Tag Archives: PTA

September 20, 2014 · 11:43 am

Stuck with the Book Fair

It’s that time of year again, when leaves begin to fall and preparations are underway for the annual Scholastic Book Fair. This is a wonderful way to raise funds for the school, get more books for the classroom, and build literacy.

It’s also perhaps one of the most painful tasks that a PTA or parent volunteer group can manage.

Parent volunteers have to publicize the fair, unload the books out of those enormous Dalek-like metal carts (thus dislodging some poor teacher for a week), manage the cash register, and of course pack it all away at the end of the week. Don’t forget about special orders and restocking shelves!

Of course, the vast majority of book fair sales are not books but trinkets: big funny pencils, novelty erasers. A disturbing amount of volunteer time is spent preventing shoplifting. (An ingenious parent at my own school hit upon the idea of hot-gluing a sample of each gee-gaw to a big stand-up display board along with prices so the kids could see the things without putting their grubby mitts on them. The tiny treasures were kept behind the cash register table.)
Another temptation for children: those stupid books with a piece of jewelry or a toy attached to the cover. Better keep those behind the counter too. If the trinket gets separated from the book, it’s a loss.

Let’s also not forget sales tax drama. How many children’s hearts have been broken because they were missing the last seven cents? How many volunteer parents have dug through their pockets, muttering, for that spare change?

So I’ve painted an exhausting picture here. Why again are we bothering with the old-fashioned Book Fair in this day and age? There are alternatives:

  • Scholastic does offer ebooks through its Storia app – or at least, they used to. The Storia app is closing and is only currently available for teachers. (Too bad, we used it at home…)
  • Scholastic also offers an online Book Fair option at the same time as the standard book fair.
  • Barnes & Noble offers a book fair, and while parents have to publicize, it’s held at the store as well as online. A lot less work for parents.

So there are options. But can they really take the place of the good ol’ in-school book fair? Here are a few things to consider.

  • There’s just something about those real books. Kids are tactile. Kids like to touch stuff, including books. And having a home library contributes toward a literate home environment.
  • It’s affordable. Scholastic offers some cheap stuff – much cheaper for the most part, sadly, than most other book stores. I’m certainly not in love with all the gee-gaws and trinkets – and yet, it’s nice to see that a kid with only a dollar to spend can still participate.
  • It’s there. At our school, all the kids are encouraged to visit, once with their class to fill out a wish list and then on their own. Parents don’t have to haul everyone to the store. We also have had success having the fair open for one evening shift, to coincide with a PTA Ice Cream social.
  • It teaches kids about handling money.
  • It makes your school look good. Book Fairs are disruptive, and school administrators are not in love with disruption. Yet they tolerate the Book Fair. Building literacy is one reason; the other reason is that, frankly, it looks good for your school to host a Book Fair. Not all schools have the volunteer support or organization to pull it off.
  • It’s a nice change of pace for kids. Short recesses, lots of seat work, lots of testing, fewer field trips…isn’t it good to have something to make the kids look forward to at school for a change?
  • Not everyone is online. I can’t stress this enough. Not everyone in every community has regular Internet access. Don’t leave a significant part of your neighbors behind.

So, difficult as it is, I think we’re all stuck with the Book Fair for the foreseeable future. And maybe it’s not a bad thing. Now, where did that flyer go?

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May 20, 2014 · 1:57 pm

Five Reasons Your PTA or Parent Group Needs Its Own Web Site

Many schools have spaces on their web sites for their local PTA chapters or PTOs. At first glance, that seems like a swell idea. Why should you deal with all of the baggage that comes with running your own web site when it’s enough trouble just to keep it updated? Why pay for hosting or a URL? Why not let the school host it and submit your updates to the school’s web team?

The answer: letting your school host – and control – your group’s web presence may not be such a great bargain in the long run. Here are five reasons why maintaining your own web site is worth the trouble and (not very high) expense.

