Lead Volunteers

EXECUTIVE VOLUNTEERS   SUPPORT VOLUNTEERS   OVERVIEW OF RESPONSIBILITIES   MSHE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PHS Leadership Team

The PHS Leadership Team is concerned with the management or day-to-day operations and implementation of policy and programs of Planet Homeschool. These volunteers are responsible for communicating our mission, strategy, and policies to our members and instructors and for coordinating our members toward accomplishing our goals beyond the scope of individual effort. The PHS Leadership Team reports to the MSHE Board.

2023–2024 Executive Volunteers

Executive Volunteers are experienced co-op members who have volunteered to take on the responsibility of developing and implementing the best strategies and policies to achieve our co-op’s goals and for ensuring that all essential tasks are completed. They are committed to knowing, learning, understanding, discussing, researching, setting, explaining, clarifying, revising, and (if necessary) enforcing co-op policies and practices that are in alignment with our co-op’s mission and values, to both soliciting and listening to the preferences and suggestions of our members, and to being discreet with any private information shared by our past, current, or prospective members and instructors.

  1. Mike Zugschwert, Co-op Director.
  2. Renae Rentz, Co-op Director.
  3. Kim Guedes, Associate Co-op Director.
  4. Bee Harrison, Associate Co-op Director.
  5. Katie Minnich, Associate Co-op Director.
  6. Kathy Oaks, Associate Co-op Director.
  7. Theresa Redfern-Hall, Associate Co-op Director.
  8. Carrie Wilder, Co-op Advisor.

Executive Volunteers can expect to spend some time weekly leading the co-op. That includes monitoring the status of our co-op, engaging in decision-making discussions online, and attending planning meetings.

Meetings & Agendas   Resources   About Us

Contact our co-op’s Executive Volunteers regarding policies and operations at PHS.

 

2023–2024 Support Volunteers

Support Volunteers are co-op members who have volunteered to take on the responsibility of ensuring that specific essential tasks needed to implement the policy and programs of Planet Homeschool actually get done.

  1. Assistant Director: open....
  2. Class Registration Manager: Renae Rentz.
  3. Copyeditor: Eliot West.
  4. Course Interest Survey Leads: Bee Harrison
  5. Communications Director: Renae Rentz.
  6. Conflict Resolution Mediator: Kathy Oaks.
  7. Co-op Director: Mike Zugschwert.
  8. Financial Auditor: Trina Greene
  9. Finance Director: MIke Zugschwert
  10. Fundraising Coordinator: …open….
  11. Event Planner: Kim Guedes
  12. Member Liaison: Kathy Oaks.
  13. Membership Manager: Renae Rentz.
  14. Open House Party PlannerBecky Hansen.
  15. Printing, Lamination, and Name Badges: Juliana Harrisking.
  16. Semiannual Get-Together Host: Kim Guedes.
  17. Social Media and Marketing Manager: Marisa Harder-Chapman.
  18. Volunteer Coordinators: Katie Minnich and Carrie Wilder.
  19. Website Editors: Kathy Oaks, Renae Rentz, Eliot West, and Mike Zugschwert.
  20. Website Volunteer, Historian, and Consultant: Theresa Redfern-Hall.

Resources   About Us

Co-op volunteers can be reached at PlanetHomeschoolMN@gmail.com. Messages sent to this address are received by our Communications Director(s) and are forwarded to the appropriate team member.

Members of Planet Homeschool can find personal contact information for most members and instructors in our co-op’s Member Directory.

 

Overview of Responsibilities

These lists are an overview of responsibilities. The first task of any new support volunteer is to remind the other volunteers that they need to be granted access to the relevant resource folder on our co-op’s shared Google Drive so that they may have access to complete information about their assigned tasks and historical records of how tasks have been accomplished in the past (no need to reinvent the wheel).

Assistant Director(s)

  1. Works to become familiar with all aspects of running the co-op and can step in to fill those shoes at a moment’s notice if another member of the Leadership Team is unable to fulfill their duties due to illness or family emergency.

