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Back to School | A Tale of Two Women

This is a tale of two women - both are busy moms, both are volunteering to help organize the school fundraiser. 

Mom number 1 dives in head first

She starts out by increasing the minutes on her phone plan before school starts because she’s planning on making hundreds of calls (and follow-up reminders).  She has a magic touch with the copier and can juggle 20 clipboards with long-hand signup sheets (all with minimal paper cuts).  Despite looking totally frazzled for all of September, she has a good-natured demeanor that makes her seem less cruel as she begs parents to stop hitting “reply-all” when answering her email call for volunteers.   
 

Mom number 2 is a little more… hesitant

She wanted to help in the past, but was always too scared of the overwhelming time commitment.  She fears her “flaky” reputation and vows that this is the year she WILL help out. She agreed to help with the school fundraiser and has been given the task of organizing parent volunteers.  Dreading the thought of late-night phone calls, reply-all emails, and squinting to make out names on multiple hand written clipboard sign ups, she KNOWS there must be an easier way.

NEW in the AppStore: iPad Clipboard by VolunteerSpot

She Googles.

She SCORES!!

Enter VolunteerSpot … the free online sign up sheet and volunteer coordinating tool—saving  the sanity of  volunteer groups, big and small, around the nation!

She sets up the fundraiser shifts and tasks in an online calendar with a single bound! She invites volunteers to sign up via an email link, and wait, what? That’s it? 

She second guesses herself…  Hold on, it can’t be this easy.  She checks her VolunteerSpot activity online and parents are already filling the spots – she has their name, email and phone number, and she knows they’ll get an email reminder two days before the event.  So what does she do next?  She grabs a roster of current volunteers, prints a schedule of the current sign ups, and high fives herself!

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We laugh, we empathize, and we raise our chocolate milk cartons to both women – power moms, super volunteers, wonder women. 

Which woman would you rather be?
VolunteerSpot is here to make YOUR school volunteer coordination easier. Give it a try. We’ll be there to high-five you when you do!

 

Photo courtesy of BigStockPhoto

Teacher Tip for Parents: Be Honest

Back to School Advice

Teacher, Suzy Brooks, of Falmouth, MA Public School Blogs is imparting wisdom for parents everywhere with kids heading back to school this year.  Constructive, poignant and universal, Suzy's tip will make you think and will inspire your relationship with your kids and their teacher for the entire year to come.  Read an excerpt of Suzy's tip below and the entire piece here.

My earth-shattering advice to parents?

Be honest.

Yes.  I said it.  Be honest.

Be helpfully honest with your children, their teachers, and yourself.

Not brutal, insensitive, careless honesty.  The message of honesty is lost when one is hurt or hurtful.

Not evasive honesty.  Specific honesty is necessary for growth.

Not end-of-the-year honesty.  If the message comes too late, change is nearly impossible.

Not mistargeted honesty.  Giving an honest message to the wrong person doesn’t help.

Share your honest, constructive, helpful ideas and feedback, so that we can all work together to make this year an amazing one.

Please be honest with your children.  Every student, in every classroom, has something which needs improving. Whether that “something” is fluency, or penmanship, or math, or behavior, or motivation, or maintaining attention, or appropriate socialization…. it doesn’t matter.  Be honest about their strengths, so they can use them as a foundation to build on. Be honest with your child about what he or she needs to work on.  Be honest about the fact that everyone struggles in some ways, and succeed in others.  Be honest when the work gets hard – let your child know that work IS hard and give them strategies to accomplish their goals!

Be honest with teachers.  I can say, as a teacher, each year I focus a lot of energy on becoming a stronger, more effective teacher.  I develop my own skills and build my knowledge base so I can better meet the needs of my new little friends.  Honest parents help make that job easier by letting me get to know them and their children.  If your family is struggling at homework time, tell me – I’d love to help!  If your child is coming home, or heading to school in tears, please tell me – we’ll work together to develop ideas to change that.  If you’ve lost the lunch menu for the third time, or forgot that the permission slip was due, or left the backpack at the babysitters, let me know.  We’ll have a good laugh and figure out a solution together.  We both have the same goal in mind – a positive, successful year for your child.  Honest communication will help us achieve that goal together.

