTA by attending fairs, paying the £1 for non uniform etc but that's as far as it's ever going to go.

This is an interesting read. We have similar problems with our pfa. Are we cliquey? God no!! We do spend time in a huddle on the playground because there is always something to be discussed. There is a core of about three or four of us who do everyfuckingthing, but i know for me, i do it because i enjoy it. This often means that things are presented in the meeting in almost a fate acomplis and i don't like this and we have lost members in the past becuase of this, but the other side of that coin is that we only have an hour to discuss events etc so without having pre-discussed the meetings get nowhere.

We are not in any way smug yummy mummy SAHMs, I co-chair and i have two other jobs. Although both jobs are flexible and allow me to have time.

We have our meetings during the day which i worry puts off the working parents but then they would need babysitters in the evenings. We allow people to bring their children to our meetings.

We do manage to get volunteers for events but it is like pulling teeth - I actually don't buy the "i work" excuse because we are asking for an hour or two of peoples time a couple of times a year - it is ok to say, you know what, i'd rather pull my teeth out with a pair of plyers than help sell your cakes but please let me have a couple of raffle tickets instead - we have decent prizes that i have broken my neck scrounging from anywhere and everywhere

Maybe having a creche for volunteers children would help at events but then you'd need CRB checked appropriately qualified supervisors??

I use social media alot - people must think i have nothing better to do with my time but i update it alot with requests and information. maybe it fucks people off.

Thing is - i just think that most people don't enjoy that sort of thing - maybe they are too busy having lives. They are missing out, yes its about the money, we raise ALOT of money so we must be doing something right - however i would like to see more people join in because, well, its fun.

I would have an event that is used to raise money for a specific cause rather than requiring parents to volunteer. Volunteering can be difficult for many reasons.

Eg. (Communication needs to come from school on behalf of PTA) £x is needed to buy [thing]. We will hold a dress up day to involve the children in raising this money so please could your child bring a donation, any amount appreciated. (make the theme very wide, maybe a colour like red or maybe any animal/superhero)

Theoriginal - you said yourself, the meetings are held in the day - your job is flexible, so you can attend them, others working more traditional hours won't be able to, so "I work" is perfectly valid. As is pointing out that if you put things on a Saturday, lots of parents work on saturdays (and there's not much childcare available, so the other parent can't come along to help if they also have their DCs with them, there's a limit to how much helping out someone can do who has a toddler with them).

I also think a lot of people organising these events don't get that it's often tricky to even bring your DCs along to attend them, let alone volunteer as well. You need 2 parents available, one to look after theDCs at the event and one to volunteer, most families don't have that capacity.

Saying it's only an hour or two a year doesn't help if that hour or two aren't on times that parents can't help out. I regularly could help for an hour or two, but never at the regular film nights starting at 6:30pm (clashes with DC2's bedtime, it's enough struggle to get DH back in time to take DC1 along), rarely on events happening on Saturday afternoons (DH works), not on Saturday mornings (swimming lessons). Our school doesn't have events that fit with the times I am free to help. As I said, so far, I've ended up just baking and handing that over.

Saying you arrange things and divide up tasks in advance of the meetings between a small group of you then saying that the same people do "every fucking thing" is a bit rediculous - if you want others to get involved, then you have to a) stop doing everything before the meetings, and b) allow for other people having different ideas - this might mean arranging meetings and events for times that don't suit you...

I am all up for changing the meeting times, and i do know that people are busy and have lives but i do believe that if people genuinely want to help they will. It is ok to not want to but people are so disinegenuous (sp) about it. Just say no ffs, then i know not to ask you again and we can just talk about random shit at pick up time instead of me trying to think of a nice way to ask bully you into manning the lucky dip stall.

Baking IS helping though, we make £££'s from our cake sales.

We have 7 a year - one for each year group. Half of the money goes directly to the year group to spend as they see fit, the other half into the PFA pot.

Same as others above have said really - most people I know are either busy working and unable to take time off for volunteering at school, or not working/working very little and have smaller children under school age, and no childcare for the times they are needed to help out.

I am looking forward to my youngest starting school, and being able to say yes, I am available to help out with the fundraising events. If there were things that could be done at home tbh at this stage I probably still wouldn't offer to do them, evenings/weekends are family time and I don't want school stuff encroaching on it. I like to think there's plenty of time for helping out when my little ones are a bit older and don't need me quite so much, but then I'll probably be working again by then so it will depend on my work hours

I'm one of those terrible mothers who buys cakes to send in for bake sales, you never know who has had their fingers in the homemade ones!

My DCs school is a similar size to yours by the sounds of it OP. I think it would have more impact for me if our pta summarised the details of what they raised and what it was spent on - money pushes people's buttons doesn't it and a clear account of how much and what might well get people's attention.

Very interesting read. I'm not in the UK and not on a PTA equivalent but I do head up a charity that provide playgroups etc for children, and is totally volunteer run. Like many of you, we have in excess of 100 families but the same 10 people doing everything. We don't need to fundraise (our memberhsip fees cover most of our costs) but we do rely on volunteers to run playgroups, organise events etc. My advice from trying to drum up help is...

1. Be very specific about what you want people to do. General calls for help don't work IMHO, you need to ask people to help with X event on Y day doing Z.

1. Meet people halfway and give them opportunities to contribute that work for them: if some would rather pay a fee up front and not have to contribute in person, enable them to do that.

1. Think very carefully about how many / type of events you do. We've had busy years where it seems that every two weeks we are calling out for volunteers for this or that event: it wears people out, both organisers and volunteers. Get the biggest bang for your buck that you can. And if you can't get the help don't be afraid to let an event fall by the wayside: you don't have to catch every ball that is thrown your way :)

1. Approach people indvidually, be prepared to schmooze and ask directly for help, especially if you know that people have specific skills etc that are useful.

1. Be friendly and network widely. It's easy to end up in an unintended clique just because you spend lots of time working on stuff together, or because you know what's going on and others don't. Your Chair needs to be friendly, welcoming and actively getting to know lots of people. People get involved when they feel involved. We try to hold some social events through the year for parents, as well as family events, gives people a chance to get to know one another out of school, so to speak. But I guess we are in an expat situation, it might be easier to do that here :)

1. Last point: if you find yourself getting really bitter and twisted, move on, if only to protect your own mental health! It's hard to enjoy organising or participating in events if you are feeling angry with all the people that didn't help out. Better to expend your energies elsewhere if you are feeling underappreciated.

Interesting - our school roll is 44 (26 families) and we get about 8-10 people helping at events; must be a universal constant.

Our problem is getting people involved with the pta, its just the same three of us everytime, but if we announce an event and put a list of jobs outside for parents to sign up it does get filled in. It would just be nice not having to do all the advance planning on our own. I think the issue is the chair is unpopular - agm this week, let's see if any one else steps up....