Committee unlikely to get new members

[FunkyGoldStar]

I am on a pre-school committee. We are unlikely to get volunteers for the next year at our AGM. My DC wont be at the preschool but I keep getting told the pre-school wont be able to stay open if they dont have enough people on the committee. I'm worried I'll be a total drip and offer to stay on when I really dont want to. They cant make me stay on the Committee by default, can they?

No, Funky, you will have done your stint.

The new intake of parents should shoulder the responsibilty of taking over and running the pre-school(Am assuming it is a community pre-school managed by volunteers with paid staff)

Do you have links with your PATA representative, s/he may have ideas/strategies to help you to recruit the new committee.

Good luck

Yes it is a community run pre-school.

I can envisage the AGM where barely any new parents turn up and there are deadly silences when volunteers are asked for. The PLA rep has been invited to the AGM.

I guess I just need to hold my nerve...

Honestly, hold fast and do not let the words cross your lips.

The pre-school may have a Constitution which outlines the process to take if no new memebrs come forward, PATA will help.

Good luck

Our AGM is in june. This is the process we follow. Around now Chair (me) asks existing committee who is planning to resign. Leavers are encouraged to recruit their replacements. Start of May we hold a lunch where all existing parents who will still be there next year are invited plus all parents of september starters. At the lunch existing committee members are around to explain the role of the committee and encourage people to take on a role. We actively approach returning parents who have had siblings in pre school before. By the time of the AGM we aim to have volunteers for all positions and no awkward silences!

We send out a note to all the parents saying without a committee the pre-school will have to close. This normally promps a few more members.

I think they are all too apathetic. We are considering locking the doors before pick up and talking to the parents then

There was a great letter on here last year about this matter - I'll try and search archives. My friend and I joined our pre school commitee last year and we were the only ones, the treasurer and chairperson are both leaving this year, my friend is going to be treasurer (shes an accountant) and I know nobody else will volunteer, I am going to suggest to secretary that if she is happy to step up to chairperson I'll co chairperson with her (with2 children under 3 and working part time I cant do it myself) and also become secretary.

We are going to send the letter I mentioned earlier out soon to explain if at least 2 other parents do not join commitee then preschool shuts (I know one other Mum said she'll join at AGM but cant actually help to new year which is fine)

It really annoys me that everyone is happy to drop their kids off but do not want to be involved or understand the importance and hard work of the chairperson/comittee roles

cut and pasted this letter from archives:-

Something along these lines, maybe?
---------

April 21st 2007

Your Pre-school Needs You!

Dear Parent

Do you know the answers to these questions?

Who manages your child?s Pre-school?

Who employs the staff, sets pay and issues contracts?

Who sets policies and fees?

Who chooses and organises fundraising activities?

Who decides the venue for the annual outing?

The answer is ?You do!? or at least you could if you were a member of the management committee.

A voluntary committee of parents manages your pre-school. Without its committee, the pre-school would not be able to operate.

Most of the present committee will not be standing again and we are now seeking nominations for several new members, as well as new officers.

What Would Joining the Committee Involve?

To be a committee member is not a demanding job, even as an officer. All that is needed is your enthusiasm and a little of your time. Almost all of the routine day to day administration of the pre-school school is carried out by the paid staff. The committee?s function is one of management, overseeing the smooth running of the pre-school, according to its policies, constitution and registration.

What do Members Actually Do?

Committee Member: Attends and votes at committee meetings.

Secretary: Same as committee member + takes minutes of the meetings; writes occasional letters to parents concerning pre-school business; signs cheques.

Treasurer: Same as committee member + passes on financial report at meetings (prepared by paid staff); signs cheques.
NB There is no bookkeeping or banking required.

Chair: Chairs committee meetings; signs cheques; writes occasional letters to parents concerning pre-school business; signs documents on behalf of the pre-school, eg annual returns to Charity Commission (prepared by paid staff).

Vice-chair: Same as committee member + deputises for Chair; signs cheques.

At their twice-termly meetings, which are held at members? homes in the evening, the committee discusses fundraising activities, social events, outings, fees, admissions, financial matters, new policies etc.

Your pre-school needs YOU!

Please consider joining the committee and becoming a little more involved in the life of your pre-school.

Remember that without the support of its parent committee, XYZ Pre-school will not be able to continue. This would be a tragic loss, not only to the children and families currently attending, but also to the local community as a whole.

If you would like to join, please complete the tear-off slip below and return it to xyz who will pass it on to the committee.

Remember, this is YOUR pre-school and it has always been the high level of parental involvement that has helped to make it so special.

Kind regards,

Ann Other
Secretary

???????????????????????????????????????????

I wish to be considered for election to the new committee. I would be most interested in the position of: chairman, vice chairman, treasurer, secretary, ordinary member.

