Volunteering in a meaningful, less stressful way

It’s that time of year again… the kids are back to school and that means it’s time to get your calendars in order, figure out your routines for the new school year, and often times – respond to a variety of requests for help at your child’s school.

Many of us well-meaning moms find ourselves sucked into the school volunteer commitments before we’ve had a chance to think about where we really want to plug in.

We find ourselves saying yes to everything that comes our way that we don’t have a reasonable opposition for.

• Can you make a cake for the carnival cake walk? Sure.
• Volunteer in your child’s classroom weekly? Sounds great.
• Take on a chair position for the PTO? OK??

Many of us really want to be able to help our children, the school, and our kids’ teachers in meaningful ways, but most of us area also stretched thin as it is.

How can you find balance between being helpful without overcommitting?

Without considering what you are looking to get out of volunteering, you may be putting a lot of time in without reaping the true rewards you are looking for.

Benefits of volunteering

1. Do you want to get to know other parents and families?
2. Do you want be directly involved and interact with your child and their peers?
3. Do you want to help solve a problem where you see things falling short?

Each of these goals can lead you down a different volunteer path.

Many a dedicated mom has found themselves attending PTO meetings monthly, committing themselves to countless fundraisers, only to realize after a few years that what they really wanted was to directly interact with their children.

The best volunteer jobs are ones that are good FITS:

• F Fun
• I Impact is possible
• T Timing is right
• S Skills you have are utilized

F FUN

Yes, volunteering should be fun! If your goal is to get to know other families, or to interact with kids, you shouldn’t have trouble finding a fun fit. Organize a class social, be a room mom, volunteer at an event. If you want to be directly involved and interacting with your child and their peers, volunteer in the classroom, the library or art room or run an afterschool program.

For some, PTO volunteering that is fun is one that allows you to be a key decision maker. Join a committee related to that issue. There are often many committees that work behind the scenes.

I IMPACT

To make a meaningful difference, it is better not to spread yourself too thin. At the end of the school year, you will likely be able to look back and really see the difference you made by choosing one or a few things you really care about, and putting a lot of effort there, than trying to do too many things not very well.

T TIMING

Some volunteer jobs require that you are in the classroom on a weekly basis, in the middle of the workday. Others are take-home projects that can be done on your own time. Still others require that you are available to meet up during the evening or weekend. Choose something that matches up with when you have the most availability.

S SKILLS

Finding a volunteer job that uses your unique skills allows you to feel useful in a way that can be very rewarding. If you’re a crafter or maker, helping run an afterschool or enrichment program where you can share and teach these skills can be very fulfilling. Or, perhaps you have strong organizational or leadership skills that can be useful in a committee or event planning.

Finding what FITS

So, this year, consider what really FITS well with what you want out of volunteering at your child’s school. Once you’ve found one or a few things you really want to do with your time, enjoy putting your all into that, and give yourself a break in other areas.

Saying yes to too many volunteer requests will likely leave you resentful and feeling overcommitted before too long.

Volunteering is one of the most meaningful ways to contribute to your children’s schooling and to your community. Make it an enjoyable experience, so that your community can count on your for many years to come. Allow it to be a positive force in your life and reap the benefits of knowing you are making a difference.

“Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in.”