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!

its even affecting my spelling! !! two much

I'm not on the PTA but have helped out at events, this is not enjoyable at all! I would love to simply hand over £50 a year or whatever to the PTA and not have to go to or help out at another school fair etc.! Alternatively they could let me know what they are raising money for - how much they need and I would donate money a few times per year.

I also think that they charge too little for things, so the school disco IMO should cost £2 instead of £1 - doubles their money and then they'd only have to do it once rather than twice a year (or do it twice and stop something else that is more time consuming). Bake sales are a total bugbear of mine as well - costs me more for the ingredients than they sell the stuff for - easier to donate what I would have spent on ingredients.

There is a theme running through my thoughts here!

IMO. I don't think you can persuade people to help, and you shouldn't either as there's no obligation.
People would volunteer willingly if they wanted to without any promotions.
I don't think it's the fact that people don't care often people are too busy with other things

A school disco raises about £300 a summer fair £3000 its a no brainer, yes a school disco is a lot less work but imo everyone loves a summer fair. They must do, or we wouldnt make so much.

The school has no governors??????

I was always wanting to help at my DCs primary school, this may sound wimpy but I was always put off by, what I perceived as the cliques who organised everything, I was too shy to volunteer. I was a young mum and the PTA types seemed older, wealthier, more confident SAHMs. I felt like I didn't fit in with them.
Had I been asked directly, I would have definitely been willing.

I have nothing to do with the PTA As they are so poor at communicating what they want the money for, or how it gets spent. I send cakes in cos the kids pester me to do it, and I might show up at a fashion show etc but based on what was communicated last year, all the funds were spent on various travelling theatre companies coming in and performing for the kids.
The PTA are keen on this, and I'm not, so im not prepared to give up my spare time for it.

I dare say they might well do more but the way they communicate is so crap that they come off as whining martyrs. Jog on, says I!

The thing is outsiders perceive groups in the playgrounds whether they actually are or not as cliques. I'm not sure how you counter this.
Another thing is this - DH and I used to volunteer - the first time we volunteered he was allocated car parking - he hated it for reasons you can all imagine. He did it was good grace though and then it became 'his' thing rather than letting him do something more interesting and enjoyable next time. Our support trailed off after that.

I'll be the one to say it on this page: if OP is in Scotland, there are no school governors.

From long, weary experience of PTA and other voluntary organisations, I'd agree that asking people directly to do specific tasks is the best way to find helpers. Getting them to love and appreciate you is a whole different matter, and one you'd best not spend too much time hoping for.

"DH and I used to volunteer - the first time we volunteered he was allocated car parking - he hated it for reasons you can all imagine. He did it was good grace though and then it became 'his' thing rather than letting him do something more interesting and enjoyable next time. Our support trailed off after that."

Similar, I volunteered a few times at the disco and was put on water duties. It was non stop and quite tiring keeping the kids supplied with water. I'd go into the room to get get more water and there were folk lounging and chatting and having a fairly social time of it. It was obvious I wasn't part of it and had got the crap job all on my own or it felt like it.

The PTA isn't wholly about fund raising, it's also about fostering school community spirit and providing social events.

So the cake sales....make about £100 per time. Cost of ingredients if you price up per cake may not balance. But something like that is not just about fund raising its about the enjoyment factor for the kids for not much effort from parents. If it is too much effort, send in a shop bought cake - or don't send in anything that time round. If you increase the cost too much you have parents upset about fleecing the children, if you keep it low then you have parents upset that what they made costs more than the price it's selling for.

Things that the PTA spend money on.....generally that's at the request of the school and headteacher. I'm very aware that the money that we raise is the hard earned money from the parents and there's a responsibility to spend it on something that will add value, from both the school and parents point of view. Ive challenged stuff I don't think is worth it, or the parents shouldn't be paying for. But if you don't attend meetings or let your views be known (email PTA or chat to PTA member) then your voice won't be heard.

I completely get that some people don't want to join up or help, can't help for whatever reason or no particular no reason - just not their thing. I think that's fine. We generally manage on a minimal basis. I joined up to the PTA in the first place because I wanted to and enjoyed it. I'm not alpha, I'm not cliquey, I'm pretty introverted and shy myself. I don't require praise or appreciation.