1. You don’t want to keep asking the school staff to make your updates.

Your school’s admin staff is harried and overworked as it is. They’re putting up links to school policy, teacher contact information, sports schedules, the school calendar, and an endless list of other content – and this is all in addition to their regular duties. Yes, you’re doing things to support the school: fundraising, volunteering, all of that. But it’s easier to maintain a cordial relationship with your school’s administration if you respect their time. Save it for the bigger requests, like asking for time in the schedule for an assembly.

2. You are in control of your own content.

It’s important to be able to make web site updates on your own schedule, not when your school staff can find a minute to squeeze you in (see #1).

There are also fewer chances of misunderstandings or editorial comments. Let’s be honest: there may be times when you and your administration do not see eye to eye on a subject. Also, the school adminsiatrtion may feel uncomfortable posting content that has to do with advocacy. It may represent an uncomfortable conflict for a principal to post information asking parents to, say, show up at a hearing with protest signs. Bottom line: Be in control of your message and avoid problems before they start.

3. Social media is a great way to communicate – but it’s not a substitute for a web page.

You may be wondering why you should bother with a web site if you have a Facebook group or an email distribution group. But your job is to invite people in from your school community as a whole, including neighbors. Your web site should serve as a central point for information on joining, volunteering, and donating. Upload meeting minutes and other important documents and provide transparency to your group. And don’t forget, a lot of people go online and don’t participate in Facebook. Don’t leave those people out.

4. It makes you look better and more organized.

To use marketing parlance, a web site is important to build your brand. Yep, you have a brand, all right. You make a better impression on prospective members and parents, not to mention potential donors. People feel better about joining and giving money to a group that seems to have its act together. And “branding” doesn’t mean a flashy design: it just means that you are presenting a coherent, consistent message.

5. You maintain yourself as a separate entity from the school.

Your group is a distinct entity from your school, your district, and your local board of education. You are there to work with your school and advocate for your school…but at the end of the day, you are not employees of the school and you are not run by the school. Sometimes families are confused about the role of the PTA (or PTO) in the school; it confuses the issue even more if you appear to be a branch of the school and not an independent organization.

Now you’re thinking: Okay, smarty pants. I’m convinced. Now what? Well, getting your own URL and hosting does not really have to be that painful. In a future posts I can talk about my own experience using WordPress. You’ll find that being in control of your message and content is worth the trouble – and hey, it doesn’t have to break the budget either!

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April 1, 2014 · 1:59 pm

Musings from a Volunteer Coordinator

As I recover from producing a flurry of emails asking for volunteers, a few things have reminded me to step back from the keyboard and think about the best way to really recruit people to help. Keep some important things in mind going forward as a potential volunteer and someone who needs volunteers.

1. People are busy. For real.

Our school has been hosting an educational evening activity that requires both kids and parents to participate. It’s been very useful, but it’s been a real time commitment as well. When I volunteered in a classroom one day, I asked a kid I knew if he and his mom would make it to the evening activity that night.

The kid said mom got home and went right to sleep, too tired from work.

When I feel impatient about not getting enough volunteer responses, I have to remind myself to back up and look at the big picture. Volunteering is hard, especially after a long day of work. Appreciate the volunteers you do get, and remember that you’re helping to make your school a better place for everybody – especially for that tired mom. No guilt trips allowed.

2. Something that’s easy for me is a huge burden for someone else. And the other way around.

I know a parent who is tireless in her pursuit of donations for our PTA from local businesses. She has the amazing ability to walk up to a business owner and them to sponsor our fun run, or donate a prize for a raffle. I do not seem to have this ability—and I feel guilty sometimes that I don’t.

This parent also does not use email except under extreme duress. She doesn’t always read her email. And I’m okay with that.

That’s the beauty of getting a broad team of volunteers together. We all have strengths and things we like to do or that we’re good at doing. It’s okay to admit that you hate doing something and that you need help.

3. Connecting one-to-one is still important.

Recently I became discouraged when I sent out a request for volunteers to translate flyers, only to be greeted by chirping crickets. But when I took the time to get in touch individually, a magical thing happened: people replied!

