PA Volunteering

namloc1980

PA in a big enough primary school c.500 kids but always struggling to get parents to volunteer to help out. The PA runs a few fund raising activities each year such as sponsored walk and no more than 4 or 5 events altogether. All funds go to support the school and the kids such as paying 50% of school tour costs etc. But apart from a handful of the old reliables no parents ever volunteer to help out. Letters home looking for help rarely come back with anyone volunteering and it's getting to the point events will be cancelled due to lack of help. Anyone out there with ideas on getting parents successfully volunteering to help?

rainemac

I have an idea. Don't do any fundraising and let them pay 100% of the things it subsidies, see how helpful they are the following year. Does the school have "voluntary" contributions? If not bring it in too. How can they think they'll get the benefit of the funds but not get involved in helping to raise those same funds.

byhookorbycrook

It's the same country wide, to be honest for any type of voluntary group.

zoe 3619

A lot of families have two working parents and time can be a tight comodity.
I would have had no interest in a fun run,but used to buy endless raffle tickets from the school sent home with the kids.Also used to pay for no uniform day twice a year,sponser the kids running laps around the local hurling field etc.
Maybe have a fundraising day with a bouncy castle at the school?

pwurple

The target is a tough one... parents with small children are the most strapped for both time and money.

Extend to the wider community is my advice. We put a proposal to our local credit union to fund some school equipment for example. The local scouts helped with maintaining the grounds.


Also, forget subsiding the school tour. Why would a smaller group of parents being tapped for fundraising pay for the others? Let them all pay the fair share.

namloc1980

pwurple wrote: »

The target is a tough one... parents with small children are the most strapped for both time and money.

Extend to the wider community is my advice. We put a proposal to our local credit union to fund some school equipment for example. The local scouts helped with maintaining the grounds.


Also, forget subsiding the school tour. Why would a smaller group of parents being tapped for fundraising pay for the others? Let them all pay the fair share.

Parents do buy the raffle tickets etc the issue is nobody will give any time to actually help run the events.

pwurple

It's because they don't have time. Small children obviously can't just be left to their own devices at home. People have jobs, have to do the laundry, cooking, cleaning, childcare, shopping, life administration etc. If you go somewhere to run an event, you need someone else to mind the kids. And maybe you might want to see your children. Parents have no time. Retired people have time. Teachers with no kids have time. The unemployed have time. Look outside parents, to the wider community.
I know. I volunteered for years in the PA, as well as holding down a full time job, and running two businesses. I missed out on plenty of weekends (running events) and evenings (meetings about events) with my kids to do it, and to be honest, I regret it.  Hardly anyone will  sign up for that.

SusanC10

I was on the PA of our Primary School for 5 years. The reality of it is that it is always the same handful of Parents.
It's a thankless job and you end up giving large amounts of your time and money to subsidise others. I regret the amount of both of those which I gave over the years tbh.
There are 4 types of Parents - the ones who expect everything and contribute nothing, the ones who have no time but give money, the ones who are tight on money but give time, bake cakes etc and the ones who volunteer for everything.

pwurple

Thankless is right. We had parents doing thousands of hours of unpaid work some years. Too much, it burnt out even the enthusiastic volunteers. Landscaping the grounds, chaperoning on school tours, running fundraisers, supervision before and after school,  running sports days, running school plays, getting garda vetted, doing reading time in the school with kids, doing costumes, doing sports coaching, running choirs. Heaps and heaps of unpaid, time consuming work, and the school just kept demanding more and complaining that there weren't enough volunteers. The goodwill evaporated after a while, and all you could get was the fiver in for a raffle.

namloc1980

pwurple wrote: »

It's because they don't have time. Small children obviously can't just be left to their own devices at home. People have jobs, have to do the laundry, cooking, cleaning, childcare, shopping, life administration etc. If you go somewhere to run an event, you need someone else to mind the kids. And maybe you might want to see your children. Parents have no time. Retired people have time. Teachers with no kids have time. The unemployed have time. Look outside parents, to the wider community.
I know. I volunteered for years in the PA, as well as holding down a full time job, and running two businesses. I missed out on plenty of weekends (running events) and evenings (meetings about events) with my kids to do it, and to be honest, I regret it.  Hardly anyone will  sign up for that.

