I continued to be inspired by the creative ways that parent groups raise money and/or create a sense of community at their schools. Here a few of my favorite event articles in the news this week:
And it always saddens me to post articles about thefts from parent groups but they certainly serve as good reminders for PTOs & PTAs to employ smart financial controls.
Has your parent group been in the news and you’d like to share your story with other leaders? Email me at lgundlach@ptotoday.com and I’ll include it our weekly round-up.
I have a question for you this week and figured you might also be interested in the results: Does your PTO or PTA or school organize community service efforts? Food drives, hat and mitten drives, holiday presents for the needy? That kind of stuff.
I’m always impressed by the creative efforts of schools and parent groups when it comes to serving others. Would you mind sharing a quick snippet of what you do on our message boards? I bet you can get some new ideas for your own group from this thread, too.
Just came across a really neat program called the Green Thumb Challenge, offered by the Green Education Foundation (GEF). Sounds like a wonderful opportunity for parent groups, schools, and most importantly kids!
The purpose of the challenge is to introduce kids across the country to the joys and healthy benefits of gardening.
The program runs between February 1 and August 31, 2010 and has set the goal of 10,000 classroom and outdoor gardens. How cool is it to think of 10,000 schools and parent groups working together to teach their children more about nature, sustainability, and nutrition? Besides the obvious benefits of participation, GEF has teamed up with Lowe’s and is offering all participants $10 off a $50 purchase at Lowe’s, and the opportunity to be awarded a $5,000 grant in recognition of their garden project.
Think I’ll bring it up at the next PTO meeting, how about you?
Well happy Friday PTO Today community! Can you believe that January is coming to an end? Felt like a fast month to me, how about you? When you live in New England, winter months flying by is a good thing.
Here’s the news recap for this week:
Found more great stories about schools and parent groups coming through for Haiti with creative ideas:
Remember, if your parent group has been in the news and you’d like to share your story with other leaders email me at lgundlach@ptotoday.com and I’ll include your story in our round-up. If you are wondering how to get your school event in the news, be sure to read our article on how to write a press release.
Tim talks about the 2010 Back2School Program and explains why parent group leaders should take advantage of this great opportunity to reach out and connect with parents at their schools.
Usually I save my annual “candy bar poem” tip for Teacher Appreciation Week, but I actually think it may be even better as a Valentine’s Day gift for the teacher’s lounge. With the candy and all, y’know?
So here is my very favorite teacher gift idea from PTOs and PTAs — the Candy Poem. Click through to take a look, but basically it’s a creative thank-you where key words are replaced by their candy equivalents. (We think you should be paid “100 grand.” You help make our kids “Smarties” instead of “Dum Dums.” You get the picture, right?)
We’ve been working with these guys at Spirit Cups Fundraising for a while now, and I really like the product. Might be because I’m a college sports nut, but I know I’m not alone in that. The real reason, though, is the uniqueness and the quality. Plus these folks seem like good guys. Worth a look if you’re looking for an add-on spring fundraiser.
Reminds me of a key point when it comes to choosing your fundraiser. Profit matters – sure. As does service — definitely. But the third key is the product you choose. Is it interesting? Is it of high quality? Is it something your supporters use (not *can* use but *do* use). If it’s a food item, have you tasted it? Was it great? The Spirit Cups guys gave us some cups back in the fall. My family of four kids have been using and abusing ever since, and they’re still in great shape (the cups, that is; the kids are another story ). Had I purchased them in a fundraiser, I’d be a happy customer right now.
Many supporters will buy from you the first time because they trust you and support your cause, but for long-term success you want to treat your supporters right with good quality products at a fair price and with great service. There are lots of options out there that satisfy on all counts. Are you making sure that your fundraising choices measure up on all three?
Has your parent group been in the news and you’d like to share your story with other leaders? Email me and I’ll include it our round-up. lgundlach@ptotoday.com
Yes, I know it’s still January, but this is actually when we start accepting registrations from groups who want to sign up for our very cool annual Back2School package of know-how for your group and giveaways for your parents. You don’t want to miss this one.
As a summary, the centerpiece of the Back2Schoool offering is Jump In! magazine, which is written to help parents make it a great school year. How and why to get involved. Tips for communicating with teachers and helping the kids succeed in school. Lots of stuff. You get one copy for each parent in your school to hand out from your parent group. (Check out some sample Jump In! articles and other content.)
We also provide custom materials to help you make the most of back-to-school night and ideas on kicking off a great involvement year for your PTO or PTA. There are usually extra giveaways from our sponsors and supporters, as well, which are always nice. And all of it is completely free for K-8 PTOs and PTAs.
Have you tried to get more dads to be involved in your PTO with little success? Tim gives a dad’s perspective of why more fathers are not jumping into the parent group volunteer fray and offers some simple, practical suggestions on how to engage those dads and turn them into active volunteers.
What does your PTO do to help dads be more connected to your school? We would love to hear about your programs and ideas.
Tim mentions Watch D.O.G.S. and Safeteam — two organized initiatives that are doing their part to engage dads in their kid’s education — in this video. Thought you might like to check out their websites.
). Had I purchased them in a fundraiser, I’d be a happy customer right now.
