I am the president of our PTO. We have recently started a raffle and a member of our group is upset with me because I will not allow our children to sale the tickets door to door. She has made the statement to others that she feel's that I do not trust the kids, and she plans on writing an article about me and putting in our local newspaper.I want to give her dues back to her and tell her we do not need her. Better yet I want to tell her off. It is against our school policy to allow our children to go door to door. We live in a small town and we have a great community, still you never know what can happen. Please someone tell me what I can say to this woman without sounding like a knowitall.

Isn't volunteering to work in the PTO wonderful!!!???
Our PTO does not have a formal written policy on this but it is the consenses of the parents and staff that we do not want our children going door-to-door selling anything. A small town can harbor a dark side - just like the big city - and a raffle ticket is not worth the price a child may pay so your school can earn a buck for field trips. Friends, neighbors and family can and do support fund raising without the necessity to solicit strangers.

If sending children out to sell things door-to-door is truly against your PTO/school policy, rely on that policy to communicate the message. This mother sounds like she needs something to do with all of her time and gosh, since she seems to feel the need to write --- how about using her editorial as an opportunity for you to include your perspective of the situation along side her assessment in the local paper. The public will appreciate hearing both sides and without "telling her off" carefully state the policy and focus on the issue of the safety of the children. If you take care to write with utmost professionalism and state facts - the school/PTO does not allow this as policy and solid reasons why - the readers will see this foolishness of the situation and it will be yesterday's news real fast - even in a small town.

Look on the bright side ---
If your little town is truly small - it may give the community something exciting to read AND you can tell everyone where they can purchase their ticket at the end of the article. Might as well boost sales while you've got the spotlight!

Wow..it is amazing to hear that our PTO isn't the only one with people who don't truly understand what it is we are trying to do...Keep Kids Safe!! Anyway, in our school system, it is not only the PTO, but the school boards policy that children cannot sell any fundraiser door to door. It would be interesting to beat this woman to the punch and write a letter first to your local paper explaining about the raffle and that in the interest of child safety that the children will not be coming door to door but letting readers know where they can purchase the tickets. Since your in a small town maybe some local businesses will let you sell them there too. Good Luck:)

I have to agree. Its best not to offend anyone, especially potential volunteers. But use your organizations policies and stand beind them. Try your hardest to make all disscussions about the topic and not let it be personal (Roberts Pules realy help with this).
We have a member who dislikes everything we do and is always negative at every meeting. Though some of the ideas are good the facts are never straight and the view is always slanted. It has made our meetings much more diffucult. We are trying to use this person in a positive position, but it is tough.
One of the hardest jobs in PTO is to get the organization to understand we are a support group. We do not make major decisions, and no one stands alone.

I am from New Jersey and this is still a very sore subject in our State. Only a few short years ago a young boy was killed soliciting door to door for his school PTA. In New Jersey they are working on making it against the law for children to go door to door and needless to say our PTO will support that legislation wholeheartedly.
Regarding this mother's comment that you don't trust the kids... I think she has missed the point it's not the kids you don't trust. Stand firm and know the right decision was made regarding the safety of all children. Our townwide policy is that if any child is found selling door to door ALL fundraising is stopped. On all fundraising flyers that go home with the children we make sure in bold, highlighted, in all caps and practically with a blinking message we typed "DOOR TO DOOR SELLING IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED" and at each of our meetings we remind the parents of our position on this issue. Hope my view points helped.

I don't think I could state anything more than has already been stated here already!! Our school has a no door-to-door policy also. It is up to the parents to enforce this with their children.
LORI