How to Get Volunteers
- Send an invitation to all parents. Ask the principal to send a beginning or end of year appeal for volunteers. Include a volunteer appeal in registration materials. Let parents know the mission of PTA and how we are trying to help every child. People can’t volunteer if they don’t know you need them.
- Personally ask people. Ask your own friends. Have each board member ask someone they know. Have a volunteer opening social in order to meet parents and recruit volunteers.
- Make a poster with volunteer needs and post it by or in the office. Let parents know your needs and allow them to sign up.
- Keep your request for more volunteers positive. Instead of pleading for volunteers and indicating that no one will help in the PTA, use positive testimonials from volunteers to show that volunteering is good for the school.
- Don’t turn a volunteer away – use them somehow. Ask parents what they can or would like to do. If you have too many volunteers, give them parts of your job. Don’t be afraid to start a new program to utilize a new volunteer.
- Look outside your school. Reach out to local businesses. Larger corporations often offer incentives to employees who volunteer (e.g. Kohls, Deloitte, Salesforce). Ask high school students. Honor society members often need volunteer hours.
Retaining Volunteers
- Train your volunteers so they have everything they need to be successful. Clearly define the roles and expectations to avoid confusion. Be organized. Give them more information so they will understand the job that needs to be done. Orient them to link volunteering to the broader mission of PTA. Give new volunteers a volunteer buddy so they can learn.
- Provide meaningful tasks that contribute to the overall success of the project. Make sure each position accomplishes diverse tasks. Don’t assign tasks that waste volunteers’ time.
- Give clear directions and be available to answer questions. Seriously consider a volunteer’s advice and recommendations.
- Help PTA volunteers acquire new skills and relate them to their personal or professional life. Show volunteers how they can enhance their resumes and personal gifts. Provide opportunities for leadership advancement.
- Show recognition and appreciate every volunteer, regardless of his or her task. Make it specific and meaningful to each volunteer.
- Have each committee and board position keep a procedure book so future volunteers will have a record of what was done in the past and guidance for doing their jobs.
We want to keep our volunteers, not spend time getting them back!
Why Count Volunteer Hours?
- Credibility of Our Association—PTA documents the number of hours its members are volunteering to verify that the members are carrying out our purposes and mission.
- Our Tax-Exempt Status—In order to maintain our tax-exempt status, we must be able to prove we are a volunteer association worthy of that status. Documenting the number of volunteer hours is one of the ways to do this.
- Grant Fund Applications—When school districts, faculties, or PTA associations are applying for grant money, it is to the writer’s advantage to be able to include the amount of parent engagement. Documenting the number of volunteer hours is often required.
- Legislature—PTA documents volunteer hours and uses them to inform legislators about the high level of parental involvement in our association. Once a year, Utah PTA presents the governor with a check representing the monetary value of PTA volunteer hours for one year.
- School Administrators—Superintendents and principals appreciate knowing how much actual volunteer time is spent by parents in their various schools and districts.
- Business Partnerships—As schools and businesses seek to become partners to enhance the education of children, it is informative and helpful to them to know the actual hours of volunteer time spent by parents, students, and those participating from businesses.
- Recognition—We want to recognize those who spend their time and energy on behalf of PTA. Documenting specific volunteer hours is meaningful individually, by school, by council, by region, and as a state. Showing appreciation for a job well done is always in order.
Record All Volunteer Hours
- Classroom volunteers. Often hours are recorded on a computer and the school secretary can be asked for a compilation of hours. Also include after school program volunteer hours.
- Planning hours/meetings
- Hours spent carrying out duties
- Hours spent at home on PTA-related matters by all board members
- Baby-sitting hours for PTA
- Time spent driving to and from PTA functions
- Hours spent lobbying at the legislature or the school district
- Record your PTA’s hours on Local Unit Reports
In Kind Donations
- It is valuable to list donations (items from class parties, art projects, school supplies, events and programs, etc). The cash amount of these items can support data on funding of items by parents as well as be used (in many cases) as match money for grants.