(picture taken from PTO Today)
I don’t remember where I heard about this article a while back, but it has some great ideas of how to build parental involvement. This was specifically written for parent-teacher organizations, but the advice applies to children’s ministry as well. I guess we aren’t the only ones who are recruiting parents :)
I encourage you to jump on over and read all 26 for yourself; it’s an alphabetical list.
Here are a couple of my favourite:
B is for Black Hole. People are afraid that if they volunteer, they’ll be sucked into a black hole of time commitment from which they can’t escape. Let them know up front that your group is not a black hole. Then, make sure you honor their time constraints.
D is for Diversity. Reach out to all parents in your school, not just the ones who are easy to reach. Sponsor multiculutral events. Translate parent group materials, if necessary. Organize transportation for those who need it. Your school, your group, and the kids all will benefit tremendously from broad-based parent involvement.
J is for Just. Don’t use this word to describe your group. You are doing important work. You should know it, and others should, too. So don’t think of your organization as “just a PTO.” If you do, you’ll have a much harder time getting others involved.
There are more, but I’ll let you read them on your own. After reading them, come back and leave a comment on ones that you liked.
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