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?

Because I can’t pay a babysitter to be able to volunteer my time. Like others, I’d give money at the beginning of the year instead.

We have lots of events at school and a lot are outsourced, such as jump for heart, and the school fair (they get inflatable rides etc). Parents donate items for baskets you can win by raffle. For example 3 gift card baskets were worth 1k combined. Did they sell enough tickets to make that worthwhile? I’d love to know how much profit is actually left for the school. And if it might not be better to ask for donations. This years event was not well attended, I’d be surprised if they made much at all.

Wasn’t the infamous Lemon Drizzle Cake thread PTA related?

Primary school.
I don't have a babysitter (I last went out in 2015).
DD would kick off and not want me to do it or let me concentrate if we shared a stall.

Because I'm too busy giving my time as a school governor instead.

And because the PTA were cliquey, unwelcoming and poorly organised when I tried to volunteer.

Many of these "committee" type things are dominated by middle class people who are pretty sneery and patronising to people who don't fit their ideas of the "right" volunteer type.

Mainly because I have a very demanding FT job - the prospect of me letting you down is high, so I don’t commit.

I help at events of one of my children's schools, because there are short time slots and clear expectations. Also because fathers and mothers are encouraged, it's not just yet another expectation on women.

I don't help at my other child's school because the aim seems to be raising as much cash for the school as possible, and no shitting you, the head of the PTA said at the only meeting I ever attended, "there should be no fun in fundraising".

And I did volunteer before I had my last baby. We do have a great PTA. I give in the form of door prizes, attending (spring fair cost me $80) and support.

Just because parents aren’t on the PTA doesn’t mean they’re not giving.

I work full time and, including the commute, am out of the house for 12 hours a day - 10am to 10pm. I also work those hours every weekend. I barely see my own children as it is.

Why do people think that working FT ends the discussion on volunteering? I was chair of the PTA for 3 years while working FT. Almost all volunteering needs are at weekends, not during the usual working week. And our meetings were in the evenings (though no need to go to meetings to volunteer to help).

Because I've now done my bit.

Dh and I both work full time yes we could probably make the time to volunteer but personally We’d rather spend the time on ourselves or our family/friends- I just don’t get “family fun” type events and would rather just give the cash at the start of every year than be forced to “join in” and “have fun” with people I have nothing in common with apart from the fact our kids go to the same school

I work full time but would be happy to help but our PTFA are very clichy and all events are held in work hours. I cannot afford to use holiday time to assist. Have tried to tackle this timing issue with Head but not bothered. As a working parent I miss all the fairs etc and cannot take my DC.

I work full time in education, have 3 children and have volunteered on the PTA for most of their schooling. It’s sad seeing the same old faces doing the same things. I wish people would see the PTA isn’t cliquey and the more hands on deck, the easier it is for everyone.

I came on here to play Excuse Bingo. I am not doing too badly so far after 1 1/2 pages.

Most people are selfish and will find any excuse to let someone else do it. I am a single parent so when my DC was at primary and we were helping at the school PTA events he would muck in and help. I had no childcare so that was the way that worked. Along with all the other kids who were there. The kids loved helping. We would help set up, perhaps on Friday evening for the weekend, or help take down on the Sunday evening.

I didnt always like the PTA committee - but they did great fundraising for everyone's child at the school. No clique-ness there.

I was working and studying at the same time. If everyone contributed a bit of time or donations then it really does spread the load. Of course people can help on the day if they are there.

At my DC new school parents wont help.So the PTA is about to fold again for the second time in 5 years. That is sad.

Rather than meeting in the daytime our PTA meet in the evening so I’d have to get a babysitter to watch my DC as my husband wouldn’t be home from work. I don’t really want to use a babysitter for that as we rarely get someone to watch the DC so when they do I want to make the most of it and go out/to the cinema/for a meal etc. I do however always donate whatever they ask for and go to most events.

Increasingly, many people work weekends and evenings and bank holidays. It's quite normal in lots of jobs now, like mine.

I help out when I can but having one child in primary school (and two others under 5) is a logistical nightmare.

