To ask why you don’t volunteer for school / PTA / Parent Council Events?

[whyismykid]

Is it because you are too busy? Don’t think it’s important? The people who organise these type of events are irritating? Think the school have all the funds they need so it’s not worth the bother?

What would enable you (or persuade you) to help out?

200 people attended the event I planned today and had a good time but only 8 people volunteered to help. I understand that the planning and preparing for events is time consuming (it totally is!) so I’d only expect a small number of people to be able to take that on, but it should be different for on the day help I would think? I made sure each volunteer slot was only 45 mins long, so that people could also take part with their families, and made it clear what each volunteer job involved. Online sign up
so super easy.

What else can I do? it’s a school of 750 pupils and I have a summer fair to attract volunteers for next, any ideas?

I work full time. That's why.

And I have helped in the past but it's been so cliquey it put me off.

I work ft. I have just enough leave to cover some holiday and the various sports days/assemblies/parents evenings. Use flexi for if they are sick.

The 45 minute slot is a good idea. I would be keener to help if our kids school PTA did this.

Because people like to take and not give because people think that someone else will do it.

Bear in mind that if you have a parent volunteer they will likely need another person to then watch the kids at the event. So really its two people needed for every volunteer.

I think the idea that people should either give an hour of their time or an hour of their wages for events their child benefits from is a great one.

I work full tome, and I really hate the "if no one volunteers there will be no summer fete" messages that get sent out. I don't actually care if there's a summer fete or not.

I guess because it takes up so much bloody time! Constant emails and opinions asked for. And then if I help at events I don’t get to be with my children. I also work a lot of weekends so time off is limited.

I’m on the scout committee and I work full time. I can’t help everywhere. I may turn up at school events but that’s because it’s my time with my family. I’m usually there spending my money though!

I am disabled and have seven children.

I work FT & commute so out of the house from 7-6, have other hobbies, single parent. As a rule I would help out with a summer event. Our school would allocate a stall a class - could you do that? We had class reps who would —pressure— ask us!

If I’m being very honest. I would rather simply give the PTA money....
i do have complete respect for those who give up time to do it. It’s a thankless task!!

But if you work full time - you still have evenings and weekends And spending 45 minutes contributing to school events maybe one Saturday a term isn’t that much is it? It’s a way for parents who don’t do drop off and pick up to connect to the school a bit / chat to the teachers / see what School life is like?

I work full time in a school already.

Same here - I work full time and not willing to give up my limited free time unless it is really important- and this isn't.

I have done in the past, 2 of us ran our PTA singlehandedly for a couple of years so I feel I’ve ‘done my bit’ so to speak.

Because I work part time and meetings are on when I’m at work. I have suggested evening meetings but that doesn’t suit people already in the PTA. I have volunteered af school fairs but been completely thrown in the deep end without a thank you at the end of it. I find plenty of people volunteer if we actually know we are needed.

I did go to a few PTA meetings, but there wasn't any point really as it turned out the three or four people who'd been doing it for years found it easier to keep on doing it themselves- rather than show newbies the ropes, or give them a job to do.

I work shifts so rarely get a weekend off with DH and the DCs. If I do then I don’t want to spend it at school. Tbh I’d be quite happy to pay £20 per child into a school fund each year and cancel the Sumer fete/Christmas fair etc but that’s because I’m an antisocial bugger.

I have spent a lot of time volunteering at events like this, I've been on PTAs and also a school Governor. Goodness has to be its own reward, because basically the other parents were like "who does she think she is" and the PTA was too cliquey.

In one primary school where I was a governor, the head teacher used to ask parents specifically if they'd help out - as in he'd sidle up to Mrs X notorious non-volunteer, usually from behind, and say "Mrs X, have you had your hair done? You look lovely today. In fact, I've noticed YOU are a great all round person and I think if YOU volunteered other people would, because you are a leader of mums" - it always worked. I mean not those exact words, but, you know ...

At primary level

Because I work full time
Because the PTA are a literal PITA about relinquishing funds to spend
Because none of the parents ever made me feel welcome at the school so no way was I going to do something to benefit their little darlings - not that it did. See point above about funds never being spent.

Oh also remember an event where I was put onto the sweetie stall and the other two women there turned their backs on me and wouldn't let me help as it was "their special job". The chair of the PTA had to find me something else to do, that really didn't need doing, just to save face.

My children have been to two schools and all events have been week days after school so volunteering on a Saturday not possible.