PTO Today

If you’ve worked a fundraiser with a cash-or-check-only policy, then you know your parent group could be even more successful if people were allowed to use credit cards.

Well, now we have a solution to that problem. PTO Today has teamed up with PayAnywhere to offer an easy-to-use mobile payment option to parent groups.

PayAnywhere is a free credit card processing app and secure credit card reader that attaches to a mobile phone and allows you to accept credit card payments with an easy swipe. You can use it at fundraisers, book fairs, auctions, or other school events.

To keep it simple, PayAnywhere has no setup or cancellations fees, plus groups do not have to meet a minimum monthly usage requirement. For each transaction, there’s a flat 2.69 percent fee.

Details on PayAnywhere are on our site here.

PayAnywhere supports Apple iOS, Android, and BlackBerry smartphones. Every transaction is encrypted to make sure that customer data is secure.

The company is offering customer support by email, phone, or live chat. You can also check out its online tutorials at PayAnywhere.com/support.

I’m a big fan of school auctions. They can be effective fundraisers, and better yet, when done right, they can be great community builders. That can be even more valuable than the dollars and cents.

How many times per year does your group of supporters get together socially without the kids? Very few, right? Your auction provides a great venue for that. Take full advantage.

If you price your dinner tickets sky high, then you are going to discourage attendance and change the feel of your whole event. It clearly will only be about fundraising. Instead, price the dinner tickets as low as you can (right at your cost, even) and encourage as many parents to come as possible.

More attendees always means more bidders and excitement (and more overall dollars made), but it also can help create the kind of everyone-working-together spirit that does wonders for your school for the whole year.

More good auction content:

• Auctions: Make Them Fun and Festive
• 9 Keys to Auction Success
• More Auction Planning Resources

Nobody wants to just be thrown into a PTO leadership role. There are several steps your group can take to help smooth the transition from one group of officers to the next. Transition issues are big to many groups.Take a look at the recent exchanges on our Question and Answer section to get a sense of what is on your colleagues’ minds.

And, in the meantime, if you are currently a leader, consider the following:

Plan for your successor. From the day a president steps into office, it’s important to begin succession planning. Succession shouldn’t be something that sneaks up on the group but rather an ongoing issue that is regularly looked at.

Recruit, recruit, recruit. It’s crucial to actively seek new leaders. Get out there and talk up the job and help make it sound like the rewarding experience we all know it can be.

Pass it on. To have a smooth transfer of power, you must have a smooth transfer of knowledge. Binders that include contacts, paperwork, how-to manuals, and various forms can be invaluable to incoming leaders. Ask officers and committee chairs to keep ongoing logs of their activities and then use these logs to create the binder.

Share the load. If you can’t find the right person for the job, consider job sharing. Or set up a system of copresidents and cochairs where the co-treasurer, for example, learns the job from the treasurer one year then takes over the next year.

Set term limits. Term limits aren’t just for politicians. Many PTOs have found that term limits help prevent some leaders from overstaying their welcome. Plus, they can give a green light to a volunteer who may be considering a leader-ship position but is reluctant to interfere with the current lineup of officers.

Create a position for past presidents. Sometimes the easiest way to get a president to move out is to designate a way that she can move up. Some PTOs achieve this by creating a “president emeritus” position. The formal title gives past leaders a feeling of legitimacy and connection. And at the same time, it ensures that past presidents will be accessible to newcomers who are seeking the voice of experience.

Keep things in perspective. It’s natural to disagree from time to time, and people will have different perspectives on topics. Keep disputes from turning personal by focusing discussions on the group’s purpose—helping the children and the school. Ask the principal or a board member to step in and referee if help is needed.

Many of us have a love-hate relationship with auctions. When you are in the final throws of putting the auction together, you are probably not feeling a whole lot of love. You’re too busy hunting for a few more volunteers (because a half dozen who promised to help have gone AWOL) or you are perhaps responding to a parent’s complaint about the menu. Just when you’ve wrapped the last of a few dozen theme baskets in cellophane, you proclaim: Never again!

But then the auction goes well, and you’ve pulled off a huge event for your school. You’ve had a great time and you’ve seen parents connect on the big night. And then, caught up in the joy of this accomplishment, you actually announce you’ll chair next year’s auction!

But we are getting ahead of ourselves. Before you get to that giddy point, you probably have a few remaining details for this year’s event. If you are in the final stretch before your spring auction, here are some very last minute tips for you to consider.

Take a look at our article on helping to keep auctions fun and festive. Some of us can lose sight of the fact that the event is supposed to be fun and this article has some good ideas on keeping the focus on the festivities. Also, it includes suggestions on practical auction issues, such as boosting profits. One idea is to stagger the closing of the silent auction items instead of ending it all at once. This gives more opportunities for bidding.

Many of our community members have weighed in on auction strategies recently and offer these great nuggets of advice:

• Give incentives to parents who buy event tickets ahead of time and promote special items by taking photos and posting them on your website. These and other suggestions are on this new auction event ideas thread.

• Need just a few more theme basket ideas? How about using an umbrella (opened, turned upside down) as the basket and load it with miscellaneous items that you would save for a rainy day? Other basket ideas are on this theme basket thread.
• At the event, watch the silent auction action. If someone gets outbid, there’s no harm in letting that person know while he still has time to place another bid! Read more about boosting the bids on this thread.
•  Finally, visit our file exchange for auctions, where we have lots of downloadables. Just a few examples: silent auction bid sheets and a sample profit and loss statement.

Good luck… and have a great event!