  2. Works with our Co-op Director(s) to ensure that all tasks are completed on schedule.

  3. Our co-op’s Assistant Director is typically in training to become our Co-op Director.

  4. Reaches out to other volunteers for assistance as needed.

Support Volunteers should contact our co-op’s Assistant Director(s) if they are temporarily unable to complete their assigned tasks.

 

Class Registration Management

  1. The duties of this role can be shared among a team of people.

  2. Requests access to the relevant resource folder on our co-op’s shared Google Drive to have access to complete information about the following as well as historical records of how tasks have been accomplished in the past (no need to reinvent the wheel).

  3. Assists with course registration difficulties.

  4. Handles registration restriction overrides with the permission of the instructor.

    • Age restriction exceptions.

    • Override the maximum number of students.

    • Registration deadline overrides.

  5. Monitors course registration cancellations and transfers.

    • Notifies families of course cancellations due to low enrollment.

    • Informs instructor(s) of the need to issue refunds for any invoices that have been paid.

      • Notifies families that tuition and supplies fee refunds will come from the instructor.

    • Ask the Finance Director(s) to check to see if any invoices need to be adjusted or refunds recorded.

  6. Assists instructors with the setup of their website accounts.

  7. Ensures instructor profiles are complete and up to date.

  8. Connects with families who are not registered for courses.

  9. Updates the Executive Volunteers regularly (weekly or so) on the status of class registrations.

    • Identifies classes are in danger of cancellation due to low enrollment.

  10. Troubleshoots occasional Homeschool-Life glitches.

  11. Reaches out to other volunteers for assistance as needed.

 

Communications Director(s)

  1. The duties of this role can be shared among a team of people.

  2. Requests access to the relevant resource folder on our co-op’s shared Google Drive to have access to complete information about the following as well as historical records of how tasks have been accomplished in the past (no need to reinvent the wheel).

  3. Respects the privacy of former, current, and prospective members and instructors.

  4. Checks the PlanetHomeschoolMN email account at least once a day.

    1. Answers straightforward queries.

      • Maintains the list of answers to common questions for future volunteers.

    2. Forwards other emails:

      • To the appropriate volunteer(s) and/or instructor(s) when known.

      • To the PHS Leadership Team Google Group and/or our Co-op Director(s) if not.

      • Maintains the list of common who-to-forward-to for future volunteers.

    3. Keeps inbox clean.

      • Applies or removes labels as needed.

      • Archives completed items (answered, forwarded, or requiring-no-action).

      • Unsubscribes from non-relevant newsletters.

      • Monitors spam for mislabeled emails.

      • Deletes unused drafts periodically.

    4. Is familiar with Gmail options (labels, filters, forwarding, +aliases, scheduling, snoozing, etc.).

  5. Reaches out to other volunteers for assistance as needed.

Contact our co-op’s Communications Director(s) for help connecting with the right volunteer for any co-op-related concern.

 

Conflict Resolution Mediator(s)

  1. The duties of this role can be shared among a team of people.

  2. Requests access to the relevant resource folder on our co-op’s shared Google Drive to have access to complete information about the following as well as historical records of how tasks have been accomplished in the past (no need to reinvent the wheel).

  3. Assists PHS parents, students, instructors, and volunteers with resolving interpersonal conflicts they are unable to resolve on their own.

  4. Reaches out to other volunteers for assistance as needed.

Contact our co-op’s Conflict Resolution Mediator(s) for help resolving co-op-related disagreements they are unable to resolve on their own.

 

Copyeditor

  1. The duties of this role can be shared among a team of people.

  2. Requests access to the relevant resource folder on our co-op’s shared Google Drive to have access to complete information about the following as well as historical records of how tasks have been accomplished in the past (no need to reinvent the wheel).

  3. Consulting on and helping with the various writing tasks involved in running our co-op.

  4. Reviews our co-op’s website and documents to ensure:

    • The use of inclusive language.

    • Clear and consistent formatting and style.

    • Effective and tidy language use (spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.).

    • Ease of maintenance through reduced redundancy.

  5. Maintains our co-op’s Website Style Guide Google Doc.

  6. Reaches out to other volunteers for assistance as needed.

Contact our co-op’s Copyeditor(s) with requests for website corrections or clarifications.

