Like many parents these days, I work a full time job Monday through Friday. I also love to be involved at my children’s school, as much as possible. I volunteer on the school board, drive a car pool vehicle to sporting events, help with the auction, as well as coordinate volunteers. It can be quite a daunting task to manage work commitments, school commitments and family life. These five considerations have helped me stay organized and allow me to enjoy my time volunteering.

1. Pick and Choose – There are many different areas to volunteer within any school. Our school, a small private Christian school, has dozens of opportunities. Pick and choose areas that you feel called to help in, find projects or events that you are passionate about.
2. After Hours Help – If you work during the day, look for opportunities in the evening or weekends. Sporting events, theatre ticket sales, event planning committees are often available during these times. This is why serving on the school board is a good match for me, we always meet in the evenings and it is rarely a conflict with my work schedule.
3. Behind the Scenes – If you are more comfortable doing things out of the spotlight, look for things that you can do behind the scenes. Volunteering to coordinate or assist with your school’s scrip program, data entry for the school auction, organizing the school supply closet, updating the school bulletin board.
4. Daytime Help – Perhaps you work at night or on weekends and have time during the school day to help out. Hot lunch program, teacher’s aide, or field trip chaperoning are all good opportunities. These things usually only take an hour or two of your time, but are very necessary in small schools.
5. Don’t Over Commit – Sometimes we only have so much time to help, never be afraid to say “No”. There will always be another opportunity. This is one area that I have to work on regularly, but this year, I’ve had to let go of field trip chaperoning.

I have made many terrific friends by volunteering and it has really given me a vested interest in our school’s growth and success!

Happy Volunteering!