WIBU to cancel the school summer fete?

[Narnia72]

I'm on the PFA committee (standing down at the next AGM as I can't believe how utterly soul draining it is).

This committee have done 2 big events now (as well as numerous little events). Big summer fair last year and Christmas fair last Christmas. Both well received, lots of people came, and enthusiastic feedback. We also raised lots of money for the school. However, each time we've had to go round the playground "persuading" people to help. It's such hard work. We've always ended up with a full team though and people have said they've enjoyed being involved.

This year we haven't had time to do the playground trawl, and so used parentmail and social media, giving parents text, email and fb options to reply. We have 17 people helping...

It's not enough. We have cancelled lots of stalls, and got it down to the bare minimum. If we dragoon our OHs in and spend 12 hours there setting up, running something and doing the clear up, we might just get away with it. But I don't want to.

I feel we should take the message the parents are giving us. The Head wants us to run it. There is a sponsored event and the children are showcasing various things they've learned in school clubs. She feels they will be disappointed. The rest of the committee are undecided.

2 parents have organised parties (one a whole class!) at the time of the event. Don't know whether deliberately or stupidly (don't know either of the parents involved to talk to). A whole group of parents who have helped historically are going away for the weekend (not together - lots of different events/weddings etc)

No-one seems that interested or bothered. I feel like we're flogging a dead horse, and if we cancel it we'll find out what people's true feelings are by their reactions. I don't want to spend this whole week running around trying to sort stuff.

I don't want this to turn into a PFA bashing thread. I know there are good and bad ones. Ours is a lovely friendly committee, and we've always been welcoming (anyone who's volunteered has been snapped up, we publicise our meetings and minutes, everyone is invited). We still get accused of cliques... It's such a poisoned chalice. WSWD?

It is an awful lot to ask of people.

Would you prefer it if schools stopped running these types of events?

Better to do without the 'extras' like ipads and new play equipment so that parents aren;t inconvenienced by helping out at a fate for a few hours? Serious quesiton.

So many people seem to hate the idea of doing anything to help the PTA but their kids probably quite like the fun play equipment the PTA paid for...

I would put a request in to your school governing board to see if the governors are able to help. Our PTA did this recently and the governors all turned out to man stalls etc. You can sell it as a good PR exercise for the governors and an opportunity for them to meet and greet etc.
I also agree about being specific about the tasks you need help with - a couple of hours at this time of the day etc.
People often think others have it in hand so they don't need to step up - be clear with everyone that they do or you will not be able to proceed. Give a clear ultimatum date. Good luck!!

Hi, at our school fete (I'm not ptfa) each class had a different thing to donate to various stalls and each class was in charge of a stall. The class reps were tasked with covering the stalls and recruiting parent helpers and stuck a sheet outside classrooms for parents to jot down an hour slot to help. It felt like a manageable amount of time to help and know exactly what I was helping with. I think you should go ahead but reduce it much more. If it means 2 or 3 stalls then you'll still make some money. As for parties and holidays, it's just one if those things. I have a summer born child and if I'm booking a party it has to be sorted way in advance of me finding out the fete day and that's not because I don't care about the fete. It just works out that way sometimes.

I'm chair of our PSA. We have 4 working parents on committee. We had 12 volunteers plus staff. We continued with ours and had our best year since I started 6 years ago - we raised £2,700. I would say don't cancel. Run with what you've got. Make sure parents and staff know the situation or communicate that if you don't get more help you will have to cancel and the school needs the money for X (be specific).

We don't do a Christmas event any more - 2 big events is too much. We did a film night at the start of Dec for parents to do Xmas shopping and then a carol concert in conjunction with the school as more of a feel good factor rather than fundraising.

If you want to bounce ideas or just for moral support please PM me - happy to share.

Our PTFA did say they would cancel the fete this year if more people didn't come forward. They did get more help and it did take place. They cannot just get class reps to do things - we have loads of class rep positions unfilled. Breaking up things into 1hr slots is good - but this does rely upon people turning up. I voted with my feet this year after 4 years of doing 3 hours in a row because other people weren't there - not the fault of PTFA of course, but still annoying.

We are having the same trouble with ours. We also have two events - summer fayre and Christmas bazaar, and little cake sales every now and then.
I'm sorry, i have no idea what to suggest though, except only to keep it as big as your 17 can manage. And yes to parents not really knowing what the role of the PTA is as we have the same problem with our pre school committee.

I've been in your position and I did have to cancel our summer fayre. It was very sad. I was stressed as fook and it wasn't fair.
BUT out of this rose a new committee as people were genuinely surprised that the entire PA was only myself and one other mum. So a new group formed, initially just from one class, and we now have a really successful PA.
I would cancel, let people be shocked, it might be the push they need to join next year.

I think we'd be fairly pleased with 17 helpers but then all staff are expected to help at the events too. It's really hard as we all have dc (obviously). I helped at the spring fair but can't at the summer one as dh works shifts and dc are too little to go off on their own. Everyone has commitments and if I wanted to regularly help then I'd have joined the ptfa.

On the back of this thread I have emailed my dds pta offering help at the school fete. I really want to give some nice constructive criticism for why they may not have many have many volunteers but my dd is nearly leaving so I will probably just leave it and concentrate on ds's school.

Mini - that is an unusually small school at 80 pupils, a one form entry school with 30 in a class is 210 pupils, I would imagine a school as small as yours is more of a village/isolated location school so wouldn't have the same sort of events as a 'normal' sized school.

Ilovechocolate07 - our school is the same with class reps being given a stall and expected to strong arm parents at drop off/pick up sort it.

