PTO Today

This four-year-old group decides that PTA option not working best for them and makes switch to PTO. For more on the PTO v PTA differences, our cover story on PTO v PTA is here.

How’s your fall fundraiser going? This Lancaster (PA) feature takes a critical look at some early-return fundraising struggles for area schools. My take on the current situation included in the piece.

Will just add a bit to my quotes that made the piece: think one big challenge will be what groups will do if these lower returns continue. There will be great tempation to run another big fundraiser or two. Trouble with that, though, is that more groups than ever will start to suffer from over-fundraising-itis.

I’d rather adjust the budget down if we have to (or work even harder on our one biggy) than lose parents for the long-term by fundraising them to death.

How are your returns so far this year? And what are you doing about it?

Not since Barbara Eden was traipsing around Harper Valley have parent group volunteers had this kind of attention. You can’t turn on the TV or read the paper without reading about how this PTA mom has ascended to the national stage. Cool, right?

I ‘m hopeful that the attention leads to even more school involvement. Now there’s a platform we all can get behind!

I do have a quibble, though, or at least something to keep an eye on. While no one is making the case that PTA or PTO leadership is akin to national and international standing, it should be equally clear that volunteering (and leading volunteers) shouldn’t be any kind of a blackmark either. I can’t give you an exact link (if you have one, send it through), but several of the commentaries I’ve seen contain a subtle condescension toward Palin’s school volunteer work, as if no one of real substance would have done that job. That’s equally unfair and says more about the speaker than it does school volunteers.

Finally, one interesting link. Found this memo from/to national PTA leadership re: what to say about Governor Palin.

Will be interesting to see if Palin’s school work/school beginnings stay in the spotlight or if — as I suspect — that element of her biography will fall more into the background as the election nears.

Wall Street Journal today covers several new fundraising options with a green theme. PTO Today’s expert take on fundraising trends included.

As you’ll see in the article, to me the #1 measuring stick has to be whether the product and company will work as a money-maker, because all the good work you do in your school depends on the earnings you pull in from your fundraiser. Yes, it would be nice to sell only all-natural, recyclable products that also cure homelessness, but that can only be a factor if the fundraiser also works as a fundraiser.

Same key questions should be asked of a green product as a less-green (more traditional product): will it sell? how much will we make? what’s the customer service like? what are return policies? do you have references? how are the forms and delivery and incentive programs handled? etc. The fundamentals remain the same. Fundamentals? Here’s a story we wrote 6 or 7 years ago on the basics of running your traditional sales fundraiser.

Have you used (or are you considerig using) a “green” fundraiser?

Fresno (CA) Bee takes a look at slow, steady decline of PTAs in region and at PTA leadership’s hopes to stem the tide. Good, comprehensive piece captures both sides.

Our PTO v PTA homepage has more on the topic.

Jersey columnist does a nice job capturing the spirit of a local PTO’s “flocking” event (think: pink flamingos on a parent’s lawn).

Writer includes my take on events like these, but — as happens — the editing process changes things a bit. Basically, I’m a big fan of events like this. Think they add a ton of fun and spirit to a school year, and more fun and more spirit are definitely good things when a PTO is trying to connect with parents.

But even if these events make a few bucks, they shouldn’t be mistaken for fundraisers. Or at least not for good fundraisers. It would take an awful lot of pink flamingos (and more parents than you likely have in your school) to make as much from an event like this as you’ll make from a well-run, more traditional fundraiser. Better to think of your big fundraiser(s) separately from a spirit effort like this. Pink flamingos? Great. A really successful big fundraiser? Great. Pink flamingos as a really successful big fundraiser? Unlikely.

Agree or disagree? Would love to hear your thoughts.

I imagine we’ll be seeing a fairly large onslaught of press over next couple of weeks, as PTA hires male CEO and prepares to install first-ever male president. It’s perfect for PR. Here’s the first feature we’ve seen on the PTA CEO hire.

For the record, a couple of clarifications for the article: 1) That 6 million in membership is actually around 5.3 million these days. But what’s three quarters of a million members (or 13%) among friends? 2) That 26,000 units is actually around 23,000 units.

Excited to introduce all of our ptotoday.com readers and users to a new site we launched just this morning — schoolfamily.com.

It’s from the same team of involvement experts who bring you ptotoday.com, but you’ll see that the focus is subtly but importantly different. Where ptotoday.com is all about the challenges of being a great school PTO or PTA leader, schoolfamily.com is all about the challenges of being a great school parent. Example: ptotoday.com might talk about how to put on a spaghetti supper for 400, while schoolfamily would talk about why attending a spaghetti supper actually matters.

We’re excited about how this kind of new content can help you (as a leader) accomplish even more. Hope you’ll share the new site with all your parents, as helping parents “get it” when it comes to getting involved is what you’re all about and what schoolfamily.com is all about.

(We’d also love your ideas on how we can make schoolfamily.com even better.) Enjoy!

Love to see good results from a program we played a (small) role in.  Here’s a great result ($10,000 grant) from this past year’s Love Your Veggies school grant program, sponsored by Hidden Valley.  PTO Today — through our connection with so many schools — helped manage the back-end of this program for Hidden Valley.

Check out the Love Your Veggies program for your school next year.  Nice dollars and nice, healthy cause. 

We couldn’t be more proud of our affiliation with Lowe’s and the Toolbox for Education program or more thankful for Lowe’s support of PTOs and PTAs nationwide. It’s the only comprehensive grant program focused exclusively on the work of school PTO sand PTAs — and Lowe’s has now given millions to groups through this effort.

Here’s just one great Lowe’s giving story from Lynn, MA. These guys built wooden easels for all their teachers thanks to their grant.

Similarly, I was lucky enough to attend a ribbon-cutting for a local playground recently. Lowe’s generously contributed nearly half the funds needed for the build. So great to see a couple of hundred little faces as they surged toward their new school backyard. Very cool.