Email lists, social media, and online signup sheets are my friends, and will always be my friends. Yet I have received the best response by approaching potential volunteers on a one-to-one basis, whether by phone, in person, or by individual emails. Yes, it takes extra time, but it’s worth it if you can fit it in.

Some reminders to myself that I felt like sharing. No matter what technology or method you use to recruit people, don’t let yourself become so preoccupied with filling slots that lose sight of the big picture. We’re all parents – and we’re all here to help each other make our lives a little easier, right?

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February 3, 2014 · 1:20 pm

Google Docs for the Overwhelmed Volunteer Part 2: Fun With Forms

Two posts ago, I went over some Google spreadsheet basics for parent volunteer groups. If you can use Excel, you can use a Google spreadsheet. Entering that information directly into the spreadsheet can be tedious, especially if you are one lone overworked volunteer. That’s where forms can help. Check out this link to my sample Google form for PTAs and PTOs. You can post a direct link on your site and let people fill in the form themselves and skip the paper altogether. But even if you don’t plan on letting your members directly enter their information themselves, the form will help your membership people enter info a little less painfully.

Starting your form.

The relationship between forms and the spreadsheets they populate gets  a little tricky when you try to link a form to an existing spreadsheet. I’ve found this out the hard way. If you are starting from scratch, the easiest, cleanest thing is to start your Google form first and then let it determine the structure of your spreadsheet.

  1. From your Google drive, click the big red Create button, then choose Form.
  2. Choose your title and theme – have a little fun. I like the dorky binder paper look myself because it seems to fit in with the whole school thing, , but go nuts with the cherry blossoms if you want.
  3. Start adding the fields for the information you want to collect. A spreadsheet will automatically be created with fields based on what you put on your form, with the same name as the form.
  4. You can change the destination for the form responses: ie, the spreadsheet. Go to Responses > Change Response Destination.

Change Reponse Destination Google Forms prompt

Tips on editing your form

1. Go to the Insert form to add an item. Most of the information you collect (names, addresses, phone numbers) should simply be Text.

2. Once you create an item and want to make a copy of it, just click on it and then click on the Duplicate button in the top right corner.

3. You can grab items and move them around your form to change the order. Click above the question title, then drag.

4. What items are required? In my sample, I’ve only selected Adult 1 Last and First Name fields plus home phone as the bare requirement.

5. Use Checkboxes for simple questions with one answer: for example, a Yes or No question. (You can also add an “Other” option for Checkboxes.)

6. Multiple Choice is good for questions with more than one answer. For example, if you collect volunteer data, you can ask if the potential volunteer wants to work bake sales, International Night,and/or  the book fair. Again, you can add an “Other.”

7. The “Choose from a list” option is a real time saver. I’ve used it in my form to have a list of grades and teachers for each child already there for the user to select. This saves typing time and errors. Once you set up one question with a lot of names, you can make a duplicate and create a new label.

8. Go to Insert > Section Header if you want to break up your form into smaller sections.

Finishing, Sending, and Sharing Your Form

You can always take a break and come back to edit your form later! You don’t have to complete it all at once.

Sending the form will make sure users can see it, fill it out and respond, but can’t make changes.

Sharing lets others (for example, other volunteer leaders, board members, or committee members) make changes and view responses. Remember, only users with a Google account can edit the form, but anyone can fill it out.

1. When you’re done with your from, click on Send Form in the upper right corner.

2. If you want to put your form out there publicly on your group’s web site, click on Embed to get the code. Copy and paste as needed.

3. Use the social media sharing buttons if your group has a Facebook page and/or Twitter feed.

4. Invite specific users by entering their email addresses in the email box – this option is good for a mailing list.

5. Click on the “Add Collaborators” option for sharing your form. Remember, the form can only be edited by users with a Google account.

Google sharing settings

I recommend you change the Access to Private – you may not want want to give anyone with the link the ability to edit the form.

6. You can also share your form or spreadsheet from the main Google Drive screen. Check the form you want to share, then click on the Share button (the little person with the plus sign) above.

Google forms have many more advanced options if you want to get more complicated, but this will get you started with the basics for collecting member information. Next time, I’ll look at other info you can collect with forms and how to get a simple directory started.

