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!

Oh dear I have to say I don't like the attitude on this thread. I'll happily donate money but not particularly keen to volunteer for school stuff. It is optional you know!

I am on 3 other committees and have decided that I am not joining the PTA unless I drop one of them. I work full time and passionately hate fundraising. A lot of events seem to involve loads of work and raise very little. I, like many others on here, would prefer to give 50 a term and not have to do anything.

Meeting times are tricky because I can't do daytimes, but after a full day at work and then collecting kids and getting them to bed all I want to do at night is collapse on the sofa with a however the PTA sensibly have most meetings at the pub.

I think I am just one of those that has been burnt before by being one of the few that does help and then gets overwhelmed.

I would be happy to help though, I just don't want to be on another committee. I will buy make cakes, give donations for the raffles, help on a stall etc. i just don't want to organise everything.

Oh, well, that makes two of us AnnPerkins .

I suspect there are others who claim to be too busy or whatever when in fact it is taking them out of their comfort zone and they'd rather not admit it.

I just got an email last week from a PTA mum who encouraged me and several other parents who work full-time to organize a stall at the school fair. Around 2pm during one of the busiest weeks of the year, of course. Nobody has replied her so far...

I did a stall some time ago, spent and entire afternoon, net profit was 10€

We all would be happy to donate some money.

BigRedBall

LondonRocks you're going to leave your PTA after reading a thread on mumsnet? confused...I bet that will go down well with your posse when you tell them. (And yes, you do sound like a martyr now, typical cliquey flouncing).

No, probably not but frankly people who are frankly too fucking lazy to do anything but are full of unwarranted criticism of the PTA make me wonder why I bother. The funny thing is, people love the events and we raise loads for the school...

Oh, and if I hadn't stepped up, no one else would have, so I don't think I am special - not in the slightest. I thought a bit more of a muck-in approach would be apparent, but some people seem to think they are the only ones who are "busy", or perhaps too special to help out a bit.

My friend is a teacher and she says she has never encountered such negativity as there is in this school (towards helping out, as teacher or parent) - but the school is amazing, so there we are.

I suppose I get fed up of the sniping levelled at people just trying to do something positive. I sure as hell don't do it for the glory and have a zillion other things to be getting on with!

And, without doubt, certain events at our school would not happen without funding from the PTA (I mean educational things, btw).

I'm happy to help if I know exactly what needs doing and how to do it. I have spent a weekend painting the fence and I manned the bar at the PTA summer ball.

I do not want to spend my spare time getting in everyone's way and feeling like a right plum.

We have considered the idea of just asking people for money and did sound a few people out about it. The response was so negative we quickly dropped that idea!

This has been a very eye opening thread and on the back of it there are a few things I'm going to raise with my colleagues -

Be much clearer about what our fundraising pays for. I think many parents think the school pays for these, not the PC;
Scale back the number of events;
Stop agonising over why we can't get helpers and just work out a schedule of events that are do-able with the numbers we do have.

I don't and won't volunteer for our school PTA, although I have been asked in the past. I simply cannot afford the time. I already run the local Brownie unit (as well as working FT) and it is important to know when enough is enough. If I stretch myself too thinly, it will benefit no-one.

I take my hat off to anyone who's a Brownie leader. That really IS hard work!

Does anyone actually like school summer fates? I mean, all the schools do them, and parents go because you have to, and you spend money, because you need to for them, but they take a lot of organisation, need a lot of people to run them, are they particularly better for raising funds than say, a dinner dance for the parents or a couple of extra discos? Could bake sales be done at other times?

Doesn't seem that anyone partuclary likes them... not the organisers, the school, the parents....

Our summer fair is quite relaxing and enjoyable. Normally with BBQ, band, etc. its the only fair/event all year so it has to be organised. I think with all these types of things, the children enjoy it more than adults. It's a big fundraiser though and is open to local residents too not just school families and that's where the big bucks come in once you make it a local event.

I don't think anyone likes school fetes be they summer or Xmas. Except the kids who badger their parents to part with cash for tat.

An alternative suggestion - we ran 'open gardens and cream teas' for a couple of years instead, and it's much less hassle for everyone and still brings in a fair amount of money.

we have nice school fêtes. I make up for not helping by throwing money at it and letting the dc's do everything they want to have a go on.

we getthe same old excuses - ive got kids you know!!Really?? no shit! I work!! so do i -two jobs. Its an hour or two of peoples time

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

this is why people don't bother. Because you are judged for just...existing. You have no clue what the majority of people do with their lives - and it's fine, absolutely fine, to feel that working and dealing with your children is enough. Many people don't feel the need to say 'well, I would love to only I work shifts and as my husband ran off with his secretary last month I'm stuck for childcare and on top of that I'm trying to care for my 90 year old grandmother, finish my OU degree and volunteer at the Samaritans one night a week because that will hopefully give me a decent reference for a better paid job....' And you know what? You'd still find fault with that, wouldn't you?