 Read Suzy's Entire Piece on Her Blog

 

Suzy Brooks is a 3rd grade teacher in Falmouth, MA, where she strives to make strong, positive connections with her students, their families, and her colleagues. Suzy has been invited to present for MASSCUE, EdTechTeacher.com and dozens of regional and district workshops. Participants leave her sessions with a sharp focus on students and an inspired attitude towards technology. Regionally recognized as a teacher leader, Suzy was honored with the 2011 MassCUE Pathfinder Award, is a FableVision Ambassador and Discovery Educator Network STAR. Additionally, she serves on the Massachusetts ASCD Board of Directors. Visit her classroom blog at http://blogs.falmouth.k12.ma.us/simplysuzy.

I'm Signing Up | Room Mom Edition

Back to School | Cheers and Fears

Nellie of TheThirdBoob.com is excited for her kids to be back in school - but at the same time she's feeling all those things parents feel when it comes to signing up to help in the classroom: hesitation, guilt, and a little fear. Read an excerpt of Genelle's inspiring post below and find it in it's entirety here.

don't get me wrong, i want to help out in my children's education. i've sent in extra school supplies, party supplies, pretty much any supplies asked for. i try to chaperone one field trip a year. i write checks on what feels like a daily basis. i'll even cut out projects for the kindergarten classes. still, i've never had any commitment beyond what i can accomplish generally within the walls of my home.

this year is much the same. i have two little people at home who are my built in excuse. having a two year old and a six month old in tow is somehow frowned upon when heading in to volunteer in the classroom (can't imagine why). still, this year i'm somehow compelled to try to do more. i think there must be something wrong with me. maybe it's the sadness over sending three of my kids off this year (*see the party reference above...i'm clearly not that upset by it). maybe i just feel guilty that i haven't signed up for anything like it before. maybe i just want my kids to know i've got their backs. 

regardless, this year i'm checking the "room mom" slot. i'm not sure if i'll get it. maybe there's a lot of competition out there for room mom. i have no idea. this is uncharted territory for me. still, i think i can handle it. 

 

Read all of the post over on TheThirdBoob.com

Follow TheThirdBoob on Facebook and Twitter

 

How to Get Involved at School | Parenting Monday

9 Ways to Show Support for Your Kids School

By: Paula Spencer (This post originally appeared on Parenting.com)

Not really into baking cupcakes? Some other ways you can be active at your child's school:

1.  Spruce up the grounds. If you like being outdoors, volunteer to spread wood chips, plant a tree, or pick up trash.

2.  Speak to the class about your job or hobby. Keep it short and bring visuals and small projects for the kids to do. Or book a guest speaker.

3.  Organize an event. Just one is a big help to the teacher or PTA president  -- and you'll feel better about saying no next time.

4.  Help the teacher decorate and dismantle. It's a big behind-the-scenes job to get the classroom looking so good for holidays (not to mention taking it all down afterward). Offer your help now.

5.  Go high tech. Put together the class phone and e-mail list, or help the teacher set up a website so she can display the kids' artwork online.

Related: Hot Homework Sites

7.  Go low tech. Make phone calls to help arrange a class field trip, or see if you can make a supply run before a party or an event.

8.  Share your video. Did you get some great shots of the fall concert? Less technically inclined parents will love to have copies of the footage.

9.  Just go. Even if you're not the organizer, you can still help out by attending the events.

Want to change your school? Check out the Mom Congress initiative, a brand-new program to help moms connect and advocate for positive change in their children's education.

Post Courtesy Of

 

 

Habitat for Humanity Volunteer Management: Dennis Olander, Twin Cities

The mission of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity is to eliminate poverty housing from the Twin Cities and to make decent, affordable shelter for all people a matter of conscience.

