A few classes at our school are hosting a big ol’ holiday pot-luck this week and whenever I get wind of that my first thought is, bless whoever took on that coordinator job. But now I realize that she has a lot of help (which is why she’s smart enough to take on the coordinator job) through a website that’s rather…genius.
It’s called SignUp Genius and indeed, it is going to make a lot of parents’ lives a lot easier. Especially if you’re a room mom, a coach, a troop leader, or even a teacher.
You just click over to the website and pick an existing template, like holiday parties, fundraisers, sports teams, even donation collections. Or upload your own photo or logo to make it more personal. Then just plug in what you need from your volunteers or guests–say, 6 entrees, 10 side dishes, and 257 desserts (see, this is why I don’t coordinate pot-lucks)–and send out an email blast with the link. Everyone can simply sign up for a responsibility and if you take the time to register on the site, it manages all your commitments, and even sends you a confirmation that you can drop right into your calendar.
I also love that you can see how many slots for each item have already been filled and by whom; so that if I want to volunteer with a friend at our school carnival, I can see who’s already chosen face painting and who’s on cookie decorating duty.
Or, conversely, you can stay away from the one crazy mom who yells at all the kids who decorate the cookies “wrong.”
Ahem.
Not only is using Signup Genius easy, it’s free. (You’ll find ads on the site which, eh. They really don’t interfere.) And boy, it’s going to save a lot of you coordinators a whole lot of time. Which I’m sure you can spend in lots of other ways. Especially this time of year. –Liz
Make group volunteer management easier when you log onto SignUp Genius
