Well...we are almost done with our assessment and the results are very powerful. To sit down and go question by question with ten people is such an experience. I actually handpicked my parents, i know that may sound wrong but it was important to get all views. I have a special education parent, kindergarten parent, two parents who have put kids through our school k-6 and still have kids there,a parent who works at our school but kids go to neghboring school, three"regular" parents, myself , two teacher reps..one who has been teaching for 30 years (5th grade) and a Kindergatern teacher who has been there 12 years and our principal.It seems that some principals have hesitation and after starting it i can see that the fact that you are really trying to get honest answers and pick apart your school. its not to look bad but to make things better. I wasnt surprised by the weak scores on volunteering procedures, appreciation...just wondering now what to do. this forum has alot of great ideas to track volunteers...in the long run i know we will have a clear picture and that we will also make our school a better place. I detailed alot of notes on our answers and if suggestions were brought up about how to change it i wrote those as well.. its a very exciting program and we will finish the scoring up next month. We are not going for certification, it is being done to improve things... after doing the volunteering section im not sure we would be close to obtaining certification..have to wait and see. it's exciting...do it...tells you sooooo much!!

Strangely enough, Pals found the topic and without knowing I was looking for it brought it back out!!
It's www.ptotoday.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=...;t=000388;p=1#000007
Wow, telepathy through the computer!

One more thing, as for your nominations committee, it is their job to seek out those that will be placed on the slate. This means approaching people that you are familiar with and asking who they recommend or like Kathie said, who is volunteering in the classrooms. There are quite a few of habitual volunteers out there and they may not come to you but if you ask, they have trouble saying no. As a habitual volunteer, I do it because I enjoy it. Find those people and approach them directly, but you have to do the work as a nominations committee.
And I have to say it again, focus on the good not the bad. Show them the fun.

[ 03-10-2004, 07:25 PM: Message edited by: Michelle B ]

PTO Mom and Dad I think touched on part of the problem. People want to be part of a group that is having fun and they definately want to feel welcomed. The first thing I tell the new Presidents (and the same that was told to me when I took on Council President) is FIND YOUR REPLACEMENT! That means, inviting them to the meetings beginning at the year. Have them see what you do in your position as you do it. Show them the rewards you receive in doing it. (Emotionally etc) and rarely complain about it. If they hear you saying, "It's so much work and we're getting burnt out and the parents don't care" would you want to sign up for something like that?
I also see the largely growing Latino community in some of our schools and that is a big hurdle. Their time may be very limited (many working several jobs just to pay the bills) or the language barrier, or culture differences (school parental involvement isn't big in some of the cultures and PTA doesn't mean anything to them)
You need to assess what your obstacles are like PTO M&D said and work on it from there. The short term fix could be the letter that laurib did but you need to check the problems underneath eventually.
Speaking of assessments, I posted a topic about an assessment that National PTA provides. You do not have to be a PTA school to do it and it might help you figure out where you need that help. Pals has done it (at least that was last I heard) and would be great at explaining how it worked for them.
I couldn't find the topic but some info is at www.pta.org/parentinvolvement/certification/index.asp
You will need the cooperation of your Principal to complete the assessment.

Like kmamom said, just my 0.02 worth, but I think a lack of volunteers is not the problem. The lack of volunteers is a symptom of a root problem. I think you have to determine what the root problem is in your circumstance. How to isolate it is difficult.

Are you clear about your mission and your scope of service? Does your budget and programming reflect that? Do you reach out? It could be school administration, it could be ineffective programs and activities in the past, it could be an absence of inclusion, it could be a lack of communication, it could be a lack of organization, it could be a whole host of things.

Speaking from my personal experience, I live in a fast-growing suburban area just outside of D.C. The demographics of our area change overnight. We have found that we sometimes have to stop and re-adjust our mission and vision to accurately meet the needs and reflect the personality of our constantly changing school population.

I think you and the 4 ladies make a nice core group. I would suggest you five people gather the principal, a couple of teachers and 2 or 3 willing parents and maybe even some successful community leaders and do an in-depth and sometimes painful self-examination and assessment of your school and your organization. Good luck! It's well worth it and with 5 dedicated people like you have, you're well on your way to success!

A few years ago, my group of dedicated parents, all 4 of us, got together and wrote a letter that was mailed out to all families in our district.

In a nutshell the letter states that there might not be a Parent Club this year, that although membership has increased, volunteer time and meeting attendance has decreased. It also stated that less than 10 people (more like 4, but 10 sounded good) are currently running all of the activities and fundraisers for your children. As you can imagine, these parents are reaching burnout quickly.
The letter then went on to say that Parent Club needs officers for the coming year, we need help with activities and fundraisers, parent support at the activities, bodies to come to the meetings to help make the major decisions. Without more help, we would be cutting out activities for the upcoming year. (a side note, we actually did cut out our Fall Carnival and boy was there a cry of outrage about that, maybe next year more people we volunteer to help)
We then explained when our meetings held and where, that we always childcare and snacks.
On a second page, we listed every activity that we helped host during the past year, Fundraisers, with the approximate amount raised and we told them where the money went.

Did it help? A little. We did get more volunteer forms turned that year than ever before and it did make for a larger list of volunteers to pull from for various activities, but we, the same 4 people are still the only board members.

This letter is not on my computer anymore, but I can fax you a copy of it if you would like.

Good luck