Have Trouble Getting Parents to Volunteer for School Events? What to Do

If you are in charge of the parents' group at your child's school and it's incredibly difficult for you to get volunteers for all the events, you may not be marketing the right way. Many parents would rather just send a check or donate an item for events, but there are still some that are willing to give their time if they have all the information. Here are a few things you can try in order to get the attention and cooperation of your parents.

Electronic Sign Up

Parents can easily browse through the list of signup options and commit to things when they have access to an electronic signup program for the events. These signups will send notifications to remind the parents a few days before the event of what they need to bring or what they volunteered for.

You can also create a calendar with all the events for the year so parents can browse the list while they're signing up. Some also allow parents to see what others have signed up for. If they see that their friends are going to be there, they may be more willing to sign up to help as well.

Post Cards

Parents can get a lot of paperwork home from school every night, and often the pieces get glanced at and tossed. Sending colorful and informative postcards to the parents is a great way to get their attention, and often it's cheaper than making a full page color print at a local copy store. The post cards can ask for volunteers and remind parents to send in items for charity events or to participate in an upcoming event. With postcards, your announcements won't get lost in the mix. Look for paper by Total Reproductions Inc to get started.

Social Media Accounts

Does the school have a social media account? If so, you may want a separate account for the parents' organization. This way parents can see when they are browsing their news feed that there is a movie night, that you are short meeting your quota on a charity event, or that you still need help with something. It's also a great way to share pictures and show how successful the events can be.

Use these different methods to try to get parents more involved and to get the help you need to make your parents' organization a success. Advertise your organization like a business so parents understand that cooperation is needed to make the group work.