Their Vision: 

"We see a Twin Cities region where hard-working families can own homes in healthy neighborhoods with access to jobs, transportation, and quality schools. We will help make decent, affordable housing a matter of our collective character - by continuing to build and preserve homes, by supporting families, and by engaging the community in our mission."

Today, our spotlight shines on Dennis Olander, who uses VolunteerSpot's online signup sheets to manage the volunteers who work with Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity. 

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Please tell us about your organization and your volunteer needs. 
We are about 100 3M Company retirees that are in our 17th year of partnering with Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity to build decent affordable quality housing in the eastern part of metropolitan St. Paul, MN.  We have 15 to 36 volunteers per day during our 18 week work camp from April 30th to September 28th.  During the work camp we schedule five days per week.  We need one volunteer to pick up donated coffee and pastries and another to be site host.  Generally these two positions also work as construction volunteers along with the rest of the day’s volunteers.

Explain how you use VolunteerSpot to coordinate these volunteers.

We notified all our volunteers by email about VolunteerSpot and how to use it.   The response has been quite positive.  They found it easy to use and they like the ability to change their sign-ups anytime.  We are limited to 36 volunteers per day so we find VolunteerSpot very helpful because it prevents oversubscribing and confusion.   Also, the reminder emails to the volunteers are quite helpful.  We used to call each week to remind the volunteers.  Now it’s automatic.  Love it!  The automatically generated notices to the administrator of late cancellations are great to be able to let the construction coordinator know who won’t be showing up.

What’s one piece of advice you have for volunteers or their leaders out there?

Use Volunteer Spot.

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

It fit our needs, and we tested it and found it easy to use.

Anything else you’d like our readers to know about your organization or volunteering?

Since volunteers aren’t paid, they don’t really want to have hassles with paper work.  In our case, they want to get to the jobsite and build a house.

Check out Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity at work in this inspiring video!
To date 111 volunteers  have contributed 1437 days to the project. 

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 We salute Denny and all the other volunteer leaders out there making a difference in our communities. 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 [email protected].

I'm Signing Up to Help

Coordinating Volunteers in School and Beyond

Lucinda “Cindy” Watrous of It'sFoodtastic.com is signing up (and saving time with VolunteerSpot)! Even when time is tight and schedules full, Cindy reminds us there is always a way to organize and do GOOD for the schools and groups in your life.  Read an excerpt of Cindy's post below and the entire piece over on her site.

With a new school year upon us, it’s the perfect time for me to speak about how important it is to be involved in your child’s school whenever and wherever possible. We know it’s hard, especially if you have children at different stages of the game, but VolunteerSpot is a wonderful tool that allows schools and parents to easily open the lines of communication to plan anything from fundraisers to Fall Festivals, and various other PTO/PTA events. Instead of sending notes back and forth from classroom to parent, teachers/administrators can easily setup events and needs online, and share the information with the parents, where parents can login and sign up to help.

My favorite thing about VolunteerSpot is not only can it make life easier on our teachers and school system, but it can also be used for so many other things. The possibilities are nearly endless. If you know me, I’m a bit of a planning/to-do list freak, and I thrive on organization.  Here are some other ways I would use VolunteerSpot to coordinate with groups of people:

• Block parties/pot lucks: Who’s bringing what? How much do you need?
• New Baby: New parents are tired and need help. Coordinate who’s going to help with chores, who’s going to bring home cooked meals to share, and more.
• Get Well Soon: Have a neighbor who is sick or recovering from surgery? Coordinate with friends and family to make sure they have everything they need!

Read Cindy's Entire Post

 

Post Image Courtesy of BigStockPhoto

Back to School | Teacher Tip

Helping Children Get Back Into "School Mode"

By: Steve Reifman of SteveReifman.com

This week's teacher tip is all about best practices for getting kids back into "school mode" so the transition is welcomed and still exciting.  Check out Steve's tip via video below and read his post here.

And don't miss Steve's additional resources for teachers preparing for the best school year they can have for their students.