Thanks for reading! I’ve love to hear feedback about how helpful this info was.

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January 20, 2014 · 7:21 pm

The top six reasons you shouldn’t volunteer, and why you should anyway

Happy MLK Day! Since many people are talking about community service today, I thought it would be a good time to step back and remember why volunteering at school is such a pain…and why it’s still worth doing.

1. You’re way too busy.

You see the same faces everywhere, running events and meetings. These parents don’t seem to have a life, and you don’t have their time or energy. You have a job, your own kids to care for, hundreds of chores and errands to do, plus a vague hope of having a life. Join the club.

But here’s the flip side: more volunteers would mean different faces. Many hands equal light work: it’s a tired old phrase, yet it has a kernel of truth. 

The good news is that any tiny bit you can do helps. Pick up an extra batch of juice boxes to sell at a function. Go to an after-work meeting. Help from home by performing annoying computer tasks such as managing the email group or entering member info. Maybe once you see what’s involved, taking on a leadership role won’t feel so intimidating – especially if you have help.

2. Someone else will do it.

It would be nice if every school had an army of bonbon-eating, soap-opera-watching, martini-drinking stay-at-home parents with limitless time to run things. Unfortunately, we are no longer in 1959. And remember that the at-home parents are dealing with their own lives and problems and babies too.

At some point the current set of parents in charge of your PTA are going to get burned out (see Number 1), get new jobs, move away, or move on as their kids grow up. If you think an event or activity is important, speak up. If you don’t, there’s a good chance no one else will either.

Plus, if you get involved and go to meetings, you have earned the legitimate right to grouse and complain. And that, my friends, is priceless.

3. The PTA/PTO leadership is annoying.

Yeah, I hear you. They’re a bunch of mean girls or control freaks. They’re a clique. Sadly, any company or organization run by human beings is going to be full of annoying people. But if the reasonable people (like you and me, of course) don’t get involved, you’re letting the annoying people win. You’ve worked with irritating people before and lived to tell the tale – you can do it again for the sake of your kids’ school.

Also, there may be a slight chance they’re not as annoying as you think.

They may just feel beleaguered and burned out. They may not know how to ask for help. Don’t let it be a self-perpetuating cycle – grit your teeth and shove your way in. You may be in for a pleasant surprise.

4. I feel uncomfortable/intimidated/unwelcome.

Well, see Number 4 about difficult parents. Just remember that PTA parents are just like you: confused, overworked, but mostly well-meaning parents trying to make your school a better place. Shoulder your way in.

Sometimes meetings and events are scheduled during the day, making working parents feel unwelcome. Sometimes that’s a limitation imposed by space availability or cost – in Montgomery County, PTAs have to rent space in their own schools for most events and meetings. If it’s just a matter of “Well, this is how we’ve always done it,” then push back. If you can’t go to meetings, send emails.

You don’t need special skills or education, either. There’s no such thing as a professional volunteer. Everyone has something to contribute, and the most important thing is your time or energy. Your county or state PTAs often provide free training.

In my kids’ diverse school, language and culture issues come up, and they can be tough. It’s intimidating to volunteer if you’re not comfortable with your English. At one meeting, one immigrant parent told our board that the whole concept of volunteering in your child’s school is unfamiliar to many newcomers to our country. We try to address this at our PTA by recruiting Spanish-speaking parents as members and volunteers, having flyers translated into Spanish, and making sure meetings have someone who can translate. When more Spanish-speaking parents (or parents from other backgrounds) join and get involved, there’s more incentive for your group and school to work with you and accommodate you.

In short: This is your child’s school. You’re welcome, and don’t let anyone make you feel otherwise.

5. This takes time away from my own kids.

It looks that way at first. However, your kids spend a lot of their waking hours at school. If something benefits the school as a whole, it will benefit your kid.

Everyone hates fundraising,  but the hard truth is that schools rely on PTO and PTA fundraising efforts for extras (field trips, indoor recess games) and necessary items. And if you just want to volunteer in your child’s classroom, often the parent volunteer groups partner with schools and provide the structure for that to happen.

