There are many posts on this issue, but I'm in a time crunch. I'm having a meeting tonight (Brand new PTO) and starting to get nervous. I hadn't even really considered dues, but now I'm thinking maybe $5 per family to give them "voting rights" otherwise I see people showing up when convenient and voting only on issues they want. Does that make sense? I saw a post about being a 501 (c) (3)...non-profit = no dues. Is that a conflict? Thanks!

There is no conflict. YOu can be 501 and still have dues for memberships (they are considered donations). There are many thoughts on this topic. We go with dues but have a very specific target for those monies collected (they can only be used for enhancements to the school in a physical sense - like structural enhancements etc). We tell folks they are a donation and that their support ensures that no one class year ever has to raise money to remulch etc. I do like the idea of no dues but with 250 members we'd miss the 1500 dollars we generate and folks don't seem to mind since we do free events during the year. I don't think the voting thing is a big deal really but I guess it is one way to determine good standing with the organization--although 7.50 or 5 dollars is not really that much of a determinant.

d

Well, everyone who has been reading my posts for the past couple of years knows that I am totally against the idea of dues.

As President I love being able to tell the new Kindergarten parents that they are already members of the PTO. This is an inviting thing. "Hey, you're already a member, why not get involved?" I would hate the idea of having to say "Please become active, and give us $5."

The point is twofold:

First, many groups boast how huge their PTO is. I see it all of the time, group's stating that they are 300 or 400 members. To me this is not real. To me, the committee members are the active members. That term can be described in many ways and differently depending on who you talk with. IMO the term "active" means those who come to the meetings, or take on responsibilities, or volunteer in the classrooms, or help out at any of our, or the school events.

That's pretty broad. Anyway...

Secondly, the more inviting that we can be as a PTO to getting those active volunteers the better our group is going to be. Yes, if you charge $5 to be a "member" you may raise a couple of grand. And yes, to some groups, $2000 is extremely valuable. But that 2 grand does not even compare to what you will get over the course of a year with just a few extra, new active members.

Personally I like promoting my group in this way. It's inviting and I've been told this by many new, active members.

Is there a conflict? As Diff said, no. But the exclusion perception is something that I would never recommend. Many think of our groups as a clique, so why would you want to play into that?

PresidentJim

All good advice...and I appreciate it! I'm 30 minutes from leaving for my first meeting. It's just me. No board. I've gotten a few phone calls this week so I'm not too worried that it will just be me. I like the no dues approach but just not how to kick it off and earn some funds. The school already has fundraisers, although not good ones, for the rest of the year so I'm clueless as to how we are to do anything with no money. I'm sure the school will let us take over the fundraisers, but not the money! Any suggestions on how to start from my position? Thanks so much!

Olson, I hope your first meeting went well! I can't wait to hear about it.

Regarding dues and voting, I don't see the two, necessarily, as connected.

My last group did not charge dues. All parents/guardians and staff members were automatically members. Like PresidentJim says, this is my favorite approach as well.

However, our bylaws were specific about defining members and voting members. Like I said, all parents/guardians and staff members are members but only board members (officers, committee chairmen, teacher reps) are voting members.

If you do decide to charge dues, I believe one of the many benefits that should come with that is a vote. Even then, some groups limit votes to members who pay dues and attend a minimum number of meetings and/or events.

The beauty of being a PTO is that you can decide each of these elements for your own group based on what's best for your community. Spend the rest of the school year and summer break talking out these items before drafting bylaws.

On the dues being a donation - that depends on the situation. If membership dues provide an special privilege or benefit, they are not deductible as a charitable contribution. For instance, if members get a free copy of the directory, or (only) members of an organization get a newsletter or some other perk, it's not a donation.