ERIC Number: EJ991322
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 2
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1083-3080
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
A New Breed of Volunteer Calls for a New Volunteer Culture
McKee, Thomas
Our Children: The National PTA Magazine, v38 n1 p14-15 Aug-Sep 2012
PTAs have always faced the challenge of competing for volunteer time. A PTA's primary volunteer base is made up of parents of public school children, and parents are being pulled in many directions, as their children are more engaged than ever in multiple extracurricular activities that may have their own specialized parent groups. Parents with limited time have to pick and choose where they volunteer and may only get involved in the music parents group or sports boosters. In addition, PTA leaders have to face the reality that volunteers do not act like they did in years past. Seismic shifts are shaking up the world of volunteer engagement, and PTAs have a whole new breed of volunteer to involve. This article discusses four seismic shifts in volunteer engagement: (1) changed family dynamics; (2) new modes of activism; (3) episodic volunteering; and (4) social networking. The new breed of volunteer calls for a new volunteer culture. The author presents four questions PTA leaders need to ask themselves to find out if their PTA is ready and able to integrate the new breed of volunteer into their ranks.
Descriptors: Extracurricular Activities, Volunteers, Parents, Parent Participation, Family Structure, Activism, Social Networks
National PTA. 1250 North Pitt Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. Tel: 703-518-1200; Fax: 703-836-0942; e-mail: info@pta.org; Web site: http://www.pta.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A