I have a shit experience with PTAs. Full of gossiping, non-working women who believe it is their right to look the rest of us up and down in the playground and comment loudly on what we wear/the cost of our haircuts/our husbands/our jobs/our houses/our families and anything else. And on top of that, they get pissy if you happen to arrive outwith your usual time and park in 'their' parking space. And you want me to help out?! Do be serious! Why would I put myself in that kind of position - you gossip enough about me as it is and I quite like the other mums and wouldn't want to be seen as part of your group.

If you want people to help, show yourselves to be decent, non-judgemental people who can be trusted with sometimes confidential and/or sensitive information about other people's lives and situations. Never be seen to gossip. Accept that people have 'stuff' they need to do and that's fine. Do activities which involve children - discos, cake sales, that kind of thing. Minimal parental involvement, mufti days, trainer days, bring a bottle for the tombola and wear your trainers day. Children get something out of it and you get to raise the money you need. It doesn't require me to do anything special but still make sure that I know about it at least 3 weeks in advance and keep reminding me. I would happily make a per child donation at the start of the year to avoid the constant requests but there is a need to accept that some people don't have spare money - who would be party to the information that says who has and who hasn't paid? how would that information be shared? do the people it's shared with understand confidentiality?

But most of all, accept that it's possible to want the best for your child (and those of other people) but have commitments elsewhere which hold equal importance in people's hearts. I am still a valued and useful member of my wider community even if I don't help at the PTA,I just choose not to shout about it. Who are you to judge?

gosh, sorry, something of a rant there. It's been one of those days!

Wow, fedup your PTA sound bloody awful. Now, that's a proper clique of pricks. Is it just the pta that's like that, though? Or a culture of alpha mums there?

I think at my school, people are generally nice, but seem a bit apathetic. The committee all work, too, one has just been left as a single parent, and none are that well off that they can make the pta all they live for (thank the heavens). None of that judgmental shite about clothes etc do grown women really do that?! thankfully.

I think doing a schedule of events that is workable with the volunteers you have sounds sensible. We have to do that with our sports events. If people aren't willing to put on events then events don't happen. People martyring themselves for a cause/ hobby other folk don't seem bothered about is pointless. You have to scale back the ambitions and do what suits you.
Selling xmas cards and calendars can work well. The kids and teachers design them and it's minimal effort and people can buy them as xmas presents, agree with making it clear exactly what bit of stuff they are paying for. I suggest not sports team kit as then parents whose kids aren't in sports teams feel their kids aren't getting anything out of it. Most parents would rather just have a PE kit to wash and buy any way and they don't fit for long.

Do events not just at school times
Working parents would LOVE to support but having time out for holiday and assemblies sports day etc doesn't leave a lot for nice to supports...

I can see how a PTA committee might be a group that know each other, because one person will drag their friends/people they know in to help them.

I would also recommend letting the parents know (via the school newsletter) how the money is spent eg leavers gifts, school trip or visit subsidies, have a Facebook page and perhaps develop a few events/activities that you can run for a couple of years - if people have helped at the disco/whatever once, they may be more willing to give it a second go!

I volunteer for stuff and often feel nervous when I turn up, whether I know in advance what I'm doing or not. I've never had any confidential or sensitive information on any child or parent, nor heard any gossip. I've even had fun!

Our PTA seems to be imploding. They have resorted to sending letters saying that events will no longer be run. They did cancel last years Chritsmas disco. I think more people volunteered when the chips were down.

Can you make it clear to people that giving money is an option, if they cannot volunteer but still want to help out?

Are there ways to get people to donate items? I saw something about books for the library--surely a lot of people have tons of used books in their houses. Ditto play equipment and so on.

I help out when I can (e.g. when manpower required for events) but where fundraising is concerned I would much rather just donate money or goods. I work, so events during the day are often really difficult, and I also work some long/weekend shifts, so when I get a full weekend off work, I'd much rather pay up and be able to spend time doing housework with the family.

One thing I hate is when the school tells kids they need to get their parents to come and help out. It's bloody horrible having the kids begging and pleading, and being unable to attend because of work. Working parents have to do enough of that already.

Fedup said it all.

but fed up that is just my point - i don't need a reason. just "no its my thing" then i know not to ask again.

our pfa is under ALOT of pressure to raise a ridiculous amount of money this year. It puts us in a position where we have had to pester and cajole parents both for time and sponsorship.

I most certainly do not have time to gossip! There are plenty of cliquey parents at our school, almost just as you describe. i like to think that our pfa is just the opposite. i work two jobs and am usually rushing around like a mad thing looking harrased and skew whiff. We are a bunch of scruffs actually.

This will be my last year as secretary as i need to get a full time job and the demands of the school are two much. The pfa should be raising money for extras not major purchases.