Does your Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) have trouble getting volunteers for events and programs?
Do you find that it’s the same 5 or 10 parents pitching in each time and it’s a struggle to get new volunteers?
Unfortunately, this is a really common issue facing all volunteer organizations, not just PTA/PTO school parent groups.
But the good news is that there is a straightforward fix if you’re not getting the level of support from parents to make your PTO thrive.
Calling out PTO volunteer recruitment mistakes is what we’re getting into in today’s post!
So let’s dive in!
Not Getting Parents on Board with the PTO Goals and Vision
First, let’s talk about how things make be getting off track with regard to attracting and retaining PTO / PTA volunteers.
Because it’s knowing where the mistakes are being made is super important to know so you can begin growing your volunteer base.
A huge mistake that some PTO leaders make is that they aren’t looping in other PTO members, volunteers or school parents about the plans and goals of the PTO.
Even worse, they may not be even asking for help.
You see, PTO leaders can make the mistake of having a bit of tunnel vision.
They get in so deep into event planning that they fail to stop to make sure that others know what’s going on until it’s too late to ask for help.
They think that because they’re so busy planning all the things, others must see and understand what they’re working on.
I get it, and I’ve so been in this situation.
More than once I been so busy figuring out all the pieces, that I didn’t stop long enough to get some volunteers on board.
And then I’ve regretted it when I’m stuck doing all of the work.
I really do believe that a lot of parents don’t sign up to help with PTO events because they don’t know that volunteers are needed.
Or that they don’t know the event is even happening since packed PTO meeting rooms are more of the exception to the rule for most PTOs.
So don’t make the same mistake!
You know this already, but it’s worth a reminder… you aren’t the only one who can make the event, program, or fundraiser happen, so ask for help and get others involved.
Asking for Help Once
The next mistake PTO officers make when it comes to recruiting volunteers for PTO activities is that they’re only letting others know that they need help once.
All too often there’s one and only one “general call” for volunteers and that’s it.
To get parents’ attention, PTOs have to ask for help in a few different ways, not just one.
In addition to a blurb in the PTO newsletter, make sure there’s a post or two in the PTO Facebook group.
Plus a flyer that goes home at least 2 weeks before the event, along with sign up sheets posted on the PTO bulletin board at school, etc.
And maybe an announcement to students that the event can’t happen without their parent’s help.
Even more may have to be done to let parents and PTO members know about the volunteers needs, depending on the level of help you need.
For 21 ideas on how to publicize events, check out this post to make sure you’re taking advantage of all of the many lines of communication available to you as a PTO.
The really fabulous thing is that all of the publicity methods are free, except for the time involved.
Asking for Volunteers Last Minute
A third common mistake is that volunteers are asked last minute to help, when the PTO organizer is in panic mode.
Asking late is disrespectful to parents and volunteers and it gives the impression that the group is generally disorganized.
Who wants to be involved with a group that’s a disorganized, hot mess?
No one!
Prime your parents for involvement by letting them know what’s coming up for your PTO.
Sharing a PTO calendar with the entire school community is an easy way to make that happen.
Not Sharing Enough Details
The last mistake I’ll highlight in this post that is often made when seeking out volunteers is that the details of the volunteer request aren’t communicated very well.
And by this I mean that parents don’t actually know if they can volunteer because there’s not enough information provided at the time the request for help is made.
Too often, parents are only seeing “We need help at Carnival. Contact Danielle if you can volunteer.”
How the heck are parents supposed to know what they’re getting into?
Whenever you’re looking for volunteers, you have to communicate not only that you need help, but what type of help and when and where and for how long help is needed.
All the details.
Can kids come or do volunteers need to get child care?
What’s the exact time frame helpers are needed?
Most parents will run like the wind from volunteer requests that are too open ended because they don’t have a clue what they’re singing up to help with.
The reality is that the a heck of a lot of parents don’t volunteer because they fear getting sucked down into the PTO black hole.
Inside the black hole is a never ending list of things that need to be done that they can’t fathom handling.
And to avoid that bad possibility, they don’t step up to volunteer entirely, meaning your group loses out on potential helpers.
Want a done for you roadmap for effective parent communication and volunteer recruitment?
Check out the Parent Involvement Success Kit!
The Biggest Mistake of All: Volun-telling
The number one mistake PTOs make when recruiting new volunteers is volun-telling others for tasks.
What’s volun-telling?
It’s when someone else signs a volunteer up to do something they never actually signed up to do.
The assumption is being made that the volunteer is willing to do the task, but no one has bothered to check with them first.
Plain and simple, it’s a morale killer.
It makes people feel like they’re not appreciated!
Who wants to help an organization that treats them this way?
If your group has a habit of volun-telling people, then that’s much of your problem of why you have a small or non-existent volunteer base.
