To think that the PTA is voluntary?

[malificent7]

I used to help the pta as and when i could with the Christmas fare etc.

Then i got more work so i had to stop. I will nog forget one of the PTA have a moan at me in the playground that some mhms were not pulling their wieght as they were not in the PTA. When i said id love to help but couldnt she said "we are all in the same boat" She didnt work.

Aibu to think that if you volunteer you shouldnt moan about people not volunteering for whatever reason!?

Voluntary means just that!

I am on a PTA & I love it. We do 4 big events a year & raise about £12-16k a year when we add on the bake sale every half term.

Wow! How big is your school?!

Ours is 10% sahm 90% wohm 100% female. usually raise £15-20k big school but PTA generally about 10/15 women. Very professional evening meetings etc

And some will do stupid hours volunteering elsewhere. Why does PTA trump other causes?

It doesn't. If someone for example helps run a brownie pack they can tick off 'I'm doing my bit for the local dc' with a clear conscience imo.

Wow. There are 5 of us, small school (250 people) and it takes a lot of work to raise £2.5-3k per year.

250 pupils.

Ours is 100% female all WOHP. Although a few dads will help with moving things if we ask on the playground.

Serious it is a big 3-18 independent - events are generally v well supported.

I get that some people have other stuff going on. I do too (work full time + volunteer + PTA) but it's galling to have another parent tell me she's bored during the day in the same breath as saying 'I'm not much one for joining in this sort of thing' - okay no worries, i'll crack on with raising funds then.

(What's WOHP?)

Working outside home parent.

And some will do stupid hours volunteering elsewhere. Why does PTA trump other causes?

It doesn't. If someone for example helps run a brownie pack they can tick off 'I'm doing my bit for the local dc' with a clear conscience imo.

Well, quite. But those with their judgy pants wedged up high won't necessarily know that, so you'll get the same PA guilt tripping.

Oh nonsense, Mrs Hathaway.

Our PTA is actually quite good..They do publicise what they are raising money for and what the money has been spent on.

I am not on PTA..I do help at disco's and get an email you have helped before can you help. I bake cakes , I have helped listen to kids read ( previously can't now due to work hours.) I have been on one school trip and am helping at Christmas disco yet I am not on PTA. My DS helped at school fair this year which he loved helping his teacher.

I don't attend meetings..I would have to pay childcare and would also die of boredom..I hate meetings.

I think it is sad the divide . I do remember been in a room with one mum talking to another moaning about people not volunteering, I have not seen her at a disco, helping for many years...I would love to play back the conversation because her 2 children are still at the same school..

*It doesn't. If someone for example helps run a brownie pack they can tick off 'I'm doing my bit for the local dc' with a clear conscience imo.

Well, quite. But those with their judgy pants wedged up high won't necessarily know that, so you'll get the same PA guilt tripping*

All you have to do is say "I'm sorry, I don't have time as I've got a lot on with my brownie pack". No guilt tripping needed after that. Although IME, its often the people who are brownie leaders, parish councilors, school governors etc who are involved in school events as well.

All you have to do is say "I'm sorry, I don't have time as I've got a lot on with my brownie pack".

Requires communication, which doesn't appear to be commonplace.

Requires communication, which doesn't appear to be commonplace

So does guilt tripping, the PTA can't make someone feel guilty without some sort of communication. And if you already know you are doing as much as you genuinely can, then you have nothing to feel guilty about, whether you've communicated that or not.

Even this thread is somewhat demonstrative of what the OP has claimed.

Surely, in a committee to raise funds for a school, anybody should be able to have a voice? Good ideas can come from anybody, not just those with the availability to attend meetings?

And somebody could have a fantastic idea but not be personally able to implement it, that doesn't mean they won't help. It means actually they don't have access to a free hall, free catering, online payment systems etc. Surely the idea of a committee is to work as as team?

I'm honestly amazed at someone saying new volunteers should go to x amount of meetings first and "fit in" before voicing any ideas. How fucking elitist.

My company provides all the food and drink for our local school events. I don't charge a penny to the PTA as it's fantastic advertising for me, and pays dividends. They take the entire profit from food and bar sales. They never contacted me, I contacted them to ask if I could do it.

