That sounds so frustrating. I know of quite a few committee that have done the same thing in the past.
I think that it is too late to do much this year, however for next year, you may want to consider having the auction committee and chairs sign a contract/code of conduct. Just something simple that states the expectations of the positions, the expectation of purchasing a ticket to the event and purchasing raffle tickets.
I'm sure you know this - but the committee needs to lead by example in order to have your fundraiser maximize its full potential.
In the state I live in, there are specific laws on the books about these very things. For example, if a PTO holds a raffle, anyone on the board or committee that planned it AND THEIR SPOUSES are NOT eligible to participate. Period. They can participate in the silent auction, however.
As for free tickets, I can see both sides. We always looked at it as we're trying to raise money so we all voted to buy our tickets. We don't volunteer to get free things so everyone decided this was fair.
You may want to check to see if your state has any regulations on parent support organizations or what the federal law says about 501c3's (if you are one). The worst thing is to leave even a question that something shady is happening so we always try to stick to the "rules" very strictly.
This is an interesting topic. We too had a discussion of auction committee members getting a free ticket. We did not vote to get free dinner out of the deal, but honestly I have spent over 300 hours as the PTO president along with the Auction Chair has spent at least 450 hours on this project. We are growing our auction this year and were just given a little list to go from. I personally think if a person puts enough time in, then a free meal is the least of worries. I would for sure bring this up at your next meeting. Also, was that included in their original plan/budget.
We have our committee meet and devise a plan with a budget. It them comes to the PTO for approval. After the budget approval, they have range to adjust the budget. Perhaps you make a motion that in future years, no member of the PTO will be allowed a free ticket to the auction.
As for getting free items....I saw in our past years that they had taken some donations and used them for auction purposes. I do believe this is unethical! All donations need to be put on the auction block (ALL). if they win fair and square then so be it. Sounds like you have some obstacles to overcome. Perhaps an after auction discussion needs to be on your agenda and set goals for next year. This is already on our agenda for after Auction.
Hello. I am the PTO president and we just held our second annual silent auction. It's our biggest fundraiser of the school year. We just found out that the auction committee decided to give themselves and their spouses free tickets to the event without asking the board for approval. The rest of the board plus all parents paid $30 a ticket. In addition several members of the auction committee gave themselves several free raffle tickets that were selling for $20 each and subsiquently a few of them won very big ticket items. What should I do?