However what gets me down is the people that don't get involved guttersniping about events or how crap the PTA is. On this thread I've heard a fair few people talking about how they stand about how they volunteer and then aren't treated right, given thanks, given a crap job. Yes, that's not great.

But the PTA are just other parents....not always having the best days, not always having the best of times either - just as they shouldn't judge you, you shouldn't judge them.

A missed offer of help....when you're organising an event it's usually pretty frantic and it was missed. Does that mean that they will be forever crap - could you offer in person, or just give a friendly 'hey, I didn't hear back. Do you still need help?'

Didn't like being on water duty or car park duty....did you say could you swap? Or just next time offering help just say - not on water or car park!!! Then if they put you on that....yes, well, then don't volunteer again, but give them a chance to rectify it!

People also join the PTA to make friends as well. Why is it an affront that PTA members are socialising with each other and posting on FB? unless they're posting annoying comments then how is that different from any other social group of school mums?

I don't because - I have younger children and no-one to leave them with. Not one. The only friends who'd be willing to take them have 6 of their own and frankly I'd feel that I was taking the piss to ask in a not-emergency.

• my presence would probably be counter-productive since most of the parents at the school ignore my existence or only speak until someone they know comes along. Wouldn't want to risk that ectending to a stall or something.

• I'd do it well but there would be a major knock-on effect on my mental health which would cauuse me and therefore my family to suffer the consequences for days.

• despite appeals for help, when I emailed to ask if there was something I could do before the event to help (wrapping, labelling etc) the organisers never bothered replying but when cornered I was told they needed prizes if I (no income at all at that point) could buy twenty or thirty! No.

Who are you to judge?

Can i just be clear that I'm absolutely not judging anyone? I was just asking for examples of how other people had been able to attract new volunteers for things, that's all! If people don't want to volunteer or unable to than that's absolutely their right.

And yes - we have no governors. We're in Scotland where such things don't exist!

This is a very interesting thread, thanks OP.
I am a member of the PTA because I think the school is amazing, the HT works her socks off for my child's wellbeing. It's just a little thing I can do to help.
I work FT, btw.
I am aware of the gossip, cliques, chips on shoulders, lack of confidence, poor organisational skills, human nature etc. but that's not why I am there it's because I see how hard the teachers are trying to offer what's best for my child. I'm certain that woman has better things to do than to round everybody up for some help with the kids' allotment/pond/playground/sports kit etc. She's been doing this all week, why would she have to give up her weekend as well?
At the end of the day, the help/money/time one gives is for one's child. I painted a massive fence one weekend, me, the HT, my DD and HT's DH. It needed done. I went and did it, no big deal. DD tells me that every time she goes past that fence she's feeling proud we helped, and how HT made her a cold drink and brought it to her. She also told the little ones in KS1 it's us that painted it, so no writing on the fence, no hanging off the fence etc. what I am saying is that it's more than just 'look at me/look at her'. We tend to forget it's mainly about our children.

What annoys me about helping at fairs etc at DC school is
that no-one gives you a job to do but they will get annoyed if you go near the cake stall or other popular stall as X always does that.

No-one ever relieves you once your on that's it,

The comittee seem to hate anyone using their initiative, I was on a lolly game stall and had 3 yo DS with me who was bored stiff. So I walked round with the game asking people to have a go. Meaning I could let DS have a nose round as well.
This went down like a lead balloon and I was told to get back to my table even though we made more wandering round in half an hour than we had done the previous hour sitting in the corner.

Parents are asked to fund a lot for the fairs. We are asked for cakes, they have a couple of non uniform days where you either send a quid towards prizes or a brand new prize in, all the kids come home with raffle tickets, they send in an empty cup you are supposed to fill with sweets/toys/hair stuff to go on cup tombola x however many kids you have at the school.
So you do all that, which I do. Then DC want to go to the fair so you can pay more money to buy/win it back, which they do. It feels like a bit much to help out as well, particularly given the above treatment.

I sometimes feel they should as just ask one or two classes for cakes, two more for tombola prizes so it's not quite as big of a hit. Or do a trade off so you either send in X or commit to half an hour slot at the fair.

I don't go to comittee meetings any longer. It was a pointless excercise anyway as was just being ignored and struggled to find a sitter for younger DC.

