It is Back-to-school time, and with budget cuts everywhere, parent volunteers will be needed to help out at schools more than ever. VolunteerSpot is a free online coordination tool that simplifies volunteering and makes it much easier for parents to get involved.

VolunteerSpot makes the volunteer process easier for everyone involved - the parent volunteer coordinators, the parent volunteers, the teachers and the students. Here are some of the features and benefits:

• Recruiting is Simplified
• VolunteerSpot is clipboard compatible
• Sign up for specific assignment is done easily and instantly
• Eliminate the clutter - no paper, just one organizer wizard
• Stay organized
• Keep in touch easily
• Schedule automated reminders
• Volunteers will know when and where they are needed and what they will be doing
• Volunteers can easily sign-up and make changes on the calendar
• VolunteerSpot offers free eBooks for volunteer leaders and active members that will help volunteers planning fundraising and service activities

VolunteerSpot was launched a year ago by Karen Bantuveris, a management consultant, Girl Scout leader and PTA board member. Shocked at all the little things that made volunteering a hassle, she decided to do something about it. VolunteerSpot was created with the mission of enabling anybody to quickly coordinate volunteers in their community, congregation and social network. You can learn a great deal more about this program on the VolunteerSpot website.

Although VolunteerSpot can be used for all of these communities, they do have a special page for schools. Check out the VolunteerSpot School page which is full of tips for parents and teachers in addition to the volunteer coordination tools. In the short time VolunteerSpot has been in business, the online sign up tool has increased parent participation by 20% and has also raised school donation rates. If any of you register before October 1, 2010 using the promo code TeachersSave, you have the chance to win $100 in classroom supplies for your favorite teacher. Good Luck.

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