And yet after every event the PTA chair is given flowers and thanked, with special mention for sourcing the food and drink. I've actually never dealt with this woman. She's never once been over to my stall to chat to me, and she's never there helping clear up at the end. The parents who are don't seem to be receiving thanks or flowers.

Frankly, if it wasn't so beneficial for me I'd tell her to shove it up her arse.

I helped out at my first PTA event on Thursday evening, and I've been a parent at the school for nearly 9 years. I've always been put off before from a very 'closed-off' feeling to the PTA. No-one even knows when they meet. Like the Masons.

I booked a stall to sell my own things (PTA get money for the stall). In the run up, despite numerous emails and texts no-one told me when to turn up, timings etc. I walked into the hall to set up and not one PTA member said hello. I stood there like a pillock for a while trying to ask someone if I could help/what to do/where to go. I eventually set up my stall. My son helped me. My teenage daughter turned up and got roped into running the 50p stall because there was no-one else.

I ran my stall. Paid my money. Tidied up. Put my table away. Cleared up several others. Then had to go. Not one PTA parent said a thing.

Not a pleasant experience.

My dd's secondary has a PTA (although called something different). They regularly send out meeting times and 'all welcome' texts. They meet in the pub. The events are great but if you can't attend they give you the justgiving website address so you can easily donate. They also do 'easyfundraising' via internet shopping which is great because you can raise money for the school for free by just shopping as normal.

Will you give them feedback, oklumberjack?

I work in a school that doesn't have a PTA. We do ok.

I'm honestly amazed at someone saying new volunteers should go to x amount of meetings first and "fit in" before voicing any ideas. How fucking elitist

I'm not saying you have to, and of course good ideas can come from anyone. And good ideas will probably be given consideration. However, I don't think you can rock up to one meeting, and then get stroppy because your idea was 'dismissed' without knowing the reason why. There may be very good reasons. Helping out regularly , being part of the team, seeing how things work, may help your ideas to be good ones, because you'll be better able to judge what could work, what is feasible and why.

oklumberjack That does sound like spectacularly poor communication on the part of your PTA, and I can understand that it would be a bit off putting. But really, you don't know when the committee meet? It can't be that hard to find out, can it? Are you really saying that if you approached the school and said 'I'd like to join the PTA, they wouldn't give you a contact at the very least? I'm assuming that if you've had kids at the school for 9 years, the PTA committee must have changed members on several occasions.

Ebearhug, I would if anyone asked. However I doubt anyone would. I've told people before now (who are in the PTA) that it doesn't feel welcoming to anyone new, and they've agreed. However, no-one ever asks. Nothing is ever said. I'm even sure who the PTA chair is. Like I say, if all seems rather hush hush.

Budgiegirl, I've been told before (through Chinese whispers) that there is no regular meeting date. It's ad hoc, therefore you have to be 'in the know'. I do know that they always meet during the daytime, which cancels out a lot of people ability to attend. I've asked about this before and they've responded "that's the way it's always done".

I don't want to be a member enough I'm afraid to go tracking down contact numbers and uncommunicative parents.

Over the years I've given up whole days (unpaid) to deliver activity days based on my job. I've always sent in contributions and made hundreds of cakes. I feel ok.

I'll take ideas from anyone at any time. Out meetings are ad hoc but are advertised on Facebook, email, school newsletters, texts......... We try different timings and locations for people (based on their feedback) and they still don't come. Ideas can be given via any of the above methods, or passed through the school secretary.

The head thanks is verbally at events but nobody gets flowers or praise elsewhere. It's fucking thankless on so many levels.

We send out our meeting dates to all parents by email 1 week before our meetings but we had a parent tell us last week that they'd never heard of the PTA and we should advertise ourselves more. To this end we are doing a Flyer to tell everyone about the money raised this year and what we've spent it on and we are putting all this years meeting dates on it. We're going to give these out at all the Xmas plays and put in school bags to try to cover everyone.
We do try to act on feedback when it's given to us. It is frustrating though because we've had to use funds to pay for this and it would be easier if people didn't send all school emails straight to the trash folder.