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Class Party Ideas | Valentines Day

5 Valentines Party Class Trends

Valentine's provides one of the true, smile-worthy respites from the chilly, overcast winter and graciously gives kids a 'sweet' memory of the year that won't soon be forgotten! Check out what's trending for Valentine's class parties below:

1) Valentine's Printables (free): Cute printables for classroom signs, gift tags, pennants and banners and more, we're loving this collection of Valentine's printables from the web - click HERE

2) Getting More Parents Involved: Your teacher will love having more time and more helping hands where they need them - free online sign up sheets with reminders can help! Create a quick class party signup, invite parents to help with decorations, food, flatware, games, crafts and more - they can sign up from their computers or smartphones (and reminders keep everyone on track)!

3) Teacher Gifts: Small, simple tokens of appreciation show teachers how much they're loved on this special day. Don't miss these 10 Teacher Valentine's Gift Ideas or check out our teacher gift board on Pinterest, click HERE

4) 'Heart'y Snacks Kids Love: The great thing about Valentine's Day is that anything shaped like a heart works! Try vegetables like carrots that can easily be cut into heart shapes, or fruits where a heart cookie cutter gives you a healthy, sweet snack. More delicious ideas for Valentine's party snacks HERE.

5) Fun Games & Activities: Novelty candy hearts make for loads of fun games like Hearts Match Up, Can Toss and Bingo - click HERE for these great games. 'Find Your Heartmate' is a sweet game too that lets students practice their math, while these Valentines Word Games will keep language-learning and spelling a priority.

 

Parent Volunteering in the News

Hot Topic: Parent Volunteers | The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Being in school where your children can see you value their education and being a part of it - priceless, right? Maybe not. Parent volunteering is a hot topic of conversation this season as parents bring their roles as school volunteers and how they really feel about them to the forefront. 

Writer, mother and school volunteer Soraya Chemaly is unapologetically saying 'no' to school volunteering in this recent, controversial TIME excerpt from her book The Good Mother Myth: Redefining Motherhood to Fit Reality, edited by Avital Norman Nathman. Chemaly writes:

School volunteering is part of “good mother” mythologies that reinforce ideas about gender, sexuality, ideal workers and complementary roles for men and women. Additionally, because of our economic and social realities, volunteer demands also contribute to subtle race and class divides in school communities.

Read more from her piece HERE and tell us what you think about Chemaly's point of view over on facebook.

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An Austin-area mother and New York Times contributor, Debra Monroe, has also taken pen to paper to re-tell her experience as a school volunteer and the disheartening conclusion she came to in When Elite Parents Dominate Volunteers, Children Lose. Monroe writes:

A flier came home, asking parents to volunteer because we would be helping all students. I signed up. Parents who worked for an hourly wage and chose between volunteering or earning money were unrepresented. Parents who lived in big, new houses ran the show.

Volunteering meant parties, I discovered. It meant “let them eat chocolate-mousse cake.”

No one actually said that. But one volunteer insisted on chocolate-mousse cake for Valentine’s Day, even as another argued it was too unfamiliar for third-graders. At the celebration, a boy who lived in a rundown house a few miles from me said he had been excited all week about cake. His face fell when he tasted it. “Gunk in the middle,” he said.

While these stories and cases bear some truth certainly, they're not an across-the-board experience everyone can relate to. Still, these types of perspectives help parents and schools continue to evolve and find new and better ways to make a difference for kids in an ever-changing world. Tell us how you help your kid's school - whether it's volunteer, donating or helping from home, leave a comment!

 

Volunteer Appreciation Certificates

Free Volunteer Appreciation Printables

Hosting a volunteer appreciation party? Or simply looking to recognize the hardworking parent volunteers at your school? We've collected 5 of our favorite free printable volunteer appreciation certificates & gift tags!

FreePrintableCertificates.net, click HERE

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KidPointz.com, click HERE

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Squidoo.com, click HERE

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Sugarfreshdesigns.blogspot.com, click HERE

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ColwellsinCarolina.blogspot.com, click HERE

 

 

 

Volunteer Spotlight | Next Chapter Ministries

Volunteer Spotlight | Next Chapter Ministries

Next Chapter Ministries began to form in 1991 when Andy Kilen, the current Director, started volunteering in the Olmsted County Jail, leading Bible Studies once a week. During these Bible studies, it became apparent that many of the inmates wanted and needed further help after they were released. Next Chapter Ministries is a member of the Christian Assocation of Prison Aftercare (CAPA), which was established to provide training and encouragement to organizations that serve former offenders and families.

Today our spotlight shines on Ivahn Dockter, who uses VolunteerSpot's online signup sheets to organize volunteers at the County Fair.

