Babysitting and Child Care
Volunteers need to put in plenty of time making a fundraising project a success. This can include attending meetings at night and on weekends. In addition, you may get a larger turnout at a dinner or other activity if you can provide some help with child care. If parents bring young children along to meetings or other activities, they need to be responsible for them. By having kids present, you run the risk of an injury or accident, which can result in a lawsuit. Therefore, you should not try to provide a child care facility. The best you can do is to simply make your environment child-friendly.
If you are having an event in the winter, make sure there is an adequate coatroom for your guests. Most attendees will appreciate the opportunity to take off their bulky winter coats. This can also serve as part of the strategy of extending people's stay at your event.
One organization had extra space at its monthly meetings and invited people to bring their children, who did craft projects for the two hours of the meeting. The adults took turns overseeing the children's activity and it was understood in advance that the parents were responsible for their children.
When group babysitting is not possible, programs and activities for kids accompanied by their parent(s) makes your event more family friendly and attractive to more people. One health fair geared toward new parents at a public library provided plenty of activities and snacks for children while also providing parents with important information about immunization and nutrition. Their children were entertained and the parents learned where to turn for resources they may need in the future. Likewise, a school event filled with children's activities might have something for the adults to do, which might simply be a place set up to have coffee or to read. Always consider your primary audience and then consider others who may also be present.
