Oh, it's tough when this happens. The problem is, you can take legal action against these parents, but the amount of time and money it could end up costing your group -- not to mention the ill-will it could generate -- is not always worth it.
We often advise a PTO in this situation to eat the costs and move on, but, in your case, $600 is a good chunk of money.
You could consider one final plea to them in writing (try registered mail) that says if they don't pay up within one week you will take legal action. You could get responses that way.
This is really a shame because that $600 could go a long way in funding stuff for the kids.
I guess the tough lesson here is you may have to revise your process for getting the chocolates (or whatever the fundraising product) to parent before the money has been collected. Is there some way you could set it up next year to avoid this?
I think MIDad shares some great advice also. But I would avoid a direct confrontation where you ask people about their financial situation. I also would not publishing names. The urge to publicly humiliate can be strong when you feel like someone has stiffed your group, but I think it's crossing a line.
I would call rather than write at this point, or stop them in the halls or parking lot if you see them there, and ask, "Are you folks in trouble financially?" Some might say yes, in which case you could offer to set up a payment plan or, depending on the financial situation of the PTO, consider forgiving the debt. Some might seem surprised you would ask, at which point you can say "It's just that you haven't paid the PTO for the chocolate yet, so I was worried you might be having money trouble."
If you still don't have the money 30 days later, if it were me I'd send one more letter saying the people who haven't paid or responded to repeated inquiries yet will be named in the next PTO newsletter. Small claims court is probably an option, but I'd start smaller.
We had a fundraiser in November 2011 selling the World's Finest Chocolate. I had parents pick up boxes of chocolates and made them sign their name and phone number. Its already May 2012 and I have at least 7 parents that owe money totaling to around $600. I've sent numerous letters and called them and left messages but no luck. How can i collect this money? Can PTO take them to small claims court. I've already advised the principal and she said she cannot do anything or get involved since its "PTO". Any ideas on how to collect the money?