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Please tell us about your organization and your volunteer needs.

Our mission is to build lasting relationships with those in our community who have been impacted by crime, restoring them to God, family, and community with the Gospel of God. We have a pool of between 50-100 volunteers, who we use for special events such as the county fair or our annual BBQ event, as well as volunteers who volunteer on an ongoing basis for working with  men, women and youth.

Explain how you used VolunteerSpot to coordinate these volunteers.

I heard about VS from another volunteer.  I took a quick look at the website and created an id and password, then setup an activity. I created an activity for our county fair where we wanted to have a booth to present Next Chapter to the community. I created 3 time slots (10-2, 2-6, 6-10) and I asked for 2 people to sign up for each slot. I liked it because it was very easy to use and didn't take a lot of time. I contacted our office manager who sent an email to our volunteers asking them to sign up for a specific time slot. Soon after the email went out people started to sign up. I received the notifications of sign ups, which is a nice feature.

What’s one piece of advice you have for volunteers or their leaders out there?
I found the tool pretty easy to use, but I recommend new users take a tour and understand the features of the tool before jumping in and trying to use it.  Some people like doing that, but I think it worked well for me because I read all about it prior to trying to use it.

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?
It was recommended to me and I didn't want to spend any time looking for a different tool. Once I started looking at it I liked it, and it was very easy to use.

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To learn more about Next Chapter Ministries, please visit http://www.nextchapterrochester.org/

We salute Ivahn and all the other volunteers out there making a  difference in our ministries. 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].

Quick Tips on Preparing a Volunteering Activity

5 Tips to Know Before You Go

The beautiful thing about helping others is that anyone, absolutely anyone, can do it! Finding an opportunity near you may be easy too, however, sometimes getting involved can require paperwork, orientations, training or more. Whether you’re a first-time helper or an impassioned-pro…remember these helpful tidbits when planning your volunteer experience:

1) Do a quick online search for activities in your area; or inquire about opportunities where you already spend your time (think church, school, non-profit boards) -try these websites for finding opportunities near you

2) Give notice – most organizations like 2 to 4 week's notice when coordinating groups of volunteers. And have waivers, forms and other required paperwork prepared and sent to the correct place well ahead of time.

3) Keep it close to home (relatively or figuratively), which keeps your family and friends whom you volunteer with connected to the task and allows you to engage in training, orientation and volunteering without transportation problems.
Get neighbors, teams or classmates to join-in and create your own service project – FREE online signup sheets from VolunteerSpot can help you get organized and sends automatic reminders for you!

4) Schedule the length of tasks only as long as your kids can be engaged for their age when volunteering with your family.

5) And repeat! Organizations LOVE to see the same smiling faces walk through their doors. Many groups offer weekly or monthly schedules for volunteers that greatly impact the services they provide as well offset operational costs. PLUS, it serves your children to be invested in their community by following your lead. 

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2014

What are you doing for others? Serving others by volunteering in your community, donating to a nonprofit or cause near to your heart, and even practicing kindness with those you encounter in your day to day life - why it's easy, it's good for you and others, and it's a meaningful way to honor the legacy of a man that changed out nation with a message of courage, hope and peace. Celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. today and always!

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Learn more about the National Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service.

Check out ways to get your family involved in simple service today.

Image courtesy of Ashland-Ohio.com

VolunteerSpotlight | Spartapalooza, York College of Pennsylvania

York College of Pennsylvania was founded in 1787, after the Revolutionary War, for the education of Elementary School Teachers. Today they offer a wide variety of degree programs and celebrate their many traditions. The most spirited fall campus event happens in November with Spartapalooza, a "lollapalooza" of music, games and competitions.

Today, our VolunteerSpotlight shines on Sarah Calhoun, who uses VolunteerSpot's online signup sheets to create an easy sign-up & reminder system for an annual college festival featuring nearly 150 volunteers and 15,00 attendees. The "live" shift-tracking allowed for real-time management of volunteers to ensure activities and stations were covered for the ultimate guest experience.

Please tell us about your organization and your volunteer needs.

Our event, Spartapalooza, is coordinated by the York College of Pennsylvania recreation & leisure administration class on special event planning. This annual event includes inflatable games and activities, food, a kids area, Minute-to-Win-tt games, a student-staff volleyball tournamen, and the cardboard boat regatta. The main challenge of the event is appealing to students, staff and their families, and creating a fun, spirited environment for all attendees. This event would not be possible without the help of over 140 volunteers.

Explain how you use VolunteerSpot to coordinate these volunteers.