 

Course Interest Survey Leads(s)

  1. The duties of this role can be shared among a team of people.

  2. Requests access to the relevant resource folder on our co-op’s shared Google Drive to have access to complete information about the following as well as historical records of how tasks have been accomplished in the past (no need to reinvent the wheel).

  3. Responsible for shepherding the process of selecting courses for the following year.

  4. Hosts the Brainstorming Session.

  5. Creates and tallies the Course Interest Surveys.

  6. Ensures all necessary information is collected for entering courses and their instructors into our co-op’s website registration system.

  7. Reaches out to other volunteers for assistance as needed.

Contact our co-op’s Course Interest Survey Lead(s) with suggestions for courses for the following year.

 

Director(s)

  1. The duties of this role can be shared among a team of people.

  2. Establishes our co-op’s annual budget and sets a membership fee that will cover our co-op’s expenses without overburdening our members with the assistance of our co-op’s Finance Director(s) and the other Executive Volunteers.

  3. Communicates with Faith UMC about PHS.

  4. Renews our co-op’s liability insurance coverage annually.

  5. Renews our co-op’s Business Filings with the State of Minnesota annually.

    • Ensures our co-op’s Business Filings are accurate and up to date.

    • Our co-op’s mailing address on file is the home address of our Co-op Director.

  6. Supports the Support Volunteers in their various roles, ensuring:

  7. Establishes our co-op’s calendar for the following year in consultation with the other Executive Volunteers

  8. Works with the Course Interest Survey Lead(s) and the other Executive Volunteers to set the course schedule for the following year and recruit instructors.

  9. Works with other Executive and Support Volunteers to ensure co-op members and instructors are regularly informed of PHS policies and practices, using Forum posts, member meetings, and our co-op’s website.

  10. Chairs meetings or designates another chair.

  11. Signs legal documents and policies on behalf of our co-op, such as our co-op’s lease agreement and insurance policies.

  12. The appointment or removal of a Co-op Director must be approved by a majority vote of the MSHE Board and recorded in the official minutes of the meeting.

  13. Reaches out to other volunteers for assistance as needed.

Contact our co-op’s Director regarding the overall policy and operations of PHS.

 

 

Financial Auditor

The PHS Financial Auditor position is an oversight position assisting the PHS Finance Director, ensuring that PHS financial records are in order and accurate. This position requires approval from the MSHE Board of Directors to be granted access to our co-op’s accounts at US Bank and PayPal.

PHS finances are fairly straightforward.

  • We have only a handful of bills that must be paid annually. 

  • Our income comes from membership fees. 

    • Once class registration closes for each semester, there is no more income to track until we open registration again for the next semester.

    • Other than the occasional donation!

  1. Review our co-op’s financial records and log into our co-op’s accounts monthly.

    • You will compare our co-op’s PHS Ledgers Google Sheet to our co-op’s US Bank bank account statements and PayPal account statements to verify accuracy.

    • You will be looking for errors and suspicious activity.

  2. Twice per year, review the Treasurer’s Report for the semiannual meetings of the MSHE Board of Directors. 

    • You will audit the semiannual Treasurer’s Report before the PHS Finance Director sends it back to the MSHE Treasurer.

      • The Treasurer’s Report is mostly generated by the MSHE Books of Accounts Google Sheet and is the responsibility of the MSHE Treasurer to create, but the MSHE Treasurer may need help from the PHS Finance Director and PHS Financial Auditor when confirming that the MSHE Books of Accounts numbers match up with the PHS Ledgers numbers. 

      • The PHS Leadership Team’s focus is academic year budgets, not fiscal year financial reports.

  3. Provide backup to the PHS Finance Director by managing invoices and payments if the PHS Finance Director is unable to do so.

  4. Keep track of your tasks. Know when tasks need to be done and get them done on time.

  5. Keep the PHS Finance Director informed about the status of task

 

Finance Director(s)

While this list appears long, many tasks take less than a minute to complete and there are stretches of inactivity. Our co-op has only a handful of bills to be paid. Our income comes almost entirely from membership fees and tracking those means downloading the records from PayPal and importing them into our financial ledger. Once class registration closes for each semester, there is no more income to track until we open registration again for the next semester.

