Tim's Tips Archive

PTO Today founder and publisher Tim Sullivan has been writing about important issues for parent groups since the first issue of the magazine was published. You can find all of his columns below. Our email newsletter includes a weekly tip from Tim, and Tim is also a frequent contributor to the PTO Today Blog and our Message Boards. Find highlights and featured columns on the Tim’s Tips resources page.

• Are Your Type A Ways Good For Your Group? - You're great at what you do. But sometimes the same passion that drives you can affect your group's ability to make a difference.
• When Tragedy Strikes, Parent Groups Are There - PTO and PTA groups are uniquely positioned to support families when the unthinkable happens.
• Picking the Best Fundraiser for Your Group - There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to deciding on a fundraiser, but assessing a few key factors can help you choose the right one for you.
• A Key To Avoiding PTO Burnout: Take a Breather - Remembering to give yourself a break is essential to the long-term success of your group.
• Expand Your Focus, and Increase Your School’s Success - Your group is part of a school ecosystem. Are you taking everyone’s needs into consideration?
• Money Doesn't Buy Parent Group Success - Ignore the headlines. Passion and enthusiasm—not money—are what make great parent groups.
• How To React to Critics - Is there anything more annoying than disapproving comments from people who never help? But as a leader, you can deal with them positively.
• The Volunteering Gene - Time spent helping out could result in lifelong friendships—and your kids might follow your example as adults.
• The Fundraising Salesperson and Your PTO - Fundraising reps have a lot of expertise in their field; take advantage of it to maximize your profits.
• Developing New PTO and PTA Leaders - It takes ongoing effort to cultivate the parents who will run the group after you retire.
• Your PTO Doesn't Have To Be Perfect - Feeling burned out? Your parent group’s struggles are common—and your efforts do make a difference.
• School Parent Groups Build Community - Parent groups create an atmosphere that allows the school’s teachers to do their best work.
• Three Types of Parent Groups: Which One Are You? - Some reflection about your parent group’s current status will help you plan for the future.
• Adjusting to Middle School: 3 Keys for PTOs - To succeed as a middle school PTO or PTA leader, get out of the grade school mind-set, revisit your group's goals, and involve students in event planning.
• PTO Fundraising Takes Customer Service - Forget guilt; finding the right product, then selling it the right way, will raise more and make a better impression.
• Put Parent Involvement Before Fundraising - Too much fundraising talk can take the focus off your primary goals.
• PTO Events Strengthen Schools - The relationships formed at PTO and PTA family nights strengthen the school-home connection and empower parents.
• Better PTO Communications With Tech Tools - Email and social networking have opened up a whole new world for parent groups; is yours taking full advantage?
• They Can’t All Be Like Us - How do you feel about people who don't get involved?
• Help for Your School Food Drive - Introducing the National School Food Drive resources and website.
• What Principals Fear From Parent Groups - Your principal has to carry many responsibilities. Are you adding to them?
• Is Your PTO Fun Enough? - PTOs and PTAs that aren't fun and welcoming will struggle more in their involvement efforts; working to change that might be the most important thing a parent leader can do.
• Making Smart Decisions as PTO Leaders - Fear of controversy often nudges parent leaders toward the status quo when questions come up. But you can make good decisions for your PTO or PTA without alienating members.
• Pep Up Your Parent Group - Is your parent group in a rut? Here's how to get out of it.
• Defining the Role of a PTO - What role should your PTO play? That answer will change as the needs of your school community change.
• Are You Planting Roots? - Success has a life cycle; make yours last by nurturing new leaders.
• Get Out and Smell the Coffee - You can build a support system through a little bit of cafe life and a whole lot of networking.
• Stop the PTO Drama - Drama seems like a fact of PTO life—but it doesn’t have to be.
• What I Know About Fundraising - Getting a few important basics right will make the biggest difference for the success of your parent group’s fundraising efforts.
• Good Fundraising Is More Than Just Profit - Don't choose a fundraiser for your group based on profit percentage alone.
• Unpaper Your PTO - Cutting back on how much paper your group uses will mean less time copying—and more money saved.
• Dads Are Different - For more participation from dads, meet them on their level.
• A Tale of Two Volunteers - Bridging the newbie-veteran gap.
• We've Got You Covered - Our goal: creating solutions to deal with all of the challenges your parent group might face.
• Confront the Fear of Quitting - Concerns about how they'll be treated if they stop volunteering makes some parents avoid getting involved at all.
• Measuring Meetings - There are much better ways to gauge the success of your parent group than counting how many seats get filled to go through a monthly agenda.
• Easy Money Comes at a Price - If it looks like easy money, it'll probably cost your parent group.
• Just Say No to Dues - Dropping dues from your budget can pay off in higher involvement and more willing volunteers.
• Involvement Step by Step - Getting new parents to participate means finding out where they are on the involvement ladder, then creating opportunities that match.
• Think Big, Get Big - Launching an ambitious project can rally support for your group and enhance your image.
• It Pays To Go Slow - Building support for your group takes time. Often a patient approach will get you to your goal faster than a sprint.
• Where Involvement Begins - Parent groups play a key role in making schools better. Unfortunately, the role often goes unappreciated.
• Let Teachers Teach - What do you really want, and what should you expect, from the T in PTO?
• How's Your Q Score? - When parents think about your PTO, what kind of feeling do they get? Marketers call that a Q score; here's why it matters.
• 10 Truths About Parent Groups - The best PTOs and PTAs share certain characteristics that make them successful.
• Open Doors, Lots of Them - It's important to make it as easy as possible for parents to get involved. Are you doing all you can?
• Quit Being So Nice! - Sometimes doing what’s best for your group and school means stepping on toes.
• The Fundraising Myth - "Fundraising fatigue" isn't a national trend that you can't fight. It's a problem that can be addressed by rethinking the way you conduct fundraisers.
• Escaping the Guilt Trap - There's a better way to get parents involved than guilting them into it.
• Do You Really Want Help? - Often it's easier to just do things yourself. But for the long-term health of your group, your time can be better spent.
• Put Meetings in Perspective - Parents have limited time to devote to volunteering. Should you ask them to spend it attending meetings?
• Make Peace With the Principal - Even if you're at odds over certain issues, it's important to find common ground with the principal.
• Fundraising Makes It Happen - Fundraising shouldn't be your group's main focus. But fundraising the right way can make a significant difference in how well you're able to fulfill your mission.
• It's Always Sharing Season - Almost a decade of connecting parent group leaders has shown the ever-present interest in learning from each other.
• The One-Hour Pledge - You'll get a lot more people to volunteer if they know there's a limit to their commitment.
• No PTO Left Behind - While education fads come and go, parent groups still concentrate on the time-tested elements that enhance learning and community.
• The Truth About Cliques - If people say your group is a clique, it is. In this case, perception matters.
• "Just a PTO"? Say It Isn't So! - Don't downplay the work you do. Parent groups play an important role in helping students and teachers succeed.
• 7 Steps To Grow Involvement - Use the approach to parent involvement taken by the most successful parent groups. These resolutions will change how you think about attracting members and volunteers.
• The Small-Budget PTO - You can accomplish great things without raising big money.