Book Fair School Fundraising Chair
Book Fairs are a great way to raise money for schools, get parents involved, and get kids excited about reading. Book fairs would not be possible without the support of teachers, parents, the school librarian and a parent coordinator to make sure everything runs smoothly. From ordering and setting up the books to greeting the children when they walk through the door, every detail needs to be figured out before hand. Today, our VolunteerSpotlight shines on Jill Herring, Book Fair Chairperson, East Side Elementary School, Marietta, GA.
Please tell us a little about yourself and your current role as a volunteer leader with the book fair.
I am the mother of two elementary aged children. I work part time from home and I am very involved at school. I have run the book fair at the school for three years now. It takes a lot of coordination, we usually have about 120 volunteers for the entire week!
How did you get interested in becoming a volunteer leader?
I have always been involved in many ways. I like to run projects, it is just what I do. I also like to know that whatever I spend my time doing, that I am making a difference in some way.
Where else do you volunteer?
I do a lot of volunteering at the school, but I am also very involved in my community and with the Fragile Kids Foundation.
What is it, specifically, that you need volunteers to do at the book fair?
We need people to help set up and merchandise the books, sales people, and cashiers. We also do a couple of special events where we need people to provide food and drinks. At the end of the book fair, we need people to help take everything down and get it ready to be shipped back.
What's one piece of advice you have for other volunteers organizers out there?
To inspire and motivate volunteers, I usually try to make sure people are informed about the project. I tell them specifically what they will be doing and who it will help. If they believe in the project then they will get their friends involved, too.
Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?
It was brought to our attention by a member of the PTA. I always had to assign a specific person to manage the volunteers, mostly by email. I saw the website and looked at the Demo. I believed that it would cut down on the amount of emails that would need to be sent and, if it worked the way it said it would, then it should be pretty easy. It did work and it was easy! It took me about 30 minutes to set up the whole week's schedule and a little longer to email all of my potential volunteers. After that I only had to answer a few emails from people who had specific questions or from those who wanted to volunteer but the times did not fit into the slots I had laid out. Everyone got their reminders and showed up on time. It all ran so smoothly that I did not need to assign anyone to manage the system. I was so excited about how it worked that I called the Rep at Scholastic (our book fair vendor) and suggested she share this with others in her company and with other Book Fair Chairpeople.
Anything else you would like to add?I highly recommend that you try VolunteerSpot if you have an event for which you need volunteers. It is quick and easy. I have plans to use the site for our Swim Team volunteers this summer and of course for the Book Fair again next year.
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We salute Jill and all the volunteer heroes out there everyday who help out at school and in the community. If you're using VolunteerSpot, write and tell us about what you're doing, and give us a chance to shine our Volunteer Spotlight on you!! Just email us at VS@volunteerspot.com.
Your interview was so insightful and helpful to me. My company does a lot of charity work and I had no idea about VolunteerSpot. I just discovered it through an organization that uses it and your interview caught my eye since I was just involved with an Easter Seals School Book Fair. Good Luck with yours, it sounds like you've got it well under control!
Posted by: Ilene Fine | February 02, 2010 at 10:41 PM