I’ve seen just as many stories about laid off or less busy employees now finally having time to volunteer as I have stories about financial struggles limiting opportunities to get involved. Five years ago when the economy was flying, there were plenty of stories about volunteerism in schools being down relative to decades earlier. I suspect it’s much more societal than it is economic. So many options for parents these days, so many demands on our time.
Solutions: the effective PTO doesn’t just long for the good old days but instead deals with reality and adapts. If (and I’m actually not even convinced this was true back then) 30 years ago, all the moms showed up to PTO meetings because they were supposed to, today most are only going to get involved if you make it attractive and fun and show them why it’s worthwhile to be involved. (We have some good resources on making your group more attractive here.)
And even while you’re getting attractive, you also need to get much more flexible. If the Tuesday night meeting at 7PM is your only entry point for involvement, then you’ve eliminated a big % of your parents from whom that time just doesn’t work. Can parents get involved even if they can never make a meeting? Do you have opportunities for those who want to or need to help only from home? We have resources on that challenge, as well.
My conclusion: yes, the economy makes everything more difficult. But stock market up or stock market down, the keys to growing your volunteer base is in how you reach out and how you work to make volunteering work for today’s moms and dads.
What are you seeing? Economy effecting your group? How?
