In every other organization ie football, baseball, soccer, boy scouts, what ever!! The parents are involved, but when it comes to the band, parents for the most part are nowhere to be seen. When you call to ask them for help they either have a lame excuse or disappear faster than a pizza at weight watchers convention. Here we have a fabulous few that are doing it all, concession, uniforms, chaperon duty, bake sales, car washes you name it. If your kids belong to a group, you and your kid needs to be HELPING!!! What gets me is, they don't want to help or raise the funds to go on trips, but their kids are the first ones on the bus. It cost money to make the wheels turn, get with the program. Does anyone have in ideas how to get parents involved ?

I have often wondered if requiring parents to work would do it-- you know, schedule every parent at least once in the concession stand etc. Maybe if you take choice out, they will just do it. I worked with the Boosters for 8 years and never once did we have more than about 5% of parents helping. It is just sad!

I will say, my daughter also played softball and we had the same issue with those parents (funny, most of them were also band parents that never helped too!) I think we (our generation) is just not geared to helping or volunteering. Sad to say...............

I believe most parents are very busy these days. They don't have the time to "volunteer" for band boosters. Folks work lots of hours and if there are several children in the house, the parents are often time split when it comes to going and watching the kids play. It's not a case of parents not willing to help, but there's only a certain number of hours in the day. There will always be those 3-5% of parents that have the time to spend helping in the fund raisers and concession stands and bake sales and car washes, but the majority would rather write the check for the band trip and be done with it.

And I'm sorry to laugh at your comment about "requiring parents to work" etos10, but what makes you believe that anybody can require another adult to work? Just think about what your saying here. We cannot require convicted felons to work while they are prisoners and your suggesting that working adults that contribute to society, pay their taxes and bills, and raise their kids, be required to work for the band booster club. Again, I'm sorry to laugh, but that just ain't gonna happen.

Now I DO agree with you etos10 when you say that other activities have many of the same problems. Often times, it's the same parents involved with many activities. When parents encourage their children to be involved, they too become involved just from the standpoint of watching and supporting the kids. I guess what I'm saying here is that the band parents are often also the football parents, the boy scout parents, the basketball parents, the 4H and Ag parents. When the kids are involved in band, sports, and a host of other activities, they are far LESS likely to become involved in bad things they shouldn't be involved.

It's always tough in any organization to get volunteers to step up, and sometimes the only ones who step up are not the ones who should be running it. Those that don't step up then complain, and the whole mess begins. Usually, though, there are about (in our band) 10 or so who seem to do it all, and about 1/2 of the parents do the fill in work that theese 10 figure out needs doing, (ie concessions).
Many of those who are reportedly "too busy" are not, some are just sitting at home on those times they are needed, we know who they are, and we are quite aware that they are making little or no effort to help. Fortunately, they are the exception.
With regard to Getting them to help...
Our Trip fundraiser fund can be offset with Parents taking concessions duty. Since most of the monies for the concessions is used by the band boosters for things like this, discretion is used, and credit is given to those who serve. It is not fair, Simba, but life's not fair. Some people can just write a check and be done. Others want their children to earn it, other children Have to earn it if they want to go.
As a board member of the booster club, talk with your fellow members about establishing some kind of system that gives credit where it is due, to those that help, in ways that make it easier on them in the wallet. You won't get everyone, but it will open doors.

Could always use the physical help , but if like bandman08 said most parents would rather cut a check and be done with it, that would be great with me, most don't or won't pay anything. They want the boosters to pay for it all. THAT'S NOT FAIR AT ALL. Now with that said don't get me wrong I understand they're always certain special situations. I feel if they don't help out or pay for their trip, they don't go......period!!!! I know I shouldn't feel this way, but you just get tired of paying for other people.