1) The First 10 Minutes: A Classroom Morning Routine that Reaches and Teaches the Whole Child

A consistent, effective morning routine sets the tone for the upcoming school day and prepares students for high quality learning. In this book Steve describes a three-part routine that reaches and teaches the whole child.

Part 1 introduces the morning check-in, an activity that addresses the affective domain by building a sense of inclusion and mutual caring, strengthening teamwork, increasing class bonding, and helping each child feel acknowledged and valued.

Part 2 features three types of class discussions that focus on moral and character development and emphasize strong work habits and social skills.  The goals of these brief conversations are to inspire children to maximize their amazing potential, build a sense of purpose, and increase student motivation to learn and succeed.

Part 3 adds a physical component to this routine that both energizes and de-stresses children to help them achieve an ideal mindset for academic learning. After completing this warm-up routine, students will be calm, relaxed, focused, and confident.  (23 pages)

2) The First 30 Days: Start Your School Year With Four Priorities in Mind

Giving the following priorities the time and emphasis they deserve in the beginning of each school year pays big dividends for you, your students, and their families. In this book Steve brings these priorities to life with a wide variety of activities, strategies, suggestions, and sample pages.

1. Establish procedures, routines, and expectations so students know how to function efficiently and effectively in your classroom. Keep this training period going until performing these routines and procedures becomes second nature for students. Generally, 4-6 weeks will be sufficient.
2. Build a cooperative classroom culture through icebreaking and team-building activities so students feel safe and comfortable and see one another as friends and assets, not rivals.
3. Establish a sense of purpose in your class so students understand why it is important to come to school each day and work hard. Children who understand the many purposes of their learning will behave better, work with greater motivation and enthusiasm, and find greater meaning in their work.
4. Communicate with your students’ families about the new year. Build a sense of excitement, optimism, and possibility as you share your plans  for the coming months. Be proactive. Doing so gives you the opportunity to package your ideas and articulate them in the best possible light. Proactivity increases your credibility, strengthens your voice, and reaffirms your position of leadership. 

   (40 pages)

About the Author: 

Steve Reifman is a National Board Certified elementary school teacher, author, and speaker in Santa Monica, CA. He has written several books for educators and parents, including Changing Kids’ Lives One Quote at a Time and Eight Essentials for Empowered Teaching and Learning, K-8. Steve is also the creator of the Chase Manning Mystery Series for kids 8-12. Each book in the series features a single-day, real-time thriller that occurs on an elementary school campus. For weekly Teaching Tips, blog posts, and other valuable resources and strategies on teaching the whole child, visit http://stevereifman.com. Follow Steve on Twitter!

 

Back to School Volunteering | I'm Signing Up

Where You Can, When You Can, With What You Have

Fawn Rechkemmer of InsteadOfTheDishes.com is signing up "for whatever" this school year!  You'll sigh audibly, commiserate and laugh outloud with Fawn - check out an excerpt from this must-read back to school post and read it in its entirety here.

But, volunteering is hard. Not because the work is hard. We can all pitch in in one way or another, and while working the “fishing for grab bags” booth at the school fair may not exactly be tapping your special talents, someone’s got to do it. It’s hard because schools often run on a lot of tradition, and it takes some time to learn your way around, and there are teachers/parents/school board members with different ideas that don’t always jive, and because there’s no good way to keep peanut and egg allergies straight.

Last year I somehow accidentally ended up being room mom for both my kids’ classrooms. At two different schools. With one class being at a school that we had never attended before. Where the PTA president announced at the first PTA meeting, “we’re glad to see some new faces here, because we’re all tired.”

Luckily, that school implemented the use of a great website called VolunteerSpot. VolunteerSpot is free to use and basically works like an online volunteer signup sheet.  It allows schools and other organizations to schedule volunteer needs in a calendar format with details on what exactly is needed at what time.  Then, volunteers can sign into the calendar to claim these specific jobs.  I loved using this system, as it allowed me to take on tasks that were manageable for me. I didn’t have to attend the PTA meetings – which didn’t fit into my schedule – I could just log on and see what needed to be done. When there was something that I couldn’t do, I didn’t have to say the dreaded “NO” word.  I just didn’t sign up.

