Volunteers. Recruit Train Utilize Retain Thank. Presented by: Julie Cluff Community Involvement Commissioner

Transcription

1 Volunteers Recruit Train Utilize Retain Thank Presented by: Julie Cluff Community Involvement Commissioner

2 The first role of a volunteer is to provide a positive relationship with the students and staff. A volunteer also helps teachers with noninstructional tasks so that they have more time to work with the children and plan. Volunteers creatively share their talents to support students, teachers, and staff. Ultimately, a volunteer's primary goal is to positively impact student achievement academically, socially, physically, and emotionally.

3 Low parental involvement is generally not an indicator of low interest, but rather of community barriers that prevent schools from effectively engaging parents. So how do we engage parents? How do we get more Volunteers?

4 Before the volunteers Volunteers need clear expectations on the dos and don ts of volunteering at your school. Offer a volunteer manual ers.pdf Offer an online tutorial Offer an in person training Volunteer Tea or Kick Off Plan trainings before the year starts!

5 Recruit How do You Do That? Personally ask people Opening social for the purpose of meeting parents and recruiting volunteers Ask friends Send them an invitation Have each board member as someone they know Don t say no use them somehow Don t turn a volunteer away Ask them what they can or would like to do Give them parts of your job Value their time and talents Don t ask an accountant to sit and cut out paw prints for hours Have a volunteer survey to see their interests and talents Don t be afraid to start a new program to utilize a new volunteer

6 Train But Why? As a PTA Leader, you want to give your volunteers everything they need to be successful. Clearly define roles and expectations to avoid confusion. Being organized from the very beginning takes time and effort, but can eliminate confusion later. The more information you give, the better they will understand the job in front of them.

7 Train How?? Procedure books each committee and elected officer Volunteer Guidebook intro to school and PTA, PTA contact list, and dos and don ts of volunteering Job Descriptions Training at each board meeting Beginning of the Year Training Convention Region and Council Training Top Down Training Needs Assessment

8 Most PTA volunteers don t get the kind of training they need to be effective. What message are you sending to those volunteers? Here are 4 things they will learn if you do not train them. PTA only cares about warm bodies to fill the membership roster. What they actually do doesn t matter just show up. PTA is a chore they must endure. They better learn to say NO next year.

9 Utilize, Utilize, Utilize! Utilize means: make practical and effective use of How do we utilize our VOLUNTEERS? 1. Use them! 1. Don t do it all yourself 2. Find out their talents 3. Use the community diversity to your advantage 4. Don t turn a volunteer away 2. Ask them! 1. Volunteer sign ups at every meeting and event 2. Use an online/app & general volunteer List 3. Think outside the Box! 1. At home at home moms kits, social media, newsletter, volunteer coordinator 2. Potluck lunches with around the world monthly themes

10 Is your PTA UTILIZING the diverse and underserved populations in your school community? Have a multicultural night Have a dad s club Have each board member invite a new person to each meeting Translate newsletters, etc Reach out to community groups to help reach out Have Dinner Night Outs/Spirit Nights at different cultural restaurants Have family activities at the school for families to get to know each other Use Come Play with PTA events to bring families together

11 Retain???? Isn t it easier to keep a trained and valuable volunteer as opposed to recruiting a new one? Mostly Certainly YES!!!! So how to we keep these volunteers that we have worked so hard to recruit, train and utilize? Retaining volunteers is the most important task in the Volunteer game!

12 Ideas to Retain Volunteers Training If they know what they are doing, they are more likely to stick around. Utilize If they feel wanted, they are more likely to help again, more and in a different capacity. Be mindful of their time and efforts and don t ask to much of them. Ask volunteers to invite their friends to help. Women especially will help if they are not alone. Evaluate each program and event and get volunteer feedback. Make them apart of the team. Thank them. Everyone wants to be appreciated.

13 A few thoughts about Retaining Volunteers Part of retaining is knowing what you need in volunteers. If your event needed 20 volunteers to run effectively, but you had 40 people there potentially you have 20 people who left that event feeling unwanted and may never volunteer again. Take the time to know what you really need before you ask. If there are extra volunteers, give them something to do. Show them their impact. Take pictures at the event of the kids having fun and show them. Write a note telling them how much the event helped whomever. Allow them to GROW into other opportunities. As a president, officer or chairman you should be looking for your replacement. Your organization is only as good as the next leader. Giving volunteers the opportunity to explore and grow will not only benefit your PTA, it will deeply impact the individual.

14 Now to the fun part THANK THEM! Most volunteers will say they don t need any recognition, but that does not mean it is not appreciated and truly needed. Send a thank you note signed by the executive board after each event to each volunteer Online Programs will allow you to send thank you notes after each event Have a Christmas Party, End of the Year Party, etc Personally thank them Have students make a thank you poster Nominate them for Utah PTA Awards Have your own school awards too 10 minute Mini Massages Have a day during Teacher Appreciation Week where the teachers and volunteers can thank each other. Give a thank you gift at the end of the year. Have a special Parking space for the Volunteer of the Month Ask community businesses to help you spotlight your wonderful volunteers Have a Volunteer Thank You Drive through Give a soda, windshield wash, carwash, ice cream, etc There are a million ways Just Do It!

15 2017 reporting # of Total Units Average # of units reporting How do we double or even triple this check? Local Council Region 20 3 Volunteer Hours What if everyone reported their hours???

16 Teacher Appreciation it s more than just a week! Teachers deserve appreciation more that just one week in the year. Teacher appreciation is a great way to involve parents who might not otherwise be involved.

17 Think outside the box! Back to School Breakfast Weekly or Monthly Treats Teacher Birthdays Once a Month Lunches Teacher Grants School Supply Drive Coordinate Room Parents Take over a program ie: safety patrol or school choir or field day Hold PTA/PTSA meetings when teachers can come

18 Don t forget the other teachers

19 Elementary School Ideas for Teacher Appreciation

20 Have a Theme

21 Decorating Teachers Doors

22 Have a Monthly Lunch

23 Something Each Day

24 Secondary School Ideas for Teacher Appreciation More teachers and staff More variety in personalities Less time with more activities Not as impressed with the cutesy things More students to be responsible for

25 Student Service

26 Food on a Big Scale

27 Weekly or Month Treats or Notes

28 LET S SHARE What is your favorite teacher appreciation gift, activity or theme?

29 ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT VOLUNTEERS?