VolunteerSpot made it simple to keep track of where each volunteer was stationed, and the print out schedule made check in simple. We used the mass emailing to all volunteers to send out a PowerPoint with instructions for the activities so volunteers were prepared for their assignments. Using VolunteerSpot also allowed us to have the most volunteers so far, because each person could schedule their own time up to a day before the event. The best part of the service, for us, was allowing volunteers to register for the time and activity that was best suited for them. Being able to set each activity and break it into time segments made scheduling easy!

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

Volunteers – never stop volunteering; the experience and enjoyment of helping others can help you in all aspects of life.

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

My professor heard of the website and decided that we should look into the service, and after a cursory glance, I knew that it would save a great amount of time. I am now planning on using VolunteerSpot for any volunteering activity I plan in the future.

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

We can’t say it enough, thank you VolunteerSpot!

For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/717547134925831/

We salute Sarah Calhoun and all the other volunteer leaders out there making a difference in our world. 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].

10 Ways to Volunteer Your Hobby

Give Back & Serve Others Doing What You Love

Volunteering is great for your health, a stellar way to engage with friends and family, and key to making a difference in your community - it's not always easy though. Unless an opportunity presents itself and you are specifically asked to help, volunteering may not come naturally. Why not volunteer your hobby instead? You're bound to love it and find a whole new satisfaction in helping others in ways you're really good at:

1. Love books? Find out if your local library has volunteer opportunities to help sort and stack books or work the desk. Or search online for nearby literacy groups that need readers and mentors to support their members.

2. Adore the outdoors? Then you know which community parks, rivers or neighborhood green spaces could use some cleaning and sprucing up. Gather a group and make it happen!

3. Enjoy time with children? Donate gently used toys to a local women and children's shelter, offer to read to the children, or sign up to help in your own kid's classroom.

4. Like to cook? Throw on your apron and whip up a meal for a new mom in your neighborhood or an elderly neighbor. Or bake goodies and drop them as a thank you gift by your local fire or police station.

5. Fond of animals? Head over to your community's animal shelter or animal rescue program to walk and groom animals; or search for an ASPCA branch in your region to find which volunteer needs they may have.

6. Got an hour? Donate blood! You're saving lives and it's fairly quick and painless. Find a Red Cross blood drive near you, click here

7.  Take photos? Lots of charity events need volunteer photographers who can capture the special moments at their fundraisers and volunteer activities, offer your services to a local nonprofit. 

8. Creative gift giver? Find new and loving ways to thank the volunteers involved in the groups in your life - youth leaders, coaches, room moms, you name it. Colorful certificates, small tokens, surprise lattes, the options are endless!

9. Yoga lover? Offer to clean the studio for free after your regular session or do simple yoga instruction for a women's group in your faith or school parent community.

10. You a fashionaista? Head to your local re-store and volunteer to help take in and sort new clothes and donations; get creative dressing windows and manicans too!

New VolunteerSpot Feature: Swap!

Quickly Swap Your Spot & Find Substitutes on Your VolunteerSpot Calendar

Busy schedules and unforseen events means that making life's commitments, including volunteering, isn't always feasible. And being able to then find a replacement or substitute to take your place for a job you have to back out of just adds more stress to the situation, right?

With VolunteerSpot's free online sign up sheets and reminders, scheduling and reminding volunteers is easy. With our brand new SWAP feature, we take the guilt out of not being able to make every commitment and give volunteers and school parents the tools to quickly find a replacement (saving everyone time and stress)!

Check out how in this quick video and click here to get started today!

5 Great Tools to Get your School Parent Group Organized!

Apps & Websites to Power Your PTA & PTO!

What's on your school parent group's resolutions list for 2014? Getting organized always tops the list and what better way to coordinate your 2014 then streamlining PTA and PTO communication and event planning digitally. Check out our 5 favorite apps & tools for getting organized:

1. Dropbox: Share important documents, pictures, videos and files in the cloud with Dropbox! Free up to a certain amount of memory, Dropbox lets parent leaders upload and share files with the click of their mouse or tap on their screen phone; field trip permissions, spring carnival check list, volunteer orientation documents - you name it, you can share it!

2. VolunteerSpot: Coordinate school parents and classroom helpers in a snap with free online sign up sheets from VolunteerSpot. Quick online scheduling, easy access from a computer or smartphone and automated reminders make coordinating parent volunteers and helpers so easy (and less time consuming). Click here to try it out now

3. Hootsuite: Is your school resolving to be more 'social' this year? It's easy with social update scheduling tools from Hootsuite! Share online sign up links, fundraiser news, classroom updates and more on twitter with Hootsuite as well as catch a feed of twitterers you follow in addition to trending topics and hashtags you're interest in, i.e. #ptchat.