Decisions, decisions…

We find ourselves at two entirely new-to-us schools again this fall. So, this year I’m signing up to be the Whatever.

In a restaurant setting, the Whatever is the person that fills in the holes.  Need salads made?  I’ll make salad. Dirty tables? I’ll bus them. That burger is missing it’s condiments!  Here. Let me help you ketchup.  In the school setting, it’s much the same.  I’m willing to do just about whatever is needed.  Just don’t put me in charge of anything.  Don’t make me lead the way. Give me a job and I’ll do it.  Give me a year to learn, to see how things work, to know who is who.  My goals this year are to help the school, take any weight off of the teachers that I can, and show my kids why it’s important to lend a hand.  I also hope to meet some new friends.

Read Fawn's Entire Post

Find Fawn on Facebook and Twitter

Symbaloo – Instant Productivity for Students, Teachers & Parents

Education Technology | SymbalooEDU 

At VolunteerSpot, we’re all about saving time, getting organized and making it easier to get important stuff done! That’s why when we met the good folks at Symbaloo, we wanted to share their productivity tool with you. Please read on from Kimmie Chann of Symbaloo.

Hi VolunteerSpot users! We are so excited to partner up with VolunteerSpot this coming school year! They have kindly asked us to share a little more about SymbalooEDU and how it can help prepare you and your families for the new school year!

SymbalooEDU is a great way to organize and share the best of the web with your student. Working with SymbalooEDU in the new school year will help your students get organized and prepared by having all of their important online resources available at their fingertips. Not only is it great for our kids, but for teachers and parents as well. With SymbalooEDU your online bookmarks are saved in the cloud. That means you have access to them from any Mac, PC, tablet, iPad and mobile phone.

         

Below are some key features of SymbalooEDU:

Key Features

• Super-fast access to your online websites and resources.
• Synchronization of bookmarks on all devices..
• Share a link via email or social media profiles.
• Read the news easily (RSS reader).
• Customizable by adding your own backgrounds, sites and RSS feeds.

Here is an example from an enthusiastic 7th grade student who is currently using it:

Visit SymbalooEDU and get started now!      

 

  Kimmie Chann Community Director
@Symbaloo
@SymbalooEDU
Facebook.com/Symbaloo 

 

Back to School | I'm Signing Up

Back-to-School Jitters and Track & Field

What are you signing up for this back to school season?  We're asking the BIG question and getting heartfelt and intriguing responses from top bloggers and school parent volunteers from around the country.  Check out this week's posts from Natasha Nicholes of HousefulofNicholes.com  and Jen Christiansen of CookieAthlete.com - beautiful mothers and writers whose perspectives reflect the universal hesitation and excitement of back to school time.

     Natasha Nicholes of HousefulofNicholes.com has got the back to school jitters but she's keeping it in balance as she juggles her kids getting older and prioritizing being an active school parent.

I’m anticipating great things this year, including more organization on MY part. Yes, you read that right. I need to get my menu planning, and grocery shopping, and Box Tops collecting, and paper area more organized. Of course the word “need” means that I have yet to do it. Hopefully by the time fall break comes around, I’ll be better. I’m just going to keep my fingers crossed.

This year, I also have my volunteer priorities better organized. One huge binder for Box Tops for Education, and another for all of the other fundraising campaigns that I lead. I’m ready for it! While I was at Type A, I was reinforced about a volunteer scheduling tool that I learned about through PTO Today called Volunteer Spot. I can’t WAIT to use it to get a better handle on parents coming through for things!

What have you done to prepare for back to school? Share some of your wisdom with my houseful!

 Read all of Natasha's "I'm Signing Up" Post

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     Jen Christiansen of CookieAthlete.com is signing up for Track and Field Day!  Check out her humurous and inquisitive take on finding her place in helping out where she's comfortable and can do the most good.

