Using Time Wisely

Organized to save money, energy, and time

You are here: Home / Archives for Event Planning

No Time for Taters

by

QUESTION TO MY READERS: Let’s say you were in a club, and this club was hosting a dinner for 20 guests. You had offered to bring all the mashed potatoes for the event. Then two days before the event, you decide that you don’t have time to peel, cut, cook, and mash the potatoes. What do you do?

A)     Decide not to bring anything because you just don’t have time.
B)     Order mashed potatoes from a restaurant or grocery store to take to the event.
C)     Show up at the event with scalloped potatoes.
D)     Contact the coordinator.
E)     Enlist the help of your family in peeling, cutting, cooking, and mashing the  potatoes.
F)     A combination of the above.

I ask this question because I watched the results of three of the above decisions today. The coordinator handled the situations well. However, she could have used her time more efficiently had the volunteers contacted her.

The question posed is the issue. We have all had situations arise that prevent us from accomplishing what we planned to do. In those situations, I feel that the best and most considerate option is to (D) contact the coordinator. Even if you plan to (B) order it and bring it or (E) get help to finish it, you might still run into problems. If the coordinator knows your situation, she might have another option. For example, someone else may have offered to bring something, or the coordinator may adjust the menu to something else easier for your schedule. For me, it is just considerate to inform the coordinator, so she can be working on a backup plan.

To me the worst solution is (A) decide not to bring anything. This choice was revealed today. The coordinator graciously sent another helper to the store to purchase the needed item. This action wasted time. Had the coordinator known that a side item would be missing, she could have made it last night, picked it up at the store, or had someone else bring the dish. During the time of executing the planned activity is NOT the time to be running to the store for more food.

A less than perfect decision is choice (C) bringing scalloped potatoes. This solution was also evident at the meal and did meet the needs of the event. When a coordinator plans the menu, she has much to consider: color, type, consistency, and taste. Changing one item may or may not change other items. Again, contacting the coordinator prior to the morning of the event would help her adjust. Without a heads up, the coordinator just makes it work and adds another item if necessary.

Having attended and watched this coordinator rearrange her menu on the fly, I have a greater appreciation for dependable people. I realize life happens. But when a coordinator is depending on you and you drop the ball, someone has to pick up the ball. Just admitting to the event coordinator IN ADVANCE that help is needed or offering a substitute menu item will significantly reduce the amount of time taken to add or correct the items brought.

So what is my answer? Save time and money by (D) keeping the coordinator informed. I would contact her, explain my time constraint, offer suggestions, and wait for her to respond. If she then needed those mashed potatoes, then I would enlist the help of my family, neighbors, or friends to get those spuds peeled, cut, cooked, and mashed.  In the end, I will be dependable and help that coordinator give the best event possible. My hat goes off to today’s patient coordinator, who handled each situation with calm, clarity, and class!

Delegating Responsibilities

by

Being a perfectionist, I prefer to handle all aspects of an event. If the event is too large, and I need help, then I get choosy about to whom I delegate. Here are my parameters:

1.       Use someone I have worked with before: If I have seen a person follow through with his/her responsibilities and complete them to the best of their ability, then yes, I want to delegate to this person. I would trust this individual with a large task.

2.       Use someone who is recommended to me: If the recommendation comes from someone I trust, then I would delegate to this person. I would put him/her on a team with others to evaluate their work ethic for the next event.

3.       Use a new volunteer: I will not turn away help. If I don’t know the person, then I would have the individual help someone else who needs some extra assistance in completing his/her task.

Why am I so picky? As coordinator, the event is in my hands. My goal is to provide the best event possible. I will use the best volunteers to oversee the main parts of the event: food, entertainment, advertising/printing, decorating, etc. I will then place others to help those overseers based on what I know or others know of their skill set.

Scheduling the Great Harvest Field Trip

by

When my son’s teacher announced that she was considering field trips for a Community Helper unit, I recommended the Great Harvest Bread Company. If you are not familiar with this franchise, I highly recommend them. The bread is delicious. Each loaf is baked that day and from scratch. The price per loaf ranges from $4 to $7. I have purchased the apple cinnamon swirl bread and the blueberry cheesecake bread as gifts. Check here to see if there is a local Great Harvest Bread Company near you.

Our local Great Harvest store offers story time on the first and third Wednesdays of the month. The owner reads 3 books interactively with the kids, presents each child with a sugar cookie, and awards large (about 4 inches in diameter) cookies for kids who have returned their coloring pages from the last story time. (If you missed the last story time, you can download the current coloring page from their website.)

Knowing how friendly the owner of our Great Harvest is toward kids, I knew the students in my son’s class would love the opportunity to see the break-making process. To help my son’s teacher, I did the following:

1.       Coordinate with the teacher. I e-mailed his teacher, suggested Great Harvest for the field trips, and offered to help plan it. She replied and quickly accepted my offer to help.

SIDE NOTE: Most teachers love to have extra help when planning events. If you can give of your time to help, then please do. Our teachers need all the assistance they can get.

2. Research and inquire. When I took the girls to story time at the Bread Company, I arrived early to speak to the owner. I asked him about a possible field trip. He confirmed that he gave some tours. After discussing the cost, number of students, time frame, and age group, the owner decided that this visit was possible for this class.

