I've seen this list (and similar versions of it on a lot of PTA websites). Am glad to have the chance to add some color or rebuttal. I realize -- as JHB points out -- that some bias may get into my opinions on this stuff (that sometimes happens when folks repeatedly and publicly question your ethics), but I can very confidently claim that on this topic: 1) we have our facts straight; and 2) we start with the assumption that all folks doing this stuff are trying to do good work.
The below is certainly off on several of the facts.
Ally;145679 wrote: Here is a better "vs" flyer that has the truth in it about PTA/PTO.
One common question PTA leaders are asked is, “What’s the difference between PTA and PTO Today?” Below is a list of replies you can give. Item 1 is the most important, so use that if you only have a little time. Use more when speaking or making presentations to interested non-PTA parent or community groups.
1. In a nutshell, PTO Today, which appears to position itself as a national affiliation organization, is a for-profit business that sells information through a magazine and a Web site. Whether or not they pay PTO Today a single dime, non-PTA parent groups are not part of a larger organization.
We've never tried to position ourselves as a national affiliation organization. We've said from the beginning (check out the About Us pages here, etc.) that we're a media company focused on the school parent group world. It's a model used by literally hundreds of other "niche" media companies. There are companies like ours focused on electrical engineers and teachers (does the NEA have a problem with Teacher magazine?) and oil companies and boat manufacturers. Importantly, about 97% of our revenue comes from advertisers and sponsors, so we provide the vast majority of our services to parent groups for free. Sidenote: thousands and thousands of PTAs, by the way, use one or several of our many free services. We're glad to be of help.
2. Most state PTAs (though not all) offer automatic not-for-profit and tax exemption to their local units. PTO Today cannot do this. All non-PTA parent groups must apply for this status themselves if they want the benefits of not-for-profit status. The current fee for filing for not-for-profit status with the IRS is $750.
This is true. Worth noting, though, that the filing fee is a one-time fee. So while it affects the first-year comparison math, it quickly becomes less relevant with only a couple of years of savings. It's like deciding if you want to pay $200 extra for a fridge that is going to save you $75 per year on electricity bills. If you plan on owning that fridge for 15 years, then it's a no-brainer.
3. The money that goes to PTA is not money taken away from schools. It is put back into the organization to provide services and resources to members so that they can be more effective at helping their children and schools. PTO Today is a privately owned company with $2.6 million in revenue in 2004 (Boston Business Journal, April 18, 2005). Its owner benefits from the profits from the services his company provides.
Couple things here: I think there's a fair argument about whether that $1,000 per group in dues is efficiently or well spent and -- more importantly -- whether it's what most parents would want done with their dollars. I 100% agree that PTA has good goals, but I think it's fair of groups to ask if they're getting what they want for their money.
Thankfully, our revenue is up from that old article. We're providing a ton more free services today than we were then, largely because we've had such good success with advertising and sponsorship. Last week, I attended a playground opening where Lowe's donated $110,000 to build the playground for a very deserving school. We're part of that because we're paid by Lowe's to help run the back end (data, assessment, reporting, promotion) of that program. I think that's a good thing and am very proud that that is our business. By the way, again, hundreds and hundreds of PTAs have received a total of more than a million dollars in grants from that program.
4. State PTAs are made up of trained and passionate volunteers who have led local units. They provide personal support to local units and assist with legislative issues, training, tax changes, and many other items that specifically affect PTAs. PTO Today does not have people in the field and provides no such support.
Don't have people in the field, but we actually do provide a ton of support to folks. For free, by the way. We get probably 200 phone calls and another couple of hundred emails or forum posts per week that are all handled or responded to. Our staff is great at that, if I do say so myself.
5. PTA is an extremely well-recognized organization that has worked to make significant, positive changes for all children, including school breakfast and lunch programs, nationwide polio vaccinations, and most recently, parent involvement standards in the federal act known as No Child Left Behind. PTO Today isn’t and hasn’t.
It is definitely true that PTO Today has no political bent or goals and that PTA does. It's also definitely true that some groups (fair opinion) prefer not to have political activism mixed with their parent group work, which is why it's nice there are two options. I've always said that if national political activism is part of your group's goals, then PTA is a good option.
Worth noting that there are some political folks who also question the PTA's effectiveness/voice in politics, but there's really no way to prove that effectiveness one way or the other.
6. The portion of dues local PTAs send to state and national PTA is low (only $1.75 to national and a few dollars to state), but the return on investment is very high. PTO Today claims to be cheap—but you get what you pay for. (See number 7 below.)
7. PTA’s growing list of resources currently includes 18 comprehensive campaigns and programs; 5 national award recognitions; 1 annual convention (and 1 state convention in each state), dozens of print publications, including Our Children magazine; a resource-filled Web site; 8 national print and e-newsletters, as well as state newsletters and Web sites; 10 e-learning courses; live workshops; and member discounts at popular retailers. PTO Today offerings are much more limited and narrower in scope.
Will take these two together, but .... huh? I won't get into a piece-by-piece comparison of resources. I will say that -- on any practical measure of what leaders use and value -- I'd stand up our suite of tools and services and insight very proudly against anyone else's. I'm glad that PTA has some good things for its groups. I'd think PTA would be glad that PTO Today also has good things for groups. Isn't the goal to help groups -- no matter what acronym -- to do great work for kids?
The more relevant issue is what a particular group thinks. It's all well-and-good if PTO Today has a software program or PTA has an e-learning program, but those only matter if the particular group wants to use that service. If the group isn't using the service, then the value (to that group) is $0.00. With PTA, group still has to pay for that resource. With PTO Today, no group pays for a thing they don't want or use.
8. PTA welcomes and works with all people interested in children and education, as well as a wide variety of national, not for-profit groups and non-PTA parent groups to ensure that each child has a good start in life. PTO Today has no such reach.
Ummm.... we work with a ton of outside organizations, too. Have a whole bunch of partners we're very proud of. And our writers are constantly interviewing and quoting the best experts on all kinds of key issues.
9. PTA’s loss of membership—touted by PTO Today as proof PTA doesn’t work—reflects losses across the entire not for-profit world, as the pace of life and time for volunteering for any organization has decreased for everyone. PTA is nearly 6 million members strong—still a formidable advocate working successfully for children, families, and education.
PTA has been there and will always been there. How long will PTO last?
We've never touted PTA's loss of membership as proof PTA doesn't work. I think PTA does work for many groups. (Note: I think PTA is now at about 5.3 million members.) The more relevant number for this debate (that gets away from the loss of volunteers that many nonprofits -- including PTOs -- face) is the number of PTA units. There's no denying the fact that today there are more schools than ever before in the U.S. and yet fewer PTA units. That doesn't have to do with a general decline in volunteering. That has to do with more groups deciding independence is their preferred model. There aren't markedly fewer parent groups in the U.S.
How long will PTO Today last? It's been nearly 10 years now and hopefully will be a long time thereafter. But it's not like PTO groups are "part of" PTO Today and therefore would somehow disintegrate if PTO Today went away. There were tens of thousands of successful PTOs before PTO Today started. Now those groups and many new PTOs and many PTAs are even better off because we've been able to put together a pretty good set of free resources accessible to all groups.
The veritable library of unsolicited "thank you's" we've received from groups of all acronyms who've taken advantage of our insight and services makes all of us here very proud of the work we do every day.
Tim
(PS to Regulars -- Sorry I got sucked in again. Seems like it happens once every year. I can't help myself.