Alot of parents are willing to cut the check and be done with it. Some parents are willing to help work at "concession stand" type fund raisers. All of them want the band boosters to pay for everything the school doesn't pay for. As you can see, here is the problem. Some booster groups then tell the kids, "you don't pay, your parents don't work, you don't go on the trip." Now if the band is going on a "performance" type trip, that makes it unfair to those involved in competition, and I believe that everybody should go on the trip. If the trip is a "fun" or "educational" type trip, then I think that those that don't pay or fund raise shouldn't go on the trip.
Another thing to consider is many is that alot of bands are going on their trips during Spring Break and after school is out for the summer. If that is the case, the trips are for fun, and not all the kids want to give up their time.
Anyway, it's a very difficult thing to figure out and not have hurt feelings.

When I was in band, it seemed to me that the parents that helped the most were the "rich kid's" parents. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think so. Not everyone has the means to help out, my mom was a single parent and also was a double above the knee amputee. There are kids whose parent don't have jobs, not because they can afford not to work, but because they can't find a job. I always hated fundraisers because to me and my friends the rich kids always raised the most money and the poor kids like us barely scraped by. Fortunately for me, I had family that was willing to help me get to Disney World or Six Flags. But I had friends that on several occasions were unable to go on trips because they didn't raise enough.
It's a slippery slope when you tell little Johnny he can't go because he only raised $200 instead of $400, while Susie raised $1000 or more.

I have to say that the Canton Eagle Band had no problems getting parents to help. My daughter played drum and the drum section came to the house and asked for help. When you have this many kids asking for help, Its hard to turn them down. The other sections did the same. We always had plenty of help at concessions stand, the cook outs after Saturday practices. You only have to work the concession stand 2 times a year. Only one if you worked the whole game. It became fun and you wanted to do it. It didn't feel like a burden. You had fellowship with other band parents and it was something you looked forward to. We had pool parties for the whole band. We probably had 75 or more parents there. Everyone pitched in and brought eats and there was always plenty. If you get the kids to do the asking, those parents that don't usually give there time, will usually do so. We had the fire department let us give car washes at the fire station. The kids went around town and asked all the business for donations. They sold poinsettias at Christmas time. They got a discount from the local nursery. On Mothers day the School Cafeteria let the band parents cook chicken dinners and sold for 5$ a piece. The local Walmart gives the School a discount on the meat. There are so many ways to make money. Every year the band makes a cook book. It sells for 10$ each. All the parents donated receipes. One year a Teacher had a twirling competition at the School Stadium. She sent out invitations all over the state. You wouldn't believe how many girls entered the competition. She made so much money on that event, it surprised a lot of people. But It Worked! The parents that are already in the booster club need to sit down and have a think tank. Make up a list of things you can get the kids to do. You be surprised of how many parents will want to help out when you give them the guilt trip. You cant tell me that there just to busy. That my friend is a cop out........Have fun. http://www.smoaky.com/forum/style_images/s...icons/icon6.gif

This is a touchy subject for me because fundraisers always bring the worst in me. Whenever you have a couple of fundraisers it always seems that the band directors are saying you can't go on the trip because you didn't raise enough money. I agree with wtlobos with most of his points, except i'm still in band and traveling is a lot more money than it was in the past. Of course they are wanting more money now, so of course they rely mostly on the parents, students, and boosters. my parents have 5 kids and rely mostly on teaching salaries, which we all know isn't alot. It seems like when i take money from my parents, i'm taking away a little bit of the food from the family. So whenever i can't raise alot of money from my parents, i get off the my butt and go collect money from other people. but people stop giving you money if you just keep using the excuse "for the band". The band boosters need to think of more creative fundraisers in my opinion. Car washes are always good, but that can't be it. There have to be events held so the community can really get involved, like what the football team does for fundraising (sledge hammer to a car for a dollar a whack). Why can't the band directors do their part too?

I noticed the Lindale band had a carwash/ garage/bake sale today, I didn't see any director's, I'm not saying they weren't around, just didn't see any.

The Lindale band did have a car was in about 5 different locations. The band directors could have been at any one of those locations.

And about my comment about 'requiring' parents to work. I know that it won't happen, but having been the parent that organized volunteers for 5 years here, I know that there are only a few that really want to help out. Alot can, but choose not to, others can't.

This is an age old problem that will probably never go away, but maybe even get worse. There is no real solution other than to just deal with what volunteers you have and pray it will be enough.