  1. The duties of this role can be shared among a team of people.

  2. Requests access to the relevant resource folder on our co-op’s shared Google Drive to have access to complete information about the following as well as historical records of how tasks have been accomplished in the past (no need to reinvent the wheel).

  3. Maintains accurate books of accounts for our co-op.

    • Tracks income — almost all income is received through PayPal but there are occasional checks or cash payments.

      • Membership fees.

      • Instructor class fees.

      • Donations (via PayPal Giving Fund, Facebook Fundraising, GiveMN, etc.)

        • Communicates donations (including the mailing address of the donor) to our co-op’s Fundraising Coordinator for written acknowledgments.

        • Assists with tracking in-kind donations as much as possible (members frequently fail to report these donations). Supplies are usually donated in bulk, so there may be semesters with nothing to track.

    • Tracks expenses — we have only a handful of bills, all of which are paid either annually or semiannually:

      • Rent

      • Liability insurance

      • Homeschool-Life licenses

      • Domain name

      • Picnic shelter rental

      • Membership fee refunds

      • Expense reimbursements

  4. Transfers funds from our co-op’s account at PayPal to our co-op’s checking account at least semiannually.
  5. Pays our co-op’s bills — after confirming the accuracy of invoices and statements with our co-op’s Director, the other Executive Volunteers, and any concerned Support Volunteers:

    • Rent (semiannual payment made via check on the first day of the semester with occasional additional payments for late-joining families). Confirm membership numbers with our co-op’s Membership Manager(s) and Class Registration Manager(s) first.

    • Liability Insurance (our co-op has two policies, one is an annual payment made via phone call and due by September 15 and the other is an annual online payment due by September 15). Confirm accuracy with our Co-op Director first.

    • Homeschool-Life licenses (annual online payment due by January 11 with an occasional September additional payment for additional families). Confirm membership numbers and active instructor accounts with our co-op’s Membership Manager(s) and Class Registration Manager(s) first.

    • Our co-op’s domain name (automatic annual payment in mid-May).

    • Picnic shelter rental (semiannual online payment due 7 days prior to the Get-Together — or as a member reimbursement).

    • Reimburses members for approved PHS-related expenditures.

  6. Assists the Director and other Executive Volunteers in establishing our co-op’s annual budget and setting a membership fee that will cover our co-op’s expenses without overburdening our members.

  7. Regularly reviews financial records with PHS Director and MSHE Treasurer (at least semiannually).

    • Prepares semiannual budget reports for the PHS membership and the MSHE Board of Directors.

    • Audits the MSHE Treasurer’s semiannual Treasurer’s Reports for accuracy and completeness.

    • Tracks the health of our co-op’s cash reserves and informs the Director and other Executive Volunteers should our co-op need to make use of those reserves to cover expenses.

  8. Assists our Co-op Director(s) and the other Executive Volunteers in negotiating a biennial lease with Faith UMC.

  9. Creates and maintains instructor payment accounts on our co-op’s Homeschool-Life website.

  10. Creates Membership Renewal Invoices for each membership period.

    • Occasionally issue a membership fee refund via PayPal and record the refund on Homeschool-Life.

    • Delete the unpaid Membership Invoices of those members who do not renew. This is done shortly after class registration closes for the semester (mid-September and mid-January).

  11. Creates Instructor Class Fees invoices for each semester.

    • Sends payment-due reminders for outstanding ICF invoices.

    • Deletes the automatically-generated membership invoices that are created a new instructor creates a website account.

  12. Works with instructors, members, and other Support Volunteers to ensure outstanding tuition and materials fees are paid.

    • Sends payment-due reminders for outstanding tuition invoices.

    • Tracks check payments for those instructors who only accept checks.

  13. On occasion, adjusts an invoice.

    • Class registration cancellations. Homeschool-Life will do some adjustments automatically, but others must be entered manually.

    • Tuition waivers or discounts. (Usually for an instructor’s own children. Occasionally for a classroom assistant.)

