Old board left you in the lurch? It happens. But you can succeed without them. To get your bearings quickly: 

1.  Use meeting minutes and newsletters from this year to piece together information about events. 

2. Reach out to past committee chairs and volunteers. They may no longer be available to help, but they could have vendor names and phone numbers, along with other tips. 

3. Check your group’s bylaws to get information on the nuts and bolts of the group, like how often to hold meetings. The document should be online. Also, the principal may have a copy. 

4. Speaking of the principal, ask if she wouldn’t mind spending some time with you to provide feedback on events and programs from the previous year. 

5. Review all financial information (there should be monthly reports online or budgets in Excel or other software) that will give you a good idea of how money was spent and when. 

For additional help, go here: 

PTO & PTA Leaders Group
We have an active Facebook group where many PTO and PTA leaders are happy to share helpful tips and ideas.  We’re seeing new leaders posting all sorts of basic questions, so jump right in!  You need to request to join and we are happy to include you! 

Our Pinterest Board for New Leaders 
We’ve compiled lots of content here aimed at newbies.  You can find  ideas on everything from starting a parent-child book club to learning how to delegate. Tip: Set up a Pinterest board for your PTO and invite your other board members to post to it. It can be a great visual database for event and program ideas. 

New Leader Kit
Our free kit for new leaders includes a collection of articles that’ll help you work on key leadership skills.