This year I’m signing up to help with Track and Field Day and here’s why.

I learned that it takes a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering to use the copy machine, and I studied artsy stuff in school. Those machines also require patients that rival His Holiness The Dalai Lama. Copy Mom just ain’t me. I have to leave that job to the technical and/or patient folks.

PTO, yeah that requires interacting with adult people…on a regular basis! Again—not my strong suit.

I know they need parents to help administer standardized tests, but since I don’t really believe in exactness and stringent rules that one isn’t really a match either. “You may pick up your pencil NOW!” “And STOP!” I think the military is more lax.

There’s cafeteria crew, but the smell gets me every time.

And I think you have to be smart to qualify for math helper.

So where can an olfactory challenged, slacker parent with no social skills who does math on her fingers help out around the school? Don’t worry, I found my comfort zone outside (and your kids won’t be negatively affect by my volunteering.)

I choose to help with Track and Field Day because to quote Ralphie from The Simpsons, “That’s where I’m a Viking!”

I remember living for Track and Field Day. I remember winning the long jump and the high jump every year. (Which may or may not have had something to do with the fact that I was always the tallest kid.) For a kid who was spends her time in the lowest reading group, finally winning something felt awesome. That’s why I help with Track and Field Day. I want every kid to win sometimes.

Read all of Jen's "I'm Signing Up" Post

 

Back to School | Teacher Tip

Ever wanted to read your teacher's mind?  Wish you had a direct line to what they really wanted or needed from you as their student's parent?  Well we're reading YOUR mind this back to school season and bringing you tips from top teacher bloggers across the country!

Check out an excerpt of our first "tip" from teacher and educational blogger, Dave Guymon of MrGuymonsClassroom:

Now, when I, as a teacher, am asked how parents can best support my classroom efforts there is no sarcasm in my response; Ensure that your child is in class every day.

Duh! That seems obvious, or does it? When I was a student, collecting make-up work from days missed was satisfactory. Complete it by tomorrow, and turn it into the teacher. As long as it was on time I would get full credit. I mastered the three Rs just like everyone else. That was in a 20th-Century classroom. In a 21st-Century classroom, the three Rs aren't all that students miss. Equally important, are the 4 Cs.

Collaboration, communication, creation, and critical thinking are elements of a new millenium classroom that cannot be replicated with make-up work. They are social skills, and education has become social. The learner is no longer isolated with his or her work as I was in my schooling. With the rise in social networking, Web 2.0 technology, collaborative platforms, and problem-based learning, being present in the classroom is imperative to a successful learning experience. Information that is consolidated into stand alone textbooks or worksheets is insufficient. Authentic education has now become crowdsourced. When the whole of the crowd is not present, the quality of learning is diminished.

Read the rest of Dave's Teacher Tip

Dave Guymon is a connected 6th grade teacher in a disconnected district in Idaho. After reading about the importance of developing a professional learning network on Twitter, his love of connecting with other professionals has continued to grow. As a result, he has become an active educational blogger and social networking professional development presenter.
Follow him on Twitter!

Stay tuned for more "teacher tips" that will provide insight and inspiration for your child's learning environment, both at school and at home!

Pinterest for Your PTA & PTO

Social Media for Schools

The trending social outlet, Pinterest, is a source of inspiration and creativity when it comes to everything from planning a wedding to writing a cookbook - have you ever thought about making it work for your school parent group?