3. Report back to teacher and check availability. After getting the information, I reported back to the teacher that the bread company was an option. I then asked for some possible dates and times for the field trip. Once the teacher supplied me with the possible dates, then I contacted the owner of our Great Harvest.

4. Schedule field trip and make note of special requests. The owner checked his calendar, and a date was determined. I then asked if there were any special requests he had for us. To my surprise, he had the following requirements:

a. The girls’ hair pulled back out of their faces.

b. All children to wear short-sleeved shirts.

c. Due to the height of the kneading table, no children under the age of 5. (Younger siblings were not able to attend.)

5. Write out information and forward to teacher. With the field trip scheduled, I wrote out all the requirements, cost, directions, contact information, date, and any other information I received from the owner. I then forwarded that information to the teacher.

6. Be available to assist teacher. When the day of the field trip arrived, we ended up getting snow. Since there was no school, we did not attend the field trip. Knowing that the snow was coming, the teacher called and postponed the trip with the owner. After the snow day, I offered to help reschedule the field trip, if needed. Again, the teacher took my offer. I then received new available dates from the teacher and coordinated with the Great Harvest owner on a new date. Then I let the teacher know. Once the date was set, I remained available to assist the teacher with anything else she needed.

7. Volunteer to chaperone/drive to field trip. If at all possible, please attend the event you plan. If there are any questions, you, as the contact, may be called upon to help. Knowing that I needed a babysitter for my daughter, I setup that arrangement early and then offered to help chaperone and drive on the field trip.

Setting up this field trip took me a little time here and little time there. I seized the opportunity to help out my son’s teacher, and used my time wisely to plan the event. Next week, I will share how I was able to assist the teacher while on this field trip to the Great Harvest Bread Company.

Attending the Great Harvest Field Trip

by

Having scheduled the field trip for my son’s class, I was ready to assist his teacher up to and throughout the event. Taking a step back from scheduling and coordinating to assisting someone else takes some time. This transition is much like preparing for a vacation. You spend so much time packing, scheduling, and remembering, and then you leave. After assuring yourself that the lights are off and all responsibilities are covered, you can calm down, relax, and enjoy the vacation.

After transitioning from preparing to going, I was ready to help make this field trip fun and beneficial for all. On the day of the event,

1. Arrive early. I arrived 15 minutes early. My car was ready to transport my son. The other mom arrived early as well to get car seats setup in her vehicle. When the teacher was ready, the other mom and I were ready to assist getting students into the vehicles.

2. Look for ways to assist. Since neither the teacher nor the other mom had her camera, I pulled out our camera from the diaper bag and began snapping pictures.

3. Make introductions. The teacher had not met the owner. Being familiar with both of them, I was able to introduce them to each other. Then I stepped back allowing them to form a plan for the tour.

4. Follow directions. When the teacher gave directions, I assisted the children in following those instructions. The other mom and I helped wash the students’ hands before handling the bread. We also helped guide them through the bakery at the different stops.

5. Traffic Control. As the teacher lead the way, I helped to keep the students moving in the right directions. Some will get distracted, and a simple, “Let’s catch up to the class” can help keep the student with the class.

6. Remain available. When the teacher went to the counter to purchase a loaf of bread, I helped keep the children occupied until the teacher returned.

7. Enjoy. I listened and learned about how Great Harvest Bread Company makes their bread. Their system takes many steps, but each employee handles his part and the final product is a beautiful loaf of bread.

How nice it was to enjoy the tour of the bakery after spending time organizing the event. Good planning helps make the event run smoothly. Spending time planning is time wisely spent. On the day of the event, I was able to reap the benefits of my labor by enjoying the tour and taking time to learn the process.

Do you also help your child’s teacher by scheduling or attending field trips? What’s the hardest part of the event for you? Once I get the transition complete, the event takes off. Wishing you lots of success as you help teachers with field trips!

Science Fair: Learning from Adjustment

by

Photograph Credit: Flickr (Oakley Originals)

Are you familiar with a Science Fair? This is an event where contestants bring science projects to be viewed and judged for prizes.  The setup for a Science Fair requires space for viewing and stability to protect the projects.

When the science teacher asked for help with setup, my girls and I arrived to help. After spending some time planning, we began moving round tables into the designated places. Then a Board member arrived to help, and he informed the science teacher of an event scheduled in the same building that evening. We then had to stop. The science teacher worked through the inconvenience and adjusted her plan.

We then helped her to execute that new plan. The final product was not what the teacher envisioned for the Science Fair, but the setup accomplished both goals: room for viewing and solid surfaces to protect the projects.

WHAT I LEARNED:

  • When organizing any event, know who will be using the space of your event between setup and the event.
  • Keep your cool when a bump in the process arises (i.e. a scheduled meeting in your space).
  • Adjust your plan, and keep your focus on accomplishing your basic goals.
  • Help the coordinator by staying calm and being willing to redo the setup.

The next day, the girls and I attended the Science Fair. The event progressed very smoothly. All the projects were well-displayed, and there was plenty of room to move around the exhibits without disturbing the projects.

As you assist or attend an event, do you take note of good organization? I am always looking to improve my organization. When I run an event that is well-organized, I know I have spent my time wisely as I enjoy the activities with my guests.