We had a great turn out last week at our “All About Online Auctions” webinar. Thanks to all that participated. There were many excellent questions asked and we hope you learned a lot.

This Wednesday, November 16, is the Maximize Your Online Auction & Intro to Mobile Bidding webinar.

Take part in this webinar for a more advanced look into maximizing the potential of your online auction, including the most recent technological development – mobile bidding. The online auction experts from BiddingForGood will share why schools are especially suited for online and mobile bidding success.

Register today and tune in for some great info on Wednesday, November 16th at 2:00 PM ET. If you are working or you are taxiing kids around during that time, fear not! Sign up for the webinar anyway … we will be sending everyone who registers a recording of the event so you can listen and learn, when it is convenient for you.

I have school auctions on my brain this week as we prepare for the auction at my children’s school this Friday night. With that in mind, I’ll give you three quick tips from my experience as an observer of auctions around the country and as a long-time attendee, donor, and buyer at our own auction.

First — open bar! OK, OK, just kidding. We can’t afford that bar tab, but it is important to do all you can to make your event a fun night out. For most schools, there aren’t that many fun adult evenings built around the school. More couples attend and we’re all in better spirits (and typically bidding more) because our event organizers make sure the evening is more than just a boring fundraiser. Music, themes, decorations, good food, and yes, even cocktails — these are all good investments in turning your auction into an annual success.

Second — don’t feel like your ticket price needs to be the big moneymaker. You want bodies and more bodies in attendance, both to make the evening more fun for all (see above) and because more bidders equals higher winning bids. Price the ticket to attract as many attendees as you can. And trust that you’ll make your dollars from bidders and goodwill. Even those who attend and don’t buy anything will grow closer to your school, especially if you don’t gouge them on the ticket price.

Finally — take the time to organize at least a couple of truly unique items that will generate buzz and that can be purchased only through your auction. These typically aren’t “things” but experiences. A very popular teacher at our school throws one pool party per year at his own pool. He makes it fun, and the rarity of it makes it a big moneymaker. Another school I know auctions a seat in the front of the fire engine during the town’s annual gala parade. Very cool.

We have a great article with tips to make your auction a success. Also, if you’re considering adding an online auction to your event (or already have one), you might be interested in one of these upcoming free webinars: All About Online Auctions at 2 p.m. Nov. 9, and Maximizing Your Online Auction/Intro to Mobile Bidding at 2 p.m. Nov. 16.

We always get lots of questions about auction planning, and over the past year or so questions about online auctions in particular have been popping up. So we’re excited to let you know that we’ve partnered with BiddingForGood to offer two webinars about online auctions! Attendance is free for one or both of these:

• All About Online Auctions, 2 p.m. Wednesday Nov. 9
• Maximize Your Online Auction/Intro to Mobile Bidding, 2 p.m. Wednesday Nov. 16

Don’t worry if you’ve never participated in a webinar before—they’re easy, plus they’re a great way to learn more about a topic of interest. And, at the end of each of the presentations there will be a Q&A with an online auction expert from BiddingForGood.

Hope you can join us!

Gearing up for a fall fundraising auction? If yes, then you’re likely in “acquisition mode,” where your volunteers are scrambling for donations that you can auction off. That’s fine, and I totally see the value in getting $20 for the dry cleaning gift card you got for free. But if you want a really successful, memorable auction, focus more on what I call “stuff you can’t get at Target.”

The best memories and your best profits will come from truly one-of-a-kind items. The good news is that these don’t have to cost your group much at all, if anything. My mom, a 1st grade teacher, used to offer two hours of after-school computer time and an ice-cream trip. That item went for big bucks each year. Her cost: $3.99. At my children’s school, the ride home in a police car, Principal for a Day, and naming rights for the school cafeteria (David’s Deli, Rachel’s Restaurant) are the big ticket items.

Not only do these items turn nice profits, they also generate the kind of buzz that helps you grow your auction year after year. Frankly, dry cleaning gift cards or a $50 restaurant trip for $42 just aren’t all that buzzworthy. For long-term success, buzz matters.

We have a ton of auction info on the site. Check out these links:

• Auction Gold: Student Art Projects
• Auction Planning FAQs
• School Auctions Resources Page

With budget cuts plaguing schools across the country, many parent groups are looking to auctions to bring in the big money. The articles in this week’s news round-up demonstrate how PTOs and PTAs are getting more creative with their approach to school auctions, with impressive results:

• A walk-a-thon and silent auction proved to be a winning combination for this California school. Congrats to this spirited group for raising $40,000 while encouraging healthy habits.
• By combining a family bowling night with a silent auction this PTO hopes to build community and raise a little money. Sounds like a fun family affair.
• Free admission, food, drinks, children’s entertainment, children’s art gallery and 50 themed baskets all add up to a fabulous family event and a fun auction.
• Adults only for this Burgers and Brew auction event. Attendees get a chance to bid on some fun items while listening to the high school jazz band. We wish this PTA the best of luck on their first ever auction.
• Online auctions seem to be growing in popularity. This school is part of the trend of schools kicking off an auction fundraiser with an online offering,  followed by a live event. Very neat how they are following up their online auction with a small gallery walk featuring kids’ masterpieces and a dessert bar.
• Kudos to this school for a unique auction experience. In addition to bidding on art, attendees get a chance to create art. Unique activity at this event: judging student’s edible art creations. How fun!
• Love how this school takes the something for everyone approach to their family event/silent auction.  To name a few, families can enjoy water activities, rock climbing, a game cave, and classic car show.

Did your school host an auction this year? Share your stories and event photos on our Auction page!