Create boards based on the interests of your school community and pin images that can inspire learning, get more parents involved, and publicize your school events! Some Pinterest board ideas include:

Grades K- 5     

Educational Websites (math, reading, science)
Teacher Appreciation Ideas
Fun Things to Do with Kids in our Town
Local Businesses who Support our School
Healthy Snacks & Dinners
Class Party Ideas

Spirit Wear

School Carnival Games

 

 Grades 6 – 12

Scholarships & Grants
Books Teens Love
Rec/Youth Sports Clubs
Prom Fashions
Educational Apps
Student Volunteer Opportunities
Student Discounts Around Town

From setting up boards to pin ideas and sharing strategies, we have Pinterest covered for your PTA or PTO! Check out our slideshow from the 2012 Texas Summer Leadership Conference:

Pinterest for Your PTA from VolunteerSpot

More Helpful Articles and How-Tos for PTA & PTO Leaders:

• 8 Pins to Promote Your School Auction
• Activate the Parent Community at Your School with Social Media
• Facebook Power Tips for School-Parent Leaders
• Twitter Tips for Savvy Schools and PTAs
• Boost your Fall Fundraiser with Social Media
• 5 Steps to Getting Volunteers Active in Social Media

Back To School | "I'm Signing Up"

How are you planning to help out at your child's school this year?  What are you signing up for and why?  Whether you're chairing the annual school fundraiser, running the PTA, reading in the classroom, or simply making sure kids are nourished and prepare for school daily, chances are you're "signing up" for something this back to school season.

Join us in celebrating parents who sign up
to help out and be engaged in school!

For five weeks, we are joining with top bloggers and school parent volunteers to spread the joy of back-to-school by signing up to help.  With the "I'm Signing Up" campaign, bloggers and parents will be sharing their unique perspectives of how they plan to help out in their children's schools and why.

Nicole Hempeck of MomentsThatDefineLife.com starts us off in style with a beautiful post about having her littlest ones head of the preschool and being able to sign up once more to help in her oldest daughter's school!

This year, I’m getting back on track and I’m signing up to give back to my schools because I am able.

Now, some of you may be saying to yourself – “I don’t have the luxury of not working and volunteering in the classroom” – well what I say to that is, we teachers actually don’t wantthat many parents in our classrooms anyway. What we do want  is supply donations for kids in need. What we would love is for you to watch your kids homework closely and to consistently be supportive – especially if they are struggling – even when you are tired from your work day. What you can do is “sign up” to be engaged in whatever way works for you and your family. Whether you are simply supporting your PTA with a vote on school initiatives or communicating with your child’s teacher promptly so she can move forward with meeting their individual needs – “sign up” to engage in your child’s school.

Read all of Nicoles "I'm Signing Up" Post

We are looking forward to sharing an intriguing array of perspectives and insight from school parent volunteers and top bloggers - see who is signing up for back to school time with many more to come!

Natasha Nicholes of Houseful of Nicholes

Cindy Watrous of It's Foodtastic

Daria Giron of Mom in Management

Jennifer Quillen of The Rebel Chick

Jennifer Rees of Big Binder

Deirdre Smith of JDaniel4's Mom

Connie Roberts of Brain Foggles

Tricia Oakes of Southern Spark

Tausha Hoyt of Sassy Style Redesign

Ashley Taylor of The Dose of Reality

Angie Kinghorn of AngieKinghorn.com

 Follow the #imsigningup campaign on twitter and don't forget to enter to win an iPad for you and $500 for your school!

Volunteer Management Software | Art Docents

Volunteer Spotlight: Amanda Kepner, Volunteer Coordinator, Columbus Museum of Art

The mission of the Columbus Museum of Art  is to create great experiences with great art for everyone. Whether  presenting an exhibition, designing an art-making activity, serving a lunch, or giving directions to a visitor, they are guided by a belief in advocacy, quality, community, integrity, and creativity. CMA believes that art speaks to each and every one of us in different ways. Art inspires. Art challenges. Art thinks.

Approximately 200,000 people tour the Museum each year, many participating in programs designed for diverse audiences from school children to scholars. 

Today, our VolunteerSpotlight shines on Amanda Kepner, who uses VolunteerSpot's free online signup sheets to organize the many Art Docents who lead groups through the museum all year long.

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 Please tell us about your organization and your volunteer needs. 