But, you can't just create an expectation of involvement at summer/Christmas fair times, at our school there's pressure on classes to have reps, those reps are often e-mailing out requests to the class parents for help with various things through the year - we have less than half of DS's class with a SAHP, but from first induction into the school, you are asked to consider helping in various ways - including being prepared to help with the school fairs for half an hour at a time. It's really unfair on the school not pushing including parents through the school year, but then expect the PTA to be able to build a culture of involvement just for the 2/3 events a year they run. Particularly as in the case of the OP's school the school intend to use the fair as a way to showcase what the DCs have been doing in clubs.

Judy my ds school fete was on Friday after school.
I didn't know anything about it until Thursday morning when I was asked if I could help. Couldn't even attend with that notice.

I am co-chair of our PTA at a three-form entry school. We are trying to grow our helpers as for the last 7 years most work has fallen to 'the usual suspects'- a core of about 8 and 15 peripheral parents.

I would say- don't cancel. Send out text, email, general shout out that you will be signing up volunteers after school tomorrow and if you don't get enough you will cancel. This includes parents and staff- our staff are very slow to volunteer and before I get jumped on, many of our parents (including my husband) are teachers too.

At the event put out boxes saying 'what can we do better?' explaining that you never want to reach this crisis point again.

I will be standing down after 8 years (my three boys are very spread out in age....I could be doing this for another 6 years) but I will be attending meetings and helping when I can. A good school community makes for a great school.

Oh yes, and anyone here feeling guilty-
VOLUNTEER NOW!

The PTA in my DC's school was run by all the SAHMs. I tried several times to get involved, but as someone who worked FT I was never able to attend any of the 2pm meetings. Occasionally they'd have them in the meeting 'so working parents could attend'...at 6pm . I was usually still on my way home then, or even still at work.

I volunteered for fetes, was told my assistance wasn't required. Though SAHM friends were given roles. So that was nice.

In the end I gave up offering.

I suspect that, whilst the OP's PTA might not be exactly like this, plenty are, and this explains the lack of volunteer support.

Cancel - horse flogging is tiresome I'm sure

That's a pity Narnia. I am not on our committee but always help out at such events & enjoy it. Don't understand why most parents never take part, even just once .

VOLUNTEER NOW!

aye, and who's going to look after my baby and my 3 year old? who's going to ensure my 5 year old doesn't wander off?

no-one, so I can't

If lots of families are going away for the weekend and they are the ones that normally help, I'd be very tempted to cancel as you'll make less anyway.

Only question is - is it your call to cancel. Sounds like the other 16 don't agree. Maybe you just step away. Take on a few discreet jobs and they do more. Unfair for you to call it if it isn't agreed a committee.

I am a guilty parent. I think the PFA is fabulous but with a full time job and a preschooler who is between Nursery and my 78 year old mum, I cannot give the time they need from me. Ours is a small school and I used to go to meetings when I could but they changed them to right after school on my day off with my little one, so that would have meant asking my mum to have him on our one day off together about once a month. As there were only about five - seven parents who went to meetings we were asked to do everything. It was too much, our PFA is great, so enthusiastic, (they are mainly SAHM or part time) but I feel bad I can't help them. I will try more next year as my little one starts school, but I do get a bit resentful that its the same parents every time. I am involved in helping the school anyway, with transport this involves quite a lot of paperwork, not all the time but in fits and starts. If everyone would do a little bit it would be so much easier. Our school Fete involves several meetings and all one day on a weekend. Our weekends are precious as we work long hours but I do want to support the school. I think if maybe they scaled it down a bit that would help too.

Don't cancel, certainly get an e-mail sent out to the school asking for help.

Is this a fundraiser or just for fun? I just ran one at our school for fun, and we still raised $2000.

I used Volunteer spot ... so easy for people to sign up and they can select to be with a friend, plus it emails people to remind them of their shift. I had around 70 volunteers needed over three days. signup.com/volunteerspot/index

Here is how to break it down successfully...

Food (BBQ) get a local organisation to run it like the rotary club and split the profits.

Don't bother with a bake sale... instead do a cake walk, its a bit like musical chairs but with cake.. you make way more money.

Don't over price the inflatables admission.

Get people to donate candy and wine for prizes (no second hand toys, no one wants to win those)

My committee consists of parents who work full-time, part-time with little ones at home and no full-time parents. I give jobs to full-time parents like wrapping for the lucky dip, manageable stuff.
Wornoutboots- we get around situations like yours by helping each other. We take turns minding eachother's little ones in the playground whilst getting jobs done. All of my committee (including myself) have done our jobs with our own pre-schoolers...and some of us have up to four of those.

It might be too late - but have you invited any outside stallholders at all? I do loads of school events, as I make things out of glass in a kiln. I normally pay £10 a stall in summer, and £15 at Christmas.

This bulks your event out, adds lots more crafts and goodies, and it just more profit for the school.

Some also ask for raffle prizes if stallholders don't mind, so that helps there too.

I did three school events at the weekend that were packed, and all had lots of outside stallholders.

Might be worth looking at for Christmas? Stallholder.co.uk is a good way to find people in your local area.

If we dragoon our OHs in .... we might just get away with it. But I don't want to.

I'm absolutely astounded that no one else has picked up on this. If someone's pitch to me to get me to volunteer was 'it's important that mums chip in, otherwise my child's after might have to help' I think I know where I'd tell them to get off. Love that the OH's are poor dears being 'dragooned' but the mums who are failing to put themselves forward are lazy bitches.

I meant to add we bring our own tables/gazebos, so it takes no volunteers either.

Father not after!