    • Supplies fee waivers or discounts. (Usually for students who already have some supplies or who paid the supply fee previously.)

  14. Occasionally, pays an instructor through Paypal for a misdirected tuition payment. (This shouldn’t happen, but it has.)

  15. Maintains accuracy and completeness of our co-op’s accounting records on our Homeschool-Life website.

    • Payments that were made directly to the instructor.

    • Refunds:

      • Membership Fee refunds.

      • Tuition refunds.

    • Invoice adjustments:

      • Cancelled classes.

      • Cancelled class registrations.

      • Tuition waivers and discounts.

      • Supply fee discounts.

  16. Occasional troubleshooting of Homeschool-Life glitches.

  17. File our co-op’s Form 990-N e-Postcard and maintain a record of the filing.

  18. Keep track of when tasks need to be done and get them done on time.

  19. Ensures a smooth transition:

    • Ensures an incoming Finance Director is successfully added as a “signer with access” to our co-op’s checking account.

      • Confirms that a departing Finance Director is successfully removed.

    • Ensures our co-op’s account with PayPal is successfully transferred to the incoming Finance Director.

  20. To ensure proper oversight of our co-op’s finances, the Co-op Director(s), Finance Director(s), and MSHE Treasurer roles cannot be filled by the same person or from the same family. That is, three independent individuals should have access to and regularly review our co-op’s financial records.

  21. The appointment or removal of a Finance Director must be approved by a majority vote of the MSHE Board and recorded in the official minutes of the meeting.

  22. Reaches out to other volunteers for assistance as needed.

Contact our co-op’s Finance Director(s) with your payment, refund, and other finance-related questions and to submit receipts for reimbursement of approved PHS-related expenditures.

 

Fundraising Coordinator(s)

  1. The duties of this role can be shared among a team of people.

  2. Requests access to the relevant resource folder on our co-op’s shared Google Drive to have access to complete information about the following as well as historical records of how tasks have been accomplished in the past (no need to reinvent the wheel).

  3. Ensures IRS-compliant acknowledgments are sent to donors.

  4. Composes and posts to Co-op Forum about current and upcoming fundraising campaigns and ways to donate to and support PHS.

  5. Works with our co-op’s Social Media & Marketing Maven(s) to promote fundraising campaigns on social media.

  6. Works with our Finance Director(s) to track donations and report campaign results to both the Executive Volunteers and co-op members.

  7. Reaches out to other volunteers for assistance as needed.

Contact our co-op’s Fundraising Coordinator about donations and questions related to supporting PHS financially beyond membership fees.

 

Member Liaison(s)

  1. The duties of this role can be shared among a team of people.

  2. Requests access to the relevant resource folder on our co-op’s shared Google Drive to have access to complete information about the following as well as historical records of how tasks have been accomplished in the past (no need to reinvent the wheel).

  3. Answers questions from new and prospective members.

  4. Welcomes new members to the co-op.

  5. Ensures new members have all the information they need:

    • How to register for courses.

    • How to pay their tuition invoices.

    • How to set up student logins.

    • How to access their Class Dashboards.

    • How to contact their instructors

    • How to fulfill their volunteer commitment.

    • Existence of print-at-home membership cards and how to print them.

  6. Helps new members connect with other members.

  7. Encourages all members to host social activities.

  8. Attends the Open House Party and Not-Back-to-School Get-Together (and other PHS events as appropriate) to answer questions from prospective and new members.

  9. Reaches out to other volunteers for assistance as needed.

Contact our co-op’s Member Liaison(s) with questions about PHS and suggestions for building community at PHS.

 

Membership Manager(s)

  1. The duties of this role can be shared among a team of people.

  2. Requests access to the relevant resource folder on our co-op’s shared Google Drive to have access to complete information about the following as well as historical records of how tasks have been accomplished in the past (no need to reinvent the wheel).

  3. Tracks the progress of new and returning members through the membership signup and renewal process.

    • Follows up with those who are “stuck” partway through via email and phone.

      • Helps troubleshoot difficulties.

    • Confirms student-age eligibility of new member applicants.