I agree with those saying "be very specific". Create a list with the jobs required and present it to people when requesting help. I am happy to help but have some (fairly hidden) disabilities. I can't stand at a stall for three hours or stand taking tickets at a door and it's easier not to offer than to say I can only do certain things. When asked directly if I could sit in the corner selling raffle tickets I was happy to oblige.

Something I have suggested but again was ignored though works well at a friends DC school is holding the committee meeting at the same time as putting on something for the children.
So at friends school they put on a game event or film night for the DC in the hall. Then the meeting is in one of the classrooms or cloakroom starting just before the end of the film. Lots of parents arrive early for pick up and are invited in for tea/coffee, it's then easier to ask them for help face to face.

Oh, Notso, that's so true. As a newbie PTA Secretary I asked around as requested by the chair to see who would like to do what at the summer fair. All volunteers seemed perfectly happy until the day dawned and 'regulars' (who I'd never seen before) jumped in and squawked that they ALWAYS did x, y and z. Cue legions of pissed-off parents who never stopped complaining that they were palmed off with the duck-hooking instead of the tea stall.

Eight years on, all fete-related tasks seem equally shit to me. I'm not even on the PTA any more, but they ring me up if they're short of helpers. They're always short of helpers.

I think our PTA is pretty successful, and we normally get enough people helping out (though of course more is always better!) Some of the things that help -

• being very specific about what people can help with - e.g. please man this stall for 30 minutes. Each class is given a stall at the summer fair, for example, and people are usually paired up on them so people can do it with a friend. Class reps are asked to help encourage people to help, so parents are asked by someone they know not a random PTA member

• have stuff that people can do at home to help - folding raffle tickets, for example, if they can't/don't want to come to meetings

• being very clear (with photos!) of what the money is spent on -we send a PTA newletter by email every half term of what is happening and what we have bought/are saving for

• funding a lot of events for the kids that aren't really money raisers, but fun events (film days, discos, summer cream teas etc)

• getting the kids involved - year 6s have their own stalls at fairs, other years are encouraged to help their parents on stalls

• teachers are all very involved too; the parents can see that the school is very supportive of the PTA; they run the bar at events, for example, always have a team at the quiz night!

...all fete-related tasks seem equally shit to me.

I know! Why cakes, raffle tickets and tombola are deemed to be positions of prestige is a mystery!

Children whose parents help out at fairs get 5 extra points on their achievement cards at DS's school. That gets the competitive parents involved.

Tie the event to the subsidy, e.g. at DS's school bake sales directly fund book purchases. That tends to motivate people to support it a bit more. Parents also need to be told, even if only at the start and end of the year, how much you need to raise and why, and how you spend it.

Look at what fund-raising events you do and whether they are what people want. The best-loved thing at our school (by kids and parents) is the X-factor style talent show. It's a big deal-even local VIPS like the Member of Parliament put in an appearance. It raises a lot. This year another school across the city, a secondary school, agreed to provide us with a band. That was a great success. The little kids really loved having big kids involved, the big kids enjoyed being so popular and having a proper gig. They didn't charge but a donation was made to their school in thanks and the band got fed.

Try and chop things up into small asks. Someone to do set-up: 2 hours only, for example. Someone to do clear-up; someone to buy food for the event; someone to (wo)man the barbecue etc. I like defined tasks, and will never say yes to a vague 'help with...' that might trap me at the school all day being ordered about.

Ask well in advance and then ask again. I like baking and will always support a bake sale, but not on 2 day's notice.

Please be polite with parents even if the whole thing is getting you down. Last time DH was asked in the plyaground he was non-committal. He'd done the event in question last year and didn't want to do it again. (He was not about to commit me because well, why should he, he's not my keeper, plus I work full-time, and my father had just died.) As a result he got a guilt-trip/passive-aggressive earful from the PTA chair that infuriated him. It was only when we got an apology via a wiser head on the PTA that either of us was prepared to carry on helping.

"Children whose parents help out at fairs get 5 extra points on their achievement cards at DS's school. That gets the competitive parents involved."

That really is shit and sucks.

We tend to put a spreadsheet together with stalls, time slots for people to sign up to. People often say they can only help for the first hour and end up staying, despite being relieved, which is fine by me. This goes up in the staff room as well as we like to encourage staff to help, some are more than happy, others look at you as if you have asked them for half of their salary. I think it develops a good relationship with parents and after all they are qiute happy to fill in the request form at the begining of the year.