4. DirectorySpot: Manage your school directory on the go with DirectorySpot! Say goodbye to hunting for the school directory in the glove compartment or the kitchen -- your parents will love instant access and quick connections to other school parents wherever they are.  All apps have school spirit and are customized with your school colors and logo or mascot. More info here

5. Trello: Project management is a breeze with the comprehensive but simple-to-use Trello tool. Set up To Do lists, tasks, reminders, alerts and even share important documents with fellow school leaders and parent volunteers; great for planning big fundraisers, ongoing school campaigns and more.

 

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Spread the GOOD News

Our Favorite Sites for Uplifting Content & Volunteer News

What's trending for 2014? Viral uplift - sharing inspirational and uplifting content that quickly spreads across the globe via social media! From those viral videos with squealing puppies to news stories about do-gooders surprising strangers with random acts of kindness, GOOD news is quickly becoming the norm and helping all of us smile a little more each day. Check out our fave viral uplift sites:

1. Hooplaha.com: Aggregating content from all over the web, Hooplaha brings you videos and posts that capture the best parts of life, giving, service, wellness, inspiration, humor and more - check out this great video experiment done with NYC subway signs.

2. Upworthy.com: Feel-good content that makes you think, laugh, sometimes cry and helps you speak your mind, Upworthy's unprecedented viral growth in 2013 is sure to continue in 2014 - feel better when you read good news and find new ways to make a difference through viral sharing of posts on facebook.

3. Huffington Post Good News: News-oriented real life stories make the headlines in the good news section of HuffPo; from a courageous teen sharing her inspirational message to the 10 Most Tear-Jerking Weddings of the Year, find one little grain of inspiration in real-world happenings that can blossom into something new for you.

4. Ted.com: Free and riveting talks by experts, story tellers, journalists, celebrities, CEO's, you name it, Ted Talks are a way for viral lift and eye-opening dialogue to make its way to ears across the globe. Comedian Maysoon Zayid shares her humorous take on overcoming the odds with cerebal paulsy for example, a must-listen.

VolunteerSpotlight RoundUp 2013

VolunteerSpot is proud to support the good work of people all around the world helping with their schools, teams, community groups, nonprofits, faith groups, workplace and college group service and so much  more. We've got more great stories to share in 2014, and we look forward to serving you all year long. Thanks for being a part of the VolunteerSpot community!

Check out the first half of 2013's VolunteerSpotlights HERE and the second half below:

Candy Barnes, Humane Educator & Volunteer Coordinator | Rockingham/Harrisonburg SPCA

Joshua Vasa, Operations and Production Manager | Sidewalk Film Festival, Birmingham, AL

Judy Pantelides | Hampton Mayor's Book Club, Hampton, VA

Jeri | Ada Vista Elementary School, Ada, MI

Allison Renna, Co-Chair | South Elementary School Field Day, Hingham, MA

Christine Rooney, Managing Director | The Lighthouse International Film Festival, Long Beach Island, NJ

Laura Cina Burrington | The Minnesota Renewable Energy Society (MRES)

Dakota Radford | Douglas-Hart Nature Center, east-central Illinois

Ryan Sonnenberg, Community Stewardship Officer | Pima Federal Credit Union, Tucson, AZ

Cynthia Conway | Sonoma County Museum (SCM), Northern California

Calgary Reads Literacy Initiative | Calgary, Alberta, CA

Doris Moylan, Director & Volunteer Coordinator | NW Kickers Soccer Club, Minneapolis, MN

We salute all the 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].

Best of Blog | 2013

Check Out the Best of the VolunteerSpot Blog from 2013

What a year! BIG announcements, awesome spotlights, new trends for schools and nonprofits plus plenty of volunteer management ideas made 2013 a year to remember. Don't miss some of our most-read, highest-rated blog posts from the year below:

New VolunteerSpot Tools & Features!

Group pages link volunteers to ALL activities

Customizable email options & alerts

'Autofill' makes scheduling a snap!

New Pro apps for iPhone & Android

Adding resource/document links to sign ups

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Volunteer Management Resources!

5 ways to increase volunteer commitment rate

Twitter tips for recruiting volunteers

Online volunteer calendars & sign up sheets

Highly effective habits of volunteer managers

10 healthy habits of a volunteer community

Top apps for communicating & collaborating

Volunteer appreciation ideas & tips

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Fundraising Ideas!

Boost fundraiser profits (and turnout) with social media

6 non-game carnival booth ideas

Charity and benefit auction tips & resources

6 ways to add product fundraisers to school events

7 trends for school carnivals and festivals

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School Parent Reads!

Parent checklist: 6 great ways to support your student

How to quickly coordiante a school volunteer calendar

Eazy peazy planning for Halloween & fall class parties

Science fair hints & tips for parents

Parent teacher conference do's and don'ts