My Tip of the Week: Make New Volunteers Feel Welcome
Fairly soon, your group will be welcoming a whole new crop of parents to your school. Some small percentage of those parents will be excited to get involved with your group. How will you react to those parents?
Fair
rly
rly soon, your group will be welcoming a whole new crop of parents to your school. Some small percentage of those parents will be excited to get involved with your group. How will you react to those parents?
Will you make it clear that their questions are tiresome? Will you hastily dismiss their "new" ideas (that you've had in the past) and discourage them?
I hope not, but that's what a lot of us PTO and PTA old-timers tend to do (often unknowingly) when we first deal with these new parents. It's a great way to turn off the fresh, enthusiastic volunteers you most need.
I tried to capture this dynamic -- and also some of the mistakes that new parents make in jumping in too aggressively -- in a column I wrote last year called "A Tale of Two Volunteers". I think this is a great time of year to bring it back out. I hope you'll share it with your fellow leaders as a reminder of the mistakes we should try to avoid this summer and next fall.
Will you make it clear that their questions are tiresome? Will you hastily dismiss their "new" ideas (that you've had in the past) and discourage them?
I hope not, but that's what a lot of us PTO and PTA old-timers tend to do (often unknowingly) when we first deal with these new parents. It's a great way to turn off the fresh, enthusiastic volunteers you most need.
I tried to capture this dynamic -- and also some of the mistakes that new parents make in jumping in too aggressively -- in a column I wrote last year called "A Tale of Two Volunteers". I think this is a great time of year to bring it back out. I hope you'll share it with your fellow leaders as a reminder of the mistakes we should try to avoid this summer and next fall.
