Our school district has an Appreciation night every year for all volunteers for the whole district. Invites go out and snacks and drinks are provided. Didn't go this year (probably volunteering somewhere ). I heard that there was a push for voting on the referendum in the fall that failed this spring. I am not a fan of getting people together to say thanks and then slap them with a lecture, but I like the idea of the district doing the thanking.
Our PTO has an Appreciation luncheon where any volunteers are invited. The teachers request certain parents who have helped them be invited and the PTO invites a few. Teachers will print up certificates and write thank you notes. We also have a drawing for a few small items like blockbuster gift cards. While it isn't dinner at a restaraunt, it is nice to be appreciated and makes me more like helping out next year. I think something should be done to show appreciation so your volunteers don't get burned out. In an indirect way, that does help the chidlren. I think we spend about $85 on the lunch alone and I believe the gift cards are donated.
Don't do potluck!!!!!!! Just kidding. I think a potluck would work if everyone agreed. We don't have committee chairs (yet), so we do a volunteer appreciation for everyone. It is in our by laws to support and encourage parental involvement and I think this is a good way to do so. There was a potluck this year because funds were frivously spent on...not figured that one out yet.. the VP set it all up because the Pres "never had time" to do anything. She did however get reimbursed for those expensive pastries she bought. Sorry, getting off course. Anyhow some of the volunteers are still griping to me about the potluck, I don't think we will go that way next year.
An appreciation budget was approved a few years ago for volunteers and staff. No one has ever had a problem with that, if it wasn't for them where would the kids be?
This topic is a huge one for me, and I couldn't disagree with Metzy more.
I'm a huge fan of appreciation efforts, even budgeted ones. I'll even go so far as to say big budgeted ones.
The difference of opinion comes from the definition of "for the children." For many -- including Metzy from reading her post -- that means that every dollar possible should go to direct purchases that directly go to the kids (field trips, playgrounds, school supplies, etc.) I understand that interpretation and i know it is very common.
But I think it's short-sighted.
My definition of "for the children" is much more broad. The research on the positive effects of increased parental involvement is so amazingly positive, that I believe strongly that moneys spent to increase parental involvement is "for the children". So very much so.
And I believe an important component of building involvement for the long-term is appreciation and fun. A great, end-of-the-year appreciation bash fits right in, especially when it's the culmination of smaller, concerted appreciation efforts all year long.
Glad to talk more on this, as I think it's such an importnat topic.
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Back to ImA -- it's very importnat to note that I think a dinner for the leaders by the leaders is exactly the wrong way to build involvement. What a great way to ensure your group's reputation as a clique!
When appreciating, I think it's most important that the group leaders make every effort to appreciate as many people as possible, even if it means over-appreciating those who barely lifted a finger. Remember: the goal of the appreciation events is to build even more involvement for the next year, because this year's volunteers will be so happy that they'll 1) volunteer agin themselves; and 2) speak positively about your group to other potential new volunteers.
Your top-level leaders may actually get the short end of the appreciation shrift here (they do a ton of the work, while everyone -- even the volunteers who did far less -- get the full appreciation treatment. That's the way it goes for leaders. And effective leaders realize that and don't need more. Their reward is the great involvement results they see, results that have a very direct positive effect "for the children."
Our Mission Statement and Bylaws are very explicit about how the money collected is to be spent. For The Children.
I believe it is up to the school administration to say Thank You. I think holding a dinner with PTO funds is tantamount to thanking yourselves.
We all deserve a hefty Thank You, but not at the expense of our kids. Would you withdraw money from your child's saving account to have a dinner or reward yourself for anything else you've done? No. What you are about to do amounts to the same thing.
Talk to the school principal about the staff doing a potluck in your groups honor.
I agree about only inviting certain people is not the best idea. Our PTO has had this appreciation dinner for the past 10 years. I suggested we do an appreciation "pot luck", that way we could include everyone and it wouldn't be too expensive. Do you think it would be fair to have the PTO pick up the expense of the meat for the "pot luck"? I really am interested in whether other organizations use some of the money for something like this.
). I heard that there was a push for voting on the referendum in the fall that failed this spring. I am not a fan of getting people together to say thanks and then slap them with a lecture, but I like the idea of the district doing the thanking. 
Sorry, getting off course. Anyhow some of the volunteers are still griping to me about the potluck, I don't think we will go that way next year.