Don't buy that. Each class year has been given one event to help out at per year i.e. 1st class help out at the sponsored walk etc. Literally an hour of time is requested over the whole year to help organise a few events and raise funds for THEIR kids. Not looking for people to spend 20 hours a week on it.

OrlaFS2017

namloc1980 wrote: »

Don't buy that. Each class year has been given one event to help out at per year i.e. 1st class help out at the sponsored walk etc. Literally an hour of time is requested over the whole year to help organise a few events and raise funds for THEIR kids. Not looking for people to spend 20 hours a week on it.

If you work full time and commute along within limited annual leave-that hour can mean a day less to spend with your kids another time.

Big Bag of Chips

People don't like being told they have to volunteer. If someone wants to help out, they will. So telling a particular set of parents that they've been volunteered to run a certain event is unlikely to be met with glee if these parents aren't active volunteers to begin with. If they don't want to help out then no amount of talking about how people should do this that or other will change it. I've served my time on our PA and when life got too busy I stepped down. And funnily enough when I stepped away, there was someone else available to pick up what I used to do. Same goes for you, OP. If you want to be involved and help out, then do that yourself without getting bothered with who's not helping. If you've had enough of being the same few all the time, step back and you'll find that others will continue on the work.

It's an age old problem in schools. But the PA ran before you, and it'll run after you've left too.

pwurple

namloc1980 wrote: »

Don't buy that. Each class year has been given one event to help out at per year i.e. 1st class help out at the sponsored walk etc. Literally an hour of time is requested over the whole year to help organise a few events and raise funds for THEIR kids. Not looking for people to spend 20 hours a week on it.

Time is valuable, because it is in short supply. I would genuinely prefer to give the school 100 euro, rather than juggle my kids, babysitters, study hours, looking after elderly or ill family, work etc, to free up whatever particular hour is being asked for. No doubt it conflicts with something I am already doing, because to have an hour free in a particular location, you need the preceding and following hours free also. A 3 hour slot. Not many families have 3 hour gaps during waking hours where there is no other commitment.

I can absolutely see why people would baulk at that directive. I would tell them to go swing.

And don’t forget, fundraising isn’t even a PA’s function, according to the parent’s council. It is supposed to be a social and communication role. You can fund raise for something, like a capital item... but a school tour would not fall in there.

byhookorbycrook

Re school tours- is it to pay the cost for a child who mightn't be able to go otherwise or to subsidize everyone?

It's not just schools that find it hard to get volunteers- any sporting organization , group like Scouts, charity will tell you the same story.

uck51js9zml2yt

I'm on the BOM of my local school. Pulling hens teeth is easier than getting a parent to do something for the good of the school their child attends.

pwurple

Some committee involvement proved fruitful for us , as there are so many draws on time, there isn't enough time to go around... schools aren't in a vacuum. 
For example, we sometime combine functions together and divide the proceeds if it's a fundraiser. 
So, the rowing club, the school and the gaa club might hold a combo summer event in the GAA grounds. Anyone who has an interest in one of those will show up. Parents get to meet the rowing and gaa people and find out about the sports, time they run etc, they sign up. There's food, music, fun for the kids. Everyone's happy.
Or at christmas, we combine the church carol service with the school play and the bake sale / wreath sale which involves a local charity
For sports, two schools combine the sports day, and use the GAA grounds/people again.  By combining, you reduced the number of volunteers you need, and increased the pool you can draw from.

Asking19302

A huge problem all over the country. Well done to you and the parents who are so generous.Try small, time confined projects which need a short sharp commitment and then it is over. Parents reluctant to become members of committees.