Originally posted by grognd:
The Fall Fundraiser chair wants to take 5-6 of her key people to a thank you lunch using some of the funds that they are collecting from Walk a Thon pledges. I ran this by the board - I'm the President - and they are unanimous in their belief that a thank you card should be enough...the money is to be used in the classroom only. The Fall Fundraiser Chair complained to me all summer that she and her "group" don't feel properly appreciated.

I also agree with above posts- Thank you and what-not should be spreadout over the year (thanking and rethanking, acknowledgement), thank yous, "Atta-boys/girls", whatever you call it should be uniform and consistent FOR ALL.
I just finished a BEST ( Building Effective Schools Together Management Course (Even though its for Discipline and Effective behavioral policy management) the same applies to rwarding (ie. Good Behavior, Bad Behavior) acknowleging Volunteers and helpers. If its not consistent, fair and equal chaos reigns due to jealousy, envy (the why/ why not me?) are eliminated.
Also we have a special fund setup for volunteer recognition, volunteer tea, staff appreciation. No funds from one paticular fundraiser or event are used (technically it is from All fundraisers/ events and not ALL the money is used in classroom as wanted above, but it might be a way to bridge the gap).

Everyone should be thanked equally no matter whether the time, effort and work was dispproportionate, that just leds to a whole new can of worms when someone feels (underappreciated) :cool:

PS- If she disagrees, it could come out of her own pocket ( :eek: ) if she wants to recognize those 5-6 people

[ 10-14-2005, 12:27 AM: Message edited by: Shawn ]

Okay Tim, you got a point. I gotta stop thinking so much with my heart on issues like this. You are right and my board/friends would remind me of the same points.

You know, another mom and I helped with the Entertainment Book fundraiser and the chair person sent us THE nicest thank-you card we were sitting at the bus stop all blubbery and teary. NO ONE from school has done that before...not for a really long time!

We do Thank Yous to every volunteer-parent or staff-that work for one of our events. We also put on a Volunteer Reception at the end of the year with cake and punch and certificates made on the printer. It costs less than $150 to do. Every volunteer deserves a chance to be recongized but because you serve on a comittee doesn't give you the right to treat yourself to whatever you feel you deserve. Not to say that we don't feed our help, when we work all day or though an event that serves food, we provide a meal, but it's not expensive. (And I'm usually too busy to eat it!)

When our group started a few years back I was given the ability to look at the past PTA books I was upset to see that they went to a very expensive restaurant every year at the end with the bill being paid by the pta account.
Like tim I think appreciating volunteers is so IMPORTANT, after every meeting I make personal Thank You cards for attending a meeting, I know that is nuts but it means so much. We have a cardinal rule that after every event there the chair person is required to do Thank You's. For ideas we have done candy poems, giant lifesaver cardstock ornaments with lifesavers, homemade bookmarks, magnets, votive candles, potpourri angels, xmas ornaments. All of this stuff is homemade or has a touch of homemade, the candles you get 3 for a 1.00 and out tulle, glue a bow, silk flower. It is all stuff that we have access to or is at such a low cost that I suck up the cost. It doesnt have to be alot, every volunteer is treated equal...one hour is just as important as 20. Maybe that is all that parent can give. another way to show apprecaition is randomly profile volunteers in the school newsletter and on a volunteer wall. It shouldn't be about the cost, maybe an inexpensive frame with a picture of the volunteers kids enjoying the event, dinner I think is too much...but that is just my two cents! Or even a cake and punch at the next meeting saying good job, a poster signed by the kids...there is alot you can do that means more than that dinner!

[ 10-13-2005, 07:06 PM: Message edited by: pals ]

I can understand that the money is for the classroom but I also think that without the volunteers, would you be able to do most of what you do? Maybe a volunteer appreciation week would work?

I hear ya, mykids. But it's a bit of a slippery slope.

Are you for this because of the finanical success of this particular fundraiser? If yes, does that mean the team that does some huge project to *spend* the money (or the 6 teams who do 6 medium projects to *spend* the money) don't get similar?

If this is a particularly huge success, ask the team to stand up for a special cheer at a meeting or call them out with an "our best fundraiser ever" piece in your newsletter. Do the same with huge successes that aren't financial.

To me, this is a small step away from a commission. There are professional fundraisers who will run your fundraiser for you and keep a % of the profit as their incentive/reward. The better you do, the better they do. But the volunteers aren't working that way.

I think you need to be all-in or all-out on financial rewards for superlative efforts. Otherwise, you're almost sure-fired to face dissension and (justifiable?) back-talking in the ranks.

I'd prefer all-out with organized, all-volunteer appreciation efforts throughout the year. No problem, in my opinion, with spending bucks on those.

Tim

Tim