I volunteer for a number of organizations. This past year I was involved in my older daughter’s soccer and basketball parent organizations and I also volunteer for PTO events at the elementary school. Next year, I will be the President of the high school girl’s basketball parents association, so I am looking for ways that will make it easier for parents to volunteer. Here are five things that I think would make volunteering easier.
- Assign Specific Tasks. I found that I get more volunteers when they now exactly what they are volunteering for! Asking for volunteers without letting them know the tasks involved seems to garner a lower volunteer rate.
- Be Organized! Not only be organized, but make it look nice. When you pass around sign up sheets, type them up neatly and include all relevant information. Jooners.com has some great online signup sheets.
- Reminders. Everyone forgets occasionally. Send email reminders frequently.
- Have a Back Up Plan. There will always be times when someone has to cancel. Ask for volunteers for an emergency committee. Don’t make any one feel bad if they have to cancel.
- Be nice. I hate volunteering and then finding out that the organizers treat you like bad employees. I am giving up my time to help, please treat me with respect.
If you are lucky enough to have volunteers that all have email addresses and are willing to use an online tool, I would highly recommend Jooners.com. It is a great site to keep track of volunteers and tasks.
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