(delete as applicable)

'To be a committee member is not a demanding job, even as an officer. All that is needed is your enthusiasm and a little of your time.'

I disagree.

I put my hand up at a meeting and 'did the right thing' and ended up at an Employment Tribunal due to the way employment issues had been handled over the years. The current committee is held resposible as the employer.

I could never recommend anyone else to volunteer, it was nothing short of a nightmare for me, I was completely exposed.

The PLA were supportive but it was two years of my life spent worried to death and a HUGE wake up call for the PLA in our area, who have had to change their ideas and responses to issues.

I dont quite understand how that happened to you Hanleyhigh; aaprt from anything else you ought not to have been legally responsible as an individual for actions taken by the committee...

I do know of a Voluntary Nursey where they make participation on the committee a condition of accepting your child,,,,

Crikey this is all sounding rather scary. Our pre-school is on the hunt for new committe members - especially a chair. Without one it cannot legally operate. I think it will take hours and hours a week to manage so am quite reluctant to step forward, especially if there are outcomes like yours Hanley.

It can be rewarding nicecupofwine but I think it depends on how good the rest of the Committee are. I have made some good friends through it.

nlondondad, I was not legally responsible in terms of not having to pay legal fees, compensation out of my own pocket etc. but as a signed up committee member I was part of a committee who were the employers of the pre-school staff/trustee of the charity and it was the charity which was named in the tribunal papers. Am not sure what else you mean by ought not to be legally responsible; it sounds as if you are doubting that it happened to me!

Luckily we had enough paperwork to back us up and had used Lawcall, a legal advice service from the PLA. This meant we were insured for legal costs.

It was the emotional and time side of things which had more of an impact - someone has to prepare all the paperwork, collate the statements to be sent to the lawyer, organise how the hell to run a pre-school when all its staff are attending a tribunal, field all the phone calls and fill in insurance forms. These jobs are all done by the committee, as employers, not the staff. Then there is the gossip...

Someone had to do all this and not all committee members were willing. If we did not defend ourselves, we would have been found guilty by default.

I was not doubting you I just did not understand what you were saying. You have now clarified it for me. And as you say you were not individually liable, it was a committee thing. I can understand that you were deeply upset, but it does not match my own experience. I was on a playgroup committee when a staff member (the cook) was dismissed and went to a tribunal. The whole matter was handled by the playgroup leader, who was of course the manager of the dismissed staff person. Despite the fact I was vice chair I was not involved at all, apart from being formally told it was happening. We won by the way.

What this tells me is that playgroups vary a lot in how they are organised, therefore if you are going on the committee worth sussing out what the REAL as opposed to the formal responsibilities are.

I have heard of playgroups with no paid staff run entirely by parents in rotation and I suppose they must be run differently again.

I have to agree with Hanleyhigh that it is a huge responsibility and for me as secretary a lot of work. As trustees of a charity you are personally responsible. If policies aren't in place or insurance not paid or not adequate each member of the committee is personnaly liable.
I wouldn't advise anyone to take on this role without being fully aware of their duties.

I think chair and treasurer are much bigger roles than implied by the letter below.

I think if you can manage it having co chairs or chair and vice-chair, and splitting the treasurers role between billing parents and paying other bills, and paying personnel.

To the original poster - you need to send out a letter to all parents and incoming parents stating that without the committee the pre-school cannot run and would have to close - and it is up to them (since x members of the current committee are leaving) to volunteer.

Also remind them that the more there are on the committee the less work per person is involved.

I am having huge problems as a committee member and with our constitution and the PLA/Charity Commission all giving different advise. I would suggest anyone thinking of signing up for a committee post gets the role explained in writing with full responsibilities noted down. It might sound extreme , but you are liable for your actions including tribunal/liquidation etc.

Having had my fingers burnt I will never volunteer for a committee post again , just help out where needed.

I am also on the Committee of my local Pre-school and it is the worst mistake I have ever made. The hostility, bullying and immaturity from the staff makes my time there unbearable. I cannot wait for the AGM so i can resign. I pity the next person who takes my post. I would advise anybody contemplating signing up to a Committee to look very carefully at what exactly they are getting themselves into. Our organization is Unincorporated which means we are also liable financially if anything goes wrong, and believe me it almost has. I am counting the days until the AGM and if nobody is willing to fill my role then unfortunately the Pre-school will have to close. I will not put myself or my family through any more of this disgraceful behaviour.

I'm just about to step down at our AGM having spent three years on the committee and my experience has been very very positive at our setting. It's a serious responsibility and not something that should be taken lightly.

Please please please ensure your pre-schools are limited companies as this limits the liability of the committee in the event that the pre-school does fail.