Honestly, how would you feel if someone let you know that you sure were missed at last night’s PTO meeting, but that didn’t stop you from being in charge of Carnival!
Crappy and walked all over.
And those are real good motivators, right?
A Real Life Example of Being Volun-Told
Before my kids were even enrolled in school, I had a friend named Tammy, with a son a few years older than my own.
Tammy and I met through a Pre-School Co-op.
We chatted pretty much daily because the Co-op was such a hot mess, but we became friends instantly and she would share the details of her life with me frequently.
One day she was telling me all about the PTO at her son’s elementary school.
She was pretty involved, wasn’t able to attend one of the recent meetings.
Much to her surprise, she found out after the fact that she’d been “volunteered” to make cupcakes for her son’s class.
She was livid, especially since she wasn’t a baker, and her son had just been diagnosed with a gluten allergy.
She had no plans on bringing wheat into her home, so making cupcakes for the class wasn’t on her to do list.
What’s more, Tammy felt like the PTO members took her for granted.
She had taken the time to let them know she couldn’t be at the meeting, and they could’ve at least checked with her to see if she wanted or had time to bake the cupcakes.
She ended up making the cupcakes because she didn’t want to look like a jerk.
But she wasn’t happy about it at all and it turned her off from helping out with PTO events going forward.
What a huge miscalculation this PTO made!
Yes, the cupcakes got made, but they lost a dependable volunteer in the process!
Instead of Volunteering Others, Do This
The thing is that this mistake is actually super easy to avoid making in the first place.
Have the common courtesy to ask someone if they can handle a task or jobin private.
And once you have them on board, then and only then make it public knowledge.
Not hard at all.
Take a bit of pre-planning and thinking.
I really hate to see people called out during PTO meetings (“Hey Suzy, wanna be President next year?”).
Instead, check with them privately, so they won’t feel the peer pressure to say yes.
The last thing you want is for volunteers to feel goaded into helping, when they don’t have the time or skillset to complete the task well.
And that’s just how healthy organizations work!
Once you quit volunteering parents for tasks they didn’t actually sign up to do, you’ll see a big difference in your volunteer base!
How to Start Recruiting Volunteer Effectively
Ok, now for some solutions!
Feel free to steal my method for getting parents’ attention so that there’s enough helpers for your next school program, fundraiser or event.
This tip involves putting yourself out there and making strategic asks for help..
I go above and beyond the general “all call” to get volunteers.
In fact, my secret weapon that works just about every time!
And that’s to personally ask parents to get involved.
When I was first involved in PTA, none of my other friends were on board with helping out.
For whatever reason, they just weren’t into it.
But I kept after them and asked my friends to get involved in different ways.
I would let them know that we were in it together.
Sometimes, one of us would watch all the kids, leaving the other two to do hands on volunteer tasks.
Fast forward a few years and pretty much all of my friends were involved in the PTO, one even served as President for two different PTOs.
I truly believe it’s due to the fact that I kept asking them to get involved.
I didn’t just ask once and never more.
I asked them to get involved by just coming to a PTO meeting.
And then when they came, I made sure it was a good experience!
From there, they really took it upon themselves to get involved because they saw all the fun things the PTO had going on and they wanted to be sure the fun happened!
Recommended Resources
Stop struggling to recruit PTO members.
Get results with the Parent Involvement Success Kit.
This comprehensive toolkit provides everything you need to attract, recruit, and engage families effectively.
Forget generic flyers; we’re talking customizable action plans, proven engagement strategies, and ready-to-use templates for welcome packets, back-to-school information, and new member orientation.
Streamline your membership drive, build a strong parent community, and make a real difference in your school.
Get organized, get results.
Watch this!
Give this video a watch if you want even more help with this getting more volunteers for your PTO and for school events:
Over to you!
Hope this post has helped uncover some reasons why recruiting new PTO volunteers is tough and the ideas and solutions sparked some inspiration for change.
Having enough volunteers is key to preventing volunteer and leader burnout and is an essential part of a healthy and dynamic PTO.
Resources for Easier PTO Volunteer Recruitment
Stop struggling to recruit PTO members.
Get results with the Parent Involvement Success Kit.
This comprehensive toolkit provides everything you need to attract, recruit, and engage families effectively.
Forget generic flyers; we’re talking customizable action plans, proven engagement strategies, and ready-to-use templates for welcome packets, back-to-school information, and new member orientation.
Streamline your membership drive, build a strong parent community, and make a real difference in your school.
Get organized, get results.
Picture this: you, the PTO/PTA President, taking charge like a boss, armed with a treasure trove of resources that will make everyone else wondering exactly how you manage it.
Your secret weapon? The President’s Success Kit!
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