PTO Today

I have some obstacles that I need some guidance. First, we do fundraisers during the year, and everytime we have an idea to spend money our principal beats us to the punch. So we are goin to the teachers meeting in april and I want to bring a survery with ideas to get some input from the teachers. They are the ones in the school everyday and would know better what they are lacking to be able to guide us to what they want/need.

We are also lacking in participation and I strongly believe it is because we are not a very active PTA. So, I could use some ideas to present to become more active hoping for more participation. We have a local festival in town every year and I am looking into getting a booth to get contact with other parents and our community as well.

Third, we are coming up to elections. We are loosing much of our board. There seems to be alot of behind each others back talking too. Does anyone else have this?

why is your principal telling you what to spend with your money? refer to your bylaws, what does it say about how you spend your money?

the children do the fundraising (ok parents) so the parents raised this money so the parents vote on how it should be allocated.

we hold meetings, have agendas, grant requests, Q&A and then a vote.

---lack of participation is the name of the game. Communicate, communicate, communicate. send out mass emails, put out a monthly newsletter of what's going on, where you spend your money, what else you need.

shame those parents into volunteering or threaten to cancel events: "we have 745 incredible kids and we have 33 parent volunteers...." "your kids keep us busy, please volunteer or we will have to cancel the....spring fling....book fair....etc....

thank the ones that volunteer all the time and recognize their efforts in your newsletters.

---elections - if no one steps up.... put out a letter of all the events that will go away if you don't have a fearless leader to keep it going. go to the file exchanges on this website and use the sample flyers as a guide.

tell them if there is no pto, then all the monies raised or left over goes to another non profit organization. (that's what our bylaws say).

wow... hang in there!

ds