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The start of a new school year mixes excitement with trepidation for parents and students alike. It also signals the beginning of a new PTA year—a year characterized by hopes for increased parental involvement, new projects, and successful fundraisers.
For those hopes to be realized, PTAs need to recruit new volunteers and motivate existing volunteers to stay active and productive. The big question is “How?” First, it is important to remember that virtually every study that examines volunteer involvement stresses that people volunteer because they are asked. Because they are asked!! It sounds so simple, but asking can be harder than it seems. Here are a few pointers to help you make your “ask” an effective one.
PTA leaders should be knowledgeable about the initiatives their unit has planned for the coming year and what specific jobs will need to be done to carry out those initiatives. When and where does the work need to be done? Who is available to answer questions from volunteers? Is this a task that involves coming to the school, or can working at home be just as effectively? How much time will be involved? Likewise, does the potential volunteer need to have certain skills, or access to certain equipment, such as home computers and printers? The more you know about the work that you are asking someone to perform, the more likely it is that the person being asked will be able to evaluate the request and give you an honest answer.
If you are seeking a parent to take on a particularly large task, you will want to consider who knows this person well enough to generate a positive response to the request. Consider involving the principal of your school when asking for a major commitment, or find a friend or colleague who can fully explain the task, as well as the expected benefits.
We’ve all had the terrible recruitment calls in which someone on the other end of the phone says “It’s your turn” or “I’ve asked everyone else, and no one would do it.” No matter how much you may feel like saying one of those things, don’t! Think about the person to whom you will be talking and frame your message to their particular circumstances. Each of us is special and each of us deserves to be noticed for what makes us special.
Volunteers may have special needs, or problems committing their time for a variety of reasons. You need to keep in mind what your volunteer needs to say “yes” to you. If you are asking months in advance for help running an event, keep in mind that volunteers’ schedules change, emergencies come up, and memories are faulty. You will need to confirm their participation closer to the event date. Likewise, grandparents, disabled adults, and low-income parents may have trouble getting to the event; if so, transportation should be offered.
While this point should go without saying, it is very important to be enthusiastic when you invite someone to volunteer. Who wants to say “yes” to volunteering when the asker makes the task sound like sheer drudgery?
Be rested, positive, and upbeat when you make a recruitment call—yes, I said “call.” E-mail is wonderful, but it does have its limitations. Some e-mails get lost in transit, and others are misplaced in very full in-boxes. If you do e-mail a request, follow up with a phone call or a face-to-face visit. If the job is important enough to get done, then it’s important enough to justify both a written and a verbal request.
As you consider the various jobs that need to be done, be attentive to the size and scope of work that you ask others (and yourself) to perform. While some volunteers may be eager to take on a lot of assignments, your PTA runs the risk of work not being completed. It is far better to carve out realistic assignments and including more volunteers than to rely on only a few people. Such arrangements help avoid volunteer burnout and offer more parents a chance to become involved.
Everyone gets tired and everyone has a bad day, but it is not appropriate to share your bad mood with the people your PTA counts on the most—your volunteers. Likewise, when you’re calling volunteers to ask for their help, ensure that you haven’t phoned at a bad time. You probably can find people at home during the dinner hour, but calling at dinnertime can be an imposition on volunteers’ time with their families. When you call, determine if they are willing and able to talk. If not, arrange a mutually agreeable time to discuss your request.
When you call or meet with someone and pose a service opportunity, don’t conclude the conversation without trying to close the deal with the final ask: “Now that you understand the assignment, would you be willing to take it on?” Without this final component of a conversation, it is easy to walk away from a discussion thinking that someone has said “yes” when, in fact, they are still thinking about it, or even worse, not aware that you were hoping they would volunteer for the task. If you find out the person is not yet ready to commit, set a date and time when you can get back in touch.
In spite of your best efforts, not everyone will be available to volunteer when you need them. Their refusal doesn’t always mean they don’t want to volunteer at all. For some people, “no” is temporary situation; they may be available “next month” or “after the soccer season.” One way to determine if “no” is a short-term situation is to ask if you can call back next semester, or in a month or two. If each ask still generates a “no,” you may need to take this person off your prospects list. You don’t need to waste your time if this person never plans to volunteer.
As soon as a prospective volunteer has agreed to take on a task, you need to get back in touch with project manuals, guidelines, or other necessary information. If you don’t have materials or information to forward, then be sure you follow up to offer assistance or suggestions as needed.
The work PTAs do is vital to the health of our schools and the education of our children. For a PTA to become and remain healthy, its leadership must find ways to engage members and nonmembers alike in working to improve the educational environment for students. By recruiting volunteers, helping them succeed, and continuing to motivate their efforts, PTA leaders can ensure their units remain an effective and active voice for children, families, and education.
Sarah Jane Rehnborg, PhD, is associate director, RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service and Lecturer at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. She can be reached at rehnborg@mail.utexas.edu.
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