Free Online Scheduling Tool - VolunteerSpot Helps Coordinate Classroom Volunteers

The traditional volunteer coordination methods in my sons’ school are notes in backpacks, individual emails and phone calls. I received all of them this year and like me, I am sure the teachers find these old methods time consuming and frustrating.

I nearly opted out of volunteering due to the miscommunication of the PTA and the teachers. Fliers came home from the PTA seeking classroom volunteers and teachers had sign-up sheets in the classroom. Since I had already signed up with the PTA, I didn’t sign up on the classroom sign-up sheets. Weeks had gone by without any communication and I wondered if the PTA and the teachers were on the same page. My son’s teacher followed up with an email and I did finally help out in my son’s classroom. But I wonder, how much time was wasted due to the lack of communication and organization?

If my son’s teacher and the PTA were using a free online scheduling tool like VolunteerSpot.com, it would have simplified communication, saved time and made it easy for everyone to sign up and volunteer. VounteersSpot is a free Web-based organization tool that coordinates volunteering at school and in the community. VolunteerSpot can be used to coordinate groups for school events like PTA/PTO activities, food and toy drives, carnivals, book fairs and parent teacher conferences.

Volunteerspot is simple to use, you register and launch a sign up calendar and teachers/PTA can invite parents to sign up with an email or a button on the class web page. They can easily email out the link and/or create a widget for posting somewhere appropriate, like the PTA website. Everyone will access to the same information. Parents sign up on the calendar selecting dates and times according to their schedules.

VolunteerSpot was Founded by Karen Bantuveris, a management consultant and mom. As a PTA member and Girl Scout leader, Karen found that traditional volunteer coordination methods were time consuming, frustrating and caused good people to drop out or simply not bother.


Volunteerspot’s Giving Tree Giveaway

To promote holiday volunteering, the Arbor Day Foundation and VolunteerSpot are offering a Giving Tree Giveaway. If you plan any school or community holiday service activity on VolunteerSpot, the Arbor Day Foundation will plant a tree in your name in a fire-damaged national forest. To get a tree planted, register a new free account at volunteerspot.com and plan a holiday service activity. Just add the word “TREE” where they ask you what type of group you organize, and be sure to invite at least four volunteers.

Visit VolunteerSpot’s website to learn more about their free volunteer scheduling tools and the Giving Tree Giveaway.