On a larger scale, PTOs and PTAs advocate for your school and your kids. That’s their mission. They help parents have a voice at their school and their communities. The administration might not realize something is an issue until it’s delicately brought up at a PTA meeting. And then there are the big issues of budgets and policies. At our school, for example,  the PTA provided a forum for parents to advocate for a renovated building before county officials.

By volunteering you will also have a better grasp of what’s going on in your children’s school: events, special opportunities, politics, and, of course, gossip. Now, your kid is not entitled to special white-glove treatment, but you as a parent will be better informed and better prepared.

6. I hate this doing all this volunteer junk. I can’t bake, I hate organizing events, and I’m an introvert.

I understand completely. But again, we’re no longer in the year 1959 and parent volunteers are not expected to be Mrs. Cleaver. The nice part is that you can volunteer in in a way that’s comfortable for you and that plays to your strengths. I don’t like making phone calls, but I like sending emails. I don’t like planning event but I like working on the web site. I’ve learned some skills and made some friends. And I feel much more connected with my community and my kids’ education.

No, volunteering is not always easy or fun. But it is worthwhile.

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January 16, 2014 · 2:58 pm

Google Docs for the Overwhelmed Volunteer Part 1: Starting a Spreadsheet

How do you keep track of your members and publish their info in a student directory?

There are complete software systems out there can can help you track your member data for parent groups as well as create your directory. Just Between Friends is a biggie, the free online membership software solution endorsed by the National PTA. Other software solutions for PTAs and PTOs are out there as well. As this blog progresses, I’ll talk more about them. For now, let’s focus on free DYI solutions using Google Docs.

Keeping your records in a simple Excel spreadsheet is pretty easy. Just don’t let all your data entry tasks build up, or you’ll have dozens of forms to enter at a time – a tiresome chore. Plus, if your member data is in one spreadsheet on one PC controlled by one membership VP, it makes it difficult to share information or make updates.  It also opens you up to data loss. One virus on one PC, and boom – it’s gone.

Google spreadsheets are the easiest way to store and share membership information, plus their Forms make it easy to perform data entry – or for members to enter their own information. It’s pretty powerful stuff available for the price of a free Google/Gmail account. Free is good.

Tip: Make sure everyone who needs to share your document has a Gmail/Google account as well. Theoretically, non-Google users can view documents, but only Google accounts can edit them.

Start by create one or moure Google accounts for your PTA or PTO if you don’t already have one. You can, of course, let multiple people use the same account, but that can make things messy. One idea: create multiple Gmail accounts for your group leadership  and keep them impersonal, so they could be passed down to the next person who takes over your position. Example, for the Pretend Valley ES PTA: pretendpta@gmail.com, pretendpta2@gmail.com, pretendpta_president@gmail.com…you get the idea.  (In later posts, I’ll talk about Google Apps for Nonprofits and how you can take things up to the next level with your own domain.)

Once you’ve logged into Google, go to Drive to start creating a document. (Use the Apps button to reach it:

 The Google Apps thingy

(Hey, it’s not obvious.)

Then click on the big red Create button to start a new spreadsheet. Once it opens, you’ll find a pretty straightforward spreadsheet setup a lot like Excel. Customize as needed. Here’s a suggested list of fields:

  • Adult 1 Last Name
  • Adult 1 First Name (tip: break up last and first names into separate fields for easier searching and sorting)
  • Adult 2 Last and First Name
  • Adult 1 and 2 Phone (Home? Mobile? Work?)
  • Adult 1 and 2 Email
  • Child 1 Last and First Name (…and 2, 3, 4. Maybe stop at five!)
  • Child 1 Grade
  • Child  1 Teacher Name  (It’s a good idea to have the teacher name for each kid – makes it easier to send messages and, of course, makes your directory more useful.)
  • Address (Again, consider breaking up the address fields into address, city, state, and zip. Plus, consider that each adult/parent might have a different address. Think about your community and if that might be useful.)
  • Membership Y/N
  • Paid $
  • Want to be in a directory? Y/N (You’ll need a way for families to opt out.)

