Getting enough help to run a school fundraiser can feel like an uphill battle. Between picking a campaign idea, coordinating logistics, and managing community outreach, it's natural to feel overwhelmed. Juggling limited resources and tight schedules can make even the most organized fundraising coordinator feel stretched thin.

With all this on your plate, you might be overlooking some valuable help that’s right in front of you: parent volunteers. Parents are often eager for meaningful ways to get involved. With the right approach, they can transform a stressful fundraiser into a powerful success story. Let’s explore how to leverage parent volunteers to boost your school’s fundraising efforts.

Why Should You Recruit Parent Volunteers?

Before jumping into recruitment strategies, you should understand the unique value that parent volunteers bring to the table. These are not just extra sets of hands. They’re enthusiastic advocates for your school and liaisons to the broader community.

When you realize that parents can help in more ways than just setting up or cleaning up for an event, it becomes easier to include them in your planning. Their campaign ideas, skills, and community ties can maximize your fundraiser’s success.

Here’s a breakdown of why parent volunteers are such a valuable part of your fundraising team:

• Shared goals: Parents are naturally invested in improving their children’s educational experience and want to see the school thrive.
• Community connections: Their networks often include local business owners, civic leaders, and other influential community members who can help you raise more.
• Inclusive school culture: When parents participate in fundraising, other families will take notice! You’ll show that your school values family involvement, encouraging others to jump in.

Recognizing and leveraging their value from the start sets a collaborative tone and lays the groundwork for more successful school fundraisers.

3 Tips for Successfully Leveraging Parent Volunteers

1. Make It Easy to Get Involved

Parents are more likely to participate when the volunteering process is simple and flexible. If signing up is confusing or time-consuming, they may decide it’s not worth the effort. Here’s how to create a smooth experience:

• Use volunteer management tools that make it easy for parents to explore roles, choose their availability, and receive reminders.
• Ask for input on campaign ideas. Hosting a brainstorming session or simply sending a poll is an easy way to get parents on board. ABC Fundraising’s school fundraising guide highlights that parents’ input is essential for choosing ideas that families would be interested in supporting.
• Offer micro-volunteer options. Not every parent can commit to hours at a time. Break down tasks into smaller, manageable chunks—like picking up supplies, setting up chairs, or making a few calls.
• Offer different volunteer roles (such as supply organizers, event greeters, or social media helpers) so parents can choose which opportunities fit their interests.
• Create a welcoming environment by sending a welcome email to new volunteers, introducing them to the whole team, and providing training for your school’s fundraiser.

Making participation hassle-free encourages more parents to take the first step and feel good about contributing.

2. Use Their Skills

Parents bring all kinds of useful experience that can make your fundraiser run more smoothly. From creative design to budgeting to organizing, their everyday skills can be a huge help when planning events or campaigns. Consider these roles:

• Event planners can manage timelines, coordinate vendors, and oversee logistics.
• Designers can craft compelling visuals for flyers, social media, and banners.
• Writers and editors can draft communication materials, donor thank-you notes, and press releases.
• Photographers can document your event and provide high-quality images for future fundraisers.
• Accountants or finance professionals can assist with budget planning and expense tracking.
• IT professionals can assist with software, ticketing platforms, or data collection tools.

Instead of filling roles on a first-come, first-served basis, ask about skills and interests in your sign-up forms. This way, you can match parents to the best-fitting and most fulfilling roles!

3. Tap Into Their Local Connections

Parents are powerful advocates, making them perfect for community outreach! Getting Attention’s fundraiser promotion guide highlights that nearly 40% of Americans have donated because a friend or family member asked them to. Even having parents post on social media can be enough to make a difference, since 32% of donors are most inspired to give by this channel!

Use this phenomenon to your advantage by turning parents into local ambassadors. Here are some ways to do so:

• Create a community outreach team. This group of parent volunteers can focus specifically on managing local business partnerships and networking with community members.
• Have parent volunteers approach their workplaces. They might ask their employers about sponsoring your school fundraiser, launching a matching gift drive, and offering volunteer grants or paid volunteer time off (VTO) to support their efforts.
• Provide resources. Soliciting support can be intimidating. Make it easy with templated letters, email scripts, and talking points so parents feel confident making the ask.

Let’s say you’re selling discount cards. Your parent volunteers can step in by chatting with owners of local restaurants, shops, and other businesses to secure discounts that families will love. Even better, if your volunteers own businesses, they can be featured, too!

Start Creating Better School Volunteering Experiences

When you engage parent volunteers thoughtfully, you tap into a rich network of skills, connections, and enthusiasm that can turn even a small fundraiser into a successful initiative

When it’s all said and done, remember to thank the parents who stepped in. Parents should walk away feeling like they contributed in meaningful ways and that your school values their efforts. This recognition makes them much more likely to volunteer again and even bring others along with them.

Start by identifying one new way to improve the volunteer experience this week, such as asking about skills on your sign-up form or organizing a quick brainstorming session for campaign ideas. Pay attention to volunteer satisfaction to learn what works and go from there!

Debbie Salat is the director of fundraising activities and product development at ABC Fundraising(r) - Debbie joined ABC Fundraising(r) in 2010 and is responsible for launching over 6500 fundraising campaigns for schools, churches, youth sports teams and non-profit organizations all across the USA. With over 20 years of fundraising experience, Debbie knows the path to success for fundraisers which she shares with groups on a daily basis so they can achieve their fundraising goals.