    • Approves new memberships when all steps are completed.

    • Assigns new and renewed members to appropriate Sections.

      • Learns the role that Sections play in course registration, member management, and the email tool.

    • Subscribes students to Student Forum and other forums as requested.

  4. Sets up our co-op website for membership renewals each semester before membership renewal invoices are created.

    • Updates registration opens dates for New Members and Current Members.

    • Assigns all current members to the Membership Pending section.

    • Creates a new Section for each membership period.

      • Maintains Sections in general.

    • Parks the accounts of non-renewed members approximately 1 week prior to the start of the Semester.

      • Reviews and revised the parked and unparked messages semi-annually or as needed.

  5. Reviews Family Profiles for completeness and accuracy and prompts members to make revisions as needed.

  6. Troubleshoots occasional Homeschool-Life glitches (with the assistance of Homeschool-Life and other co-op volunteers).

  7. Updates the Executive Volunteers regularly on our co-op’s new and renewing memberships counts during membership signup periods.

  8. Reaches out to other volunteers for assistance as needed.

Contact our co-op’s Membership Manager(s) for help with joining Planet Homeschool or renewing your PHS membership.

 

Open House Party Planner(s)

  1. The duties of this role can be shared among a team of people.

  2. Requests access to the relevant resource folder on our co-op’s shared Google Drive to have access to complete information about the following as well as historical records of how tasks have been accomplished in the past (no need to reinvent the wheel).

  3. Leads the planning of the Open House Party.

    • Ensures instructors are aware of the possibility of classroom visitors during the Open House Party.

      • Creates a list of current courses for use at the Open House Party.

    • Creates a list of upcoming courses for distribution at the Open House Party.

    • Invites the local homeschool community to the Open House Party with the assistance of the Social Media & Marketing Maven(s)

  4. Optional: Coordinates snacks and decorations for the Open House Party.

  5. Optional: Organizes lunchtime presentations (performances and exhibits) for the Open House Party.

  6. Reaches out to other volunteers for assistance as needed.

Contact our co-op’s Open House Party Planner(s) with your creative ideas for fun.

 

Printing, Lamination, and Name Badges

  1. The duties of this role can be shared among a team of people.

  2. Requests access to the relevant resource folder on our co-op’s shared Google Drive to have access to complete information about the following as well as historical records of how tasks have been accomplished in the past (no need to reinvent the wheel).

  3. Creates, maintains, and updates signage for the co-op, including classroom schedule door signs.

  4. Coordinates with Volunteer Coordinator(s) to ensure the Onsite Volunteer 3-ring binders are complete and up to date (checklists, guides, layouts, directory, rosters, etc.).

  5. Coordinates with Volunteer Coordinator(s) to ensure the Onsite Volunteer Station corkboard is complete and up to date (various policies, schedules, and notices).

  6. Coordinates with Class Registration Manager(s) to create name badges for students and instructors (and optionally for parents, guardians, and caregivers).

    • Ensures we have an adequate supply of pronoun stickers.

  7. Reaches out to other volunteers for assistance as needed.

Contact our co-op’s Administrative Assistant(s) with requests for replacement name badges or concerns about the condition or accuracy of PHS signage and Onsite Volunteer station resources for volunteers.

 

Semiannual Get-Together Host(s)

  1. The duties of this role can be shared among a team of people.

  2. Requests access to the relevant resource folder on our co-op’s shared Google Drive to have access to complete information about the following as well as historical records of how tasks have been accomplished in the past (no need to reinvent the wheel).

  3. Leads the planning of the Not-Back-to-School and End-of-the-Year Get-Togethers.

    • Sets the time of the event in consultation with the Executive Volunteers.

      • The role of the Executive Volunteers is to confirm that the host’s selected time does not conflict with any other planned co-op activities.

    • Selects the location.

      • If necessary, reserves the picnic shelter.

        • Our co-op budget typically includes $25 per Get-Together to cover the cost of picnic shelter rental.

    • Promotes the Get-Together to both current and prospective members.

    • Ensures sufficient picnic supplies if the Get-Together includes a potluck picnic.

  4.