I’ve created a sample Google docs spreadsheet for PTAs and PTOs that’s pretty similar to what I’ve set up for my PTA. (Make sure you’re logged into a Google account.) Feel free to download and save and adapt as needed. Enjoy!

Next time: the benefits of Google forms and how to put them to work for your group.

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December 16, 2013 · 1:28 pm

The Persistence of Paper, Part 2

Just a follow up from my first post the other day on the necessary evil of photocopies. The ugly flip side of paper: the cost.

If your school’s policy allows you to use the school photocopier, you’re in luck! Still, your organization has to pay for the paper, and we all know about the poor old trees that give their lives in order for us to make newsletters. Our elementary school has asked the PTA to send all of its announcements in yellow to make them stand out…but it’s more expensive. If possible, we try to make our flyers into half-sheets to cut back on paper.

Unfortunately, most of our schools are not exactly rolling in piles of money like Scrooge McDuck. Photocopiers are expensive pieces of machinery to maintain. Many parent groups have to take responsibility for their own copies. They either have to suck it up and put it in the budget, or find other funding. Here’s a short discussion I found at PTO Today about a PTO being charged for photocopies. (They’re a good resource for parent groups, by the way, and it’s free to browse their site.)

Many school directories rely on sponsor advertising to publish their student directories. I would be very interested to find out if other parent groups out there have had luck finding photocopy sponsors from among local businesses.

Of course, the best long-term solution is reducing paper: communicating via email lists, social media, and an up-to-date web site. Convert flyers to PDFs. Know your school’s population and what they can access. The point of it all is to keep your families informed and involved, no matter what it takes.

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December 13, 2013 · 4:28 pm

Welcome to the Fearless Volunteer…and Thoughts on Paper

Thanks for dropping by. This is a space to discuss the nitty-gritty, unglamorous administrative side of being a parent volunteer. (Come to think of it, there’s actually no such thing as a glamorous side.) For more about me, see About Me.

For my first post in a blog about how technology can help parent volunteers, I’d like to start off by stating the obvious: sometimes you’re stuck with paper.

Know your school community before you go for a shiny, high-tech solution. Do all families have regular online access? At our neighborhood Title One school, many families simply don’t have daily access to the Internet. So we use Facebook and  web site and an email group to keep everyone in touch. But we have no choice but to keep sending out paper flyers (translated into Spanish as well) in kids’ backpacks to communicate about events, meeting, and volunteer needs. Otherwise we risk alienating a huge proportion of our neighbors.

If you’re at a smaller school with a population that’s easy to keep track of, you can have an opt-in/opt-list for paper flyers and newsletters to reduce your time copying and sorting. If (like me) your kids attend a big school with a constantly shifting population, that may not be easy. Many schools do have issues with privacy as well and are squirrelly about releasing student information.

If you’re stuck with paper copies, make it less painful. These tips may sound obvious but they come from years of hard-won experience and annoyance:

  • Make nice with your office staff who give you the distribution lists. Be mindful of their time and give them lots of notice Shower them with praise, thanks, and gifts.
  • If you’re making copies on the school photocopier, give the staff and teachers priority.
  • Rotate who does the photocopying. When you’re recruiting volunteers, aim for a group of people who have daytime availability to do this annoying task. Or, if you are lucky enough to find someone to chair an event, make sure they know the system for getting out photocopies.
  • Know your school policy on flyers. Here in Montgomery County, there is a Flyer Distribution Policy for other nonprofit organizations. This example does not apply to parent-teacher groups, but it’s still a good idea to know what’s acceptable.
  • Does your school have an automatic phone call/email system? (Here in Montgomery County, we use Connect Ed.) Get into the routine of getting your events or news onto their announcements.

I won’t say “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” There’s always room for improvement. If you’re at a small school where parents show up everyday to pick up or drop off kids, maybe the low-tech paper sign-up sheet on the bulletin board is still the best solution. But try an online sign up in addition. Recognize that sometimes even in the twenty-first century you have to take baby steps away from paper.

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