The Columbus Museum of Art is a midsized art museum in Columbus, Ohio. We have several large and devoted volunteer groups including a corps of over 120 docents (volunteer tour facilitators.) The docents provide tours to over 15,000 visitors throughout the year from student and adult groups, to public walk-in tours, to roaming the galleries. They are vital to fulfilling our mission of providing Great Experiences with Great Art for Everyone.

How do you use VolunteerSpot to coordinate these volunteers?

We recently decided to use VolunteerSpot to schedule the docents for all the experiences they provide. Until now, the scheduling process has been quite complicated. Each docent is assigned a day-of-the-week team. If someone needs time off,  that person must complete and submit a form. Then two docents would use paper copies of an entire month to fit everyone into tours like a puzzle, trying to distribute people evenly and cover all the needed slots. Now I can just put our tours into the VolunteerSpot calendar and each docent can schedule him/herself just by opening up their day and clicking a button! They have more control over the type and quantity of tours they give. Best of all – if we need extra people to cover a large tour they can just find it on the calendar and sign up – no more long email chains and separate lists.

What’s one piece of advice you have for volunteers or their leaders out there?

Always keep your mission in mind. You are a volunteer or manage volunteers because you are dedicated to a cause and have important work to do. If that means you have to adopt something new or take a risk to better achieve that mission you need to go for it.

Also, be very respectful your volunteers’ time. It is incredibly valuable to you and to them, treat it as such.

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

#1 – Everyone is at a different level technologically. This system seemed easy to use no matter what your skill level.

#2 Point and click sign up. No fuss.

#3 Automatic email reminders when you sign up.

#4 It is very easy for the administrator to set up individual and repeating needs.

Anything else you’d like our readers to know about your organization or volunteering?

We have many great volunteer opportunities at the Columbus Museum of Art. It is a wonderful place to give your time; visit our website to learn more.

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We salute Amanda and all the other volunteer leaders out there making a difference. 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 [email protected].

School Auction Ideas | Pinterest

8 Pinterest Shots to Get Parents Excited About the School Auction

By: Sherry Truhlar of RedAppleAuctions

Pinterest is a fun way to share your life through photos.  Many Moms have found that it’s easy to post content onto Pinterest and let the snapshot tell the story.

For Moms working on the school auction, consider these easy ways to share your school auction, as seen through your camera’s lens.

Watch this Blog Post!

1.  Showcase your volunteers.  Snap a photo of volunteers working, like painting the backdrop canvases that will be stationed around the room, or stuffing invitations into envelopes.

2.  Highlight a way-cool item that you know will get guests salivating.

3.  Show where the money will go.  If money raised from your school auction will re-grade the football field, show the existing problems in the field.  If it goes towards scholarships, show the students studying in the library.

4.  Take me on the journey as you transform your venue.  If the auction will be held in the school gym, let me see bleachers being moved away to make way for silent auction tables.  Let me see the décor committee setting up the props.

5.  Share a special moment from last year’s event, like an excited bidder wildly waving her bid card or three friends laughing around the silent auction table.

6.  Are you honoring anyone?  Is there a key person who needs to be seen in your photos?  Put his or her photo on your site!  At one of my school auctions, the Pastor was always an integral part of the gala.  One year he agreed to cut off his ponytail at the end of the auction, if a certain amount of money had been raised.  Posting a photo of him receiving his end-of-gala haircut would draw traffic.

7.  Got a theme?  Showcase it!  Take shots of the centerpieces, the décor, or whatever else conveys the theme.

8.  Take a photo of the auction invitation and put it on your Pinterest site.  Include a website beneath the photo that tells guests where to go for more information or to buy tickets.

You might have already found other ways to use Pinterest to promote your school auction.  Share your ideas below!

 

Fundraising auctioneer Sherry Truhlar, CMP, BAS, CAI is featured in national publications for her trend-setting work with auction fundraisers.  She teaches auction chairs easy ways to improve an auction’s financial return.  Start improving your auction today by getting her FREE Auction Item Guide TM.  The Guide lists the 100 top-selling items sold for over value in charity auctions.  Claim your FREE copy at http://www.RedAppleAuctions.com.