Posted February 16, 2015 by Jeannette Illsley

At the beginning of the year, we offered the Samantha Smith community a chance to voice your opinions about Volunteering at our school.  We were looking for things that both motivate and hinder you when it comes to spending your time and energy in support of PTSA-sponsored programs.  Here is a summary of the results and the PTSA board's response to them.  

RESULTS:  
We received 28 responses in one month.  Only volunteers responded even though the survey was open to everyone in the community.
 
How do you find out when the PTSA needs volunteers? Please select all that apply.
The Dolphin Byte (78%) and Word of Mouth (46%) are the the significant sources of information for volunteer needs.  
 
How do you volunteer at Samantha Smith Elementary?  Please select all that apply.
Most of our respondents volunteer in the classroom as a room parent, helper, or field trip chaperone.  The PTSA programs with the biggest support were Explore Art and Dolphin Day.  The other programs were supported by 25% of respondents or much less.  
 
How often do you volunteer at Samantha Smith Elementary?
The majority of respondents volunteer at Smith once or twice a week
 
In the months you volunteer at Samantha Smith Elementary, how many hours do you work?
Most respondents are putting in 3-5 hours per month. 
 
In a typical month how many hours do you volunteer with other organizations?
Most respondents volunteer 0-5 hrs elsewhere.   
 
How likely are you to volunteer at Samantha Smith Elementary in the coming year?  Why?
Most respondents were likely to volunteer again.  The chief reasons for negative responses were due to lack of availability or lack of appreciation.  
 
What would encourage you to volunteer more at Samantha Smith Elementary?  Please select all that apply.
Besides more time in the day or more flexible work schedules, the leading things that would encourage people volunteer were clearer descriptions (42%), smaller time commitments (32%), more advance notice (29%), more opportunities to share positions with another person (29%), a single source to find opportunities (29%) and more appreciation (25%). 
 
How important are the following PTSA-sponsored programs to you?
The respondents largely agree that Explore Art, Student Directory, and Hearing/Vision Screening are very important programs and about a third of respondents agreed that programs like Awards, Spelling Bee, Grandparents Luncheon, Geography Night, School Recognition, and Shirt Sales were not important at all.  
 
If enough volunteers do not sign up to support a program, would you prefer the PTSA to a)Call families directly to solicit help or b) Cancel the program?  
61% of respondents thought we should call families directly to solicit help rather than cancel the program.

What PTSA-sponsored program(s) are you likely to volunteer for in the coming year?  Please select all that apply.  Most respondents selected Dolphin Day or Explore Art and several programs and positions went unfilled.  

BOARD RESPONSE:

The board was very concerned that volunteers feel uninformed and unappreciated.  Several steps have already been taken to provide better information to Smith families and to recognize the immense value of our volunteer's time and energy in making our school a great place to be.  Some developments to look for:

  • Joint development of Dolphin Byte, Smith Website, PTSA Website, and Facebook with access to the same timely and accurate information.  
  • Volunteer Recognition programs, starting with the opportunity for anyone to leave a note of thanks for volunteers in the badge filing cabinet -- sort of like the Praise Notes our kids get at school.  
  • 2015 Volunteer Recognition event to be announced soon.
  • Attempts at better planning, clearer descriptions, and smaller commitments in all our remaining events.  
  • Development of a strategy for Back-to-Business night to better inform parents of PTSA expectations and opportunities as well as our accomplishments.  
  • More inquiries of the community regarding the importance of the programs PTSA sponsors.   

To those who responded to the survey, thank you for your time and your opinions.  To those who didn't respond and would still like to contribute to this assessment or the responses to it, please contact the [[PTSA:mailto:president@smithptsa.org]].