I work three days a week and spend countless hours organising my work diary so I can be at the school for:

Parents lunch day
Class assembly
Sports day
Year group trips
Parents forum
Christmas carol concert
Early finishes
Insert other stuff that I get about a weeks notice for

Then there the cake sales at least once a month, endless fundraisers, but a book for the school library, wear green socks for house teams day, sport relief, comic relief, friendship day, world book day; operation Christmas child; harvest festival donation, school fund, mathletics app etc.

While I was on maternity leave I also helped out in the class once a week.

Then add in homework and daily reading, extra curricular activities (which also include me volunteering at dance shows for a whole weekend).

A million birthday parties and reciprocating play dates are also on my calendar.

My middle child joins the school this year so the logistics will double.

My husband travels for work/works late and so it's not always possible to have alternative childcare, and we already pay out a small fortune in childcare.

I would also rather just pay (even more) money to the school than volunteer because there just aren't enough hours in the day.

And yes, all discussions are at 3pm on a Thursday when I'm working. Surely a 5pm meeting would work and I could potentially leave work an hour earlier for it!

I am left with impression school are not very frugal/ good with money management. So I’d like to see them being careful with money.

If there was a specific academic benefit, like fundraising for mathletics, I’d put more effort into trying to help.

There is never a day I am doing nothing, so it’s always whether this fundraiser is a better thing to do than what I am doing.

Making the fundraiser something positive, rather than something to endure. You can’t usually do this without lots of help! I don’t really want to help organise something I would pay to avoid.

1. work commitments
2. life commitments
3. health concerns
4. multiple kids in multiple schools
5. burn out from helping out more in the past
6. helped recently and the guy was basically trying to sign me up as treasurer without my consent. I get that he's desperate to pass it on but it has put me off volunteering again.

FYI I do help out where I can. Online sign up is good. A friendly reception helps, and low pressure.

Because some people just do and many people just don't. Reading many the excuses above are , virtually none mean that the person is incapable of helping, just unwilling. True answer is that people are either doers or aren't. Same reason many don't volunteer for other organisations, donate to a charity, become a governer, come on even fill in a questionnaire 5 out of 200 returned for one organisation I know.
I'm not looking to play top trumps with..... I'm so busy, woe is me , I'm so thin skinned that cliques terrify me and I'd rather do fuck all than even talk to a PTA member. Come on admit it, it's because you don't actually care enough to do something .

I've tried to volunteer. But noonse ever gets back to me.
So I guess I'm not wanted.

Because it's tedious and usually run by people who have no idea how to run a meeting without it going on for an unnecessarily long time.

I'd much rather donate some money. Which you end up doing anyway. E.g. for the Spring Fayre, the stuff is all made or donated by the parents, and then bought by the parents. You are effectively paying to buy back your own stuff.

I know schools are desperate for money (I'm a teacher), but I think lots of people would rather pay the money without the guilt-induced participation.

By secondary school, parents are so much less involved in school that they are even less interested. Dh is SLT in a secondary school and says that a typical comp's budget is so huge that the PTA doesn't make enough of a difference financially to justify the effort and faff involved in it. Nobody I know ever goes to the secondary PTA events. I'm not sure the kids are even aware of them.

I'm a doer. But not for a bunch of unwelcoming cliquey arseholes when my time is a very precious commodity. Hth.

Not at the moment - I’m working part time this year as I have a toddler as well as school aged child - that’s why I’ve taken up a big job this year. But I have worked full time (long hours, lots of travel) with kids and will again, and I totally appreciate how blooming knackering it is. But I really felt like school events were a real lifeline to understanding the place that my kids spent so much of their time.

We only hold a named role for a year to try to avoid getting clique-y which does help a bit.

We run a ‘Welcoming new parents’ sub group as quite a few of us felt isolated when we first joined, which helps parents to navigate the complexities of school

We already alternate our main meetings so they are alternately held in a week Day morning and an evening so that working and non working parents can attend

I love the idea of getting the head teacher to do the schmoozing!

I’m probably feeling weary as it’s been so much work for a year - but my time is nearly up, someone else can take a fresh approach next year.... when